Mr. Zest O shares tale to local entrepreneurs

Ambassador Alfredo Yao, the owner of the country’s largest ready-to-drink fruit juice “Zest O,” will be in Cebu today to impart his success story to local entrepreneurs as well as to students through the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (CCCI) “Meet the Business Legend,” program.

Yao, who is also known as Mr. Zest O, is the chairman of Zest-O Corporation, who established a record of excellence in diverse fields of business.

He began in the printing business before moving on to packaging, food and beverage manufacturing, chemicals, toiletries, real estate development, and banking.

Yao is also responsible for the creation of famous product lines such as Beam toothpaste and Quickchow noodles. He also holds the local franchise for the RC Cola softdrink, which will soon be exported to China.

Yao holds ownership of the Philippine Business Bank with 15 branches in Metro Manila and stands as president and general manager of Solmac Marketing Inc., and the president of various other companies including Semexco Marketing, Inc. and SMI Development Corporation. At the same time, Yao is the director of Export and Industry Bank.

He received the Master Entrepreneur Award for exemplifying sound management practices in Finance Marketing, Human Resources and Sales, and for the strong relationship he has built with his employees, customers, suppliers and stakeholders.

Ambassador Yao was recently appointed Tourism Ambassador by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was also conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Business Management by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Implemented as one of the Chamber’s Entrepreneurship and SME Development Projects, “Meet the Business Legends,” is a series of intimate luncheons hosted by an acclaimed and established business leaders from prestigious companies.

Through an informal and friendly setting, the host shares with the participants his experiences on the road to success, as well as, valuable insights on entrepreneurship and business.

The activity promises to be an inspiring and enriching experience for entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs to gather practical lessons on entrepreneurship and business. CCCI encourages its SME-members to sign up for this rare opportunity to closely interact with Ambassador Alfredo Yao and learn from his entrepreneurial wisdom.

Several business icons had been the resource speakers on CCCI’s “Meet the Business Legend” these include Cebuano successful entrepreneurs Jon Ramon Aboitiz of Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV), Jajo Quintos (IBM), and Cebuano Napoleon Nazareno, the president of Philippine Long Distance Company (PLDT), Splash Corporation chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Rolando B. Hortaleza, Lamoiyan Corporation president and chief executive officer (CEO) Cecilio K. Pedro.

The Business Legend session today is set at 11 in the morning at the Cebu City Sports Club.