CCCI president Nonoy Espeleta: Entrepreneur and mentor with a mission

CEBU, Philippines — He is the 37th president of the largest business organization in Cebu, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI). An educator. Founder of Famcor Franchise Management and Executive Development, yet Virgilio “Nonoy” Espeleta is keeping his feet on the ground spreading the gospel to lift the difficult plight of the voiceless sector—the micro-small businesses.

A chemical engineer by profession, Nonoy plowed his way to entrepreneurship by hopping from one company to another. Tried some business ventures, but failed couple of times. But one thing he never let go is to continue learning in failures and victories.

He also has one confession: He does not entirely believe that one’s fate depends on luck or the lack of it.

Rather, life is given to each of us for a purpose. For a mission and a calling.

His presidency at the CCCI is not a coincidence, nor a stroke of good-luck. It is so, because somebody above us designed it to be.

Corporate race

After his graduation from the University of San Carlos (USC), Nonoy went straight ahead to corporate race. He supervised one of the departments of the metal processing company, the Philippine Associated Smelting And Refining Corporation (Pasar) in Isabel Leyte.

Seven years after, Nonoy found himself hungry for more. He left Pasar and fed himself with some more educational advancements by enrolling in a two-year program at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).

Armed with know-how in the science and art of management in business, Nonoy continued to run the race in the corporate track, helping real estate companies mostly in Davao, alongside his small consultancy “moonlighting.”

From metal processing to real estate, Nonoy’s search to find meaning in what he is here for continued.

In 1992, beverage giant La Tondeña invited him to join the company as plant manager, an assignment which brought him back to Cebu.  Eight years after, Nonoy decided to leave the corporate race behind and started to put his feet in the unfamiliar ground of entrepreneurship.

Rise and fall

Nonoy started his distribution business right after his managerial assignment at La Tondeña.

Confident of the strong clout and connection he cultivated over the years in several sectors in business, including his active participation with CCCI as the face of La Tondeña in Cebu, Nonoy thought he was to succeed in his first try in entrepreneurship. The distribution business however, did not last long. He failed—plain and simple. No excuse.

While he acknowledged his failure on his first attempt to entrepreneurship, Nonoy was drawn to companies, family-run homegrown brands that were desperate to breath in the rising challenges of competition. Some were on the brink of falling apart.

This Boholano mentor once again was back in the corporate field. This time however, as a coach, not anymore an employee.

He started to nurture his gift for mentorship, which made its rising trail when he was appointed as president of family-run corporation Julie’s Bakeshop.

His excellent job, which contributed to Julie’s Bakeshop’s remarkable growth story—amid internal management crisis, made Nonoy one of the top family business consultants in Cebu and across the country.

He established the Famcor Franchise Management and Executive Development Corporation in 2010. The rise of Nonoy’s entrepreneurship journey.

Success starts in the family

Nonoy’s strong conviction that success starts in the family, made FamCorp one of the reputable consultancy firms for homegrown brands or corporations.

He believes that a family business cannot live too long, nor endure the tests of times, unless the core foundation composed of pillars in the family are united.

“Growing your family business,” is Famcor’s core commitment. A management consultancy firm, its main thrust is to provide professional guidance to family corporations by helping them craft their strategic growth roadmaps at the same time sustaining family unity in phases of leadership and management transitions.

This is his ultimate purpose. His passion. He is indignant in hand-holding family-run businesses in their growth journey.

Working alongside with experts who have the same passion as his, Famcor’s professional services expanded in just a shorter span such as; Family, Corporate & Board Good Governance, Executive Development Services which covers Board Level Executive Coaching, Franchise Development and Management Services as an expansion option, Strategic Planning and Organizational Development, Strategic Marketing Management, among others.

Famcor Consultants also provide special programs for clients on Stewardship of Business as an Institution of Deep Purpose, Culture Building, Values Alignment, Spirituality in the workplace, Hunan Resource Developments and Leadership programs.

Though based in Cebu, dealings of the company are from all over the Philippines.

Famcor consultants are also one with him in setting their focus in going beyond boundaries by creating opportunities globally, especially in the Southeast Asian region.

Fisher of businessmen

It was in a pilgrimage tour in Mount Tabor in lower Galilee, Israel,  that Nonoy experienced an epiphany, an audible “divine whisper” telling him to heed, to pursue a special duty.

There at the very mountain of Jesus Christ’s transfiguration, Nonoy got the message. He is to help the poor. Poor in spirit. Poor in knowledge, whichever is appropriate.

After a while, he figured that he is purposely put in the entrepreneurship seas, not to catch fish, but to be a “fisher of businessmen.”

His mentorship therefore, he understood is not only meant to grow the profits of the family businesses, but also to plant the core value of life, the beatitudes which the Bible teaches. That spiritual health is also part of growing and cultivating a business.

Conflicts in family businesses should be resolved. Peace in boardrooms should reign. This is his mission. His ministry.

Fulfilling a mission

Although to head the largest business group in the region is not part of Nonoy’s bucket list, he has no excuse not to accept the challenge.

After all, his purpose has long been unveiled to him in the Mount Tabor.

Nonoy is fulfilling a mission. In the CCCI, he has the entire ocean to fish and he has the voice of influence too.

As far as he is concerned, his mission has to be fulfilled; to lift up the plight of small businesses and empowered them to fight the giants coming their way to devour the small ones.

The gospel of business has to be preached and be heard. After that, Nonoy can celebrate not only his success, but the victories of others who also succeeded in walking the road he used to take.