Leading with Heritage: Rhode Island’s Latino Business Leaders Share Their Stories is a special Hispanic Heritage Month event hosted by the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, October 8, from 5:00–7:00 PM at Innovate Newport.
The evening will bring together prominent Latino and Latina business leaders from across Rhode Island for an engaging conversation about their career and entrepreneurial journeys, the experiences that have shaped them as leaders, and the role their Hispanic heritage and culture have played along the way. Designed as a dialogue rather than a traditional panel, the conversation will include audience participation and provide an opportunity for business and community leaders, entrepreneurs, and local students to connect, learn, and celebrate the contributions of Rhode Island’s Latino business community. The evening will conclude with networking, light hors d’oeuvres, and refreshments.
Confirmed speakers include: Jon Andrade, Founding Publisher of VISIONARIOS Magazine; Matt Vargas, Partner at Rumford Portfolio Management; and Jairo Rugel, President/Owner of ATC Tech Inc. / Newport County Computers.
About Jairo Rugel:
With over 45 years of hands-on experience, Jairo has worked with a variety of technologies, and has learned to solve technical problems of all kinds related to hardware, software, networking, and cybersecurity. He is a natural and driven leader, traits that have served him well while serving as a Sonar Technician in the U.S. Navy and as a businessman afterwards. With two successful endeavors under his belt, ATC Tech Inc and Newport County Computers, Jairo attributes their continued success to a combination of excellent customer service, attention to detail, and strong technical knowledge; all skills he has helped to bring out in his team of techs, or as he likes to describe them, his “geeks with social skills.” Jairo is also an active member of the Aquidneck Island community, as a board member for the Newport County Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Newport Elks Lodge where he provides free technology classes to fellow members and the public alike. He has served as the Treasurer for The North End Club and worked with the Middletown Little League for many years as a coach and manager. He can be found most days at the Newport County Computers shop or in the field at client locations solving all sorts of technology related issues and “saving the world one computer at a time”.
About Matt Vargas:
Prior to RPM Matt served as CEO and on the Board of Directors for the publicly traded Emcore Corporation. Matt oversaw the restructuring and sale of Emcore to private buyers while simultaneously leading the sales team. Prior to Emcore, Matt was responsible for exponential growth in the KVH Industries defense navigation portfolio and the rollup of the KVH product line into the broader Emcore offering. He has worked in challenging domestic and international environments throughout his career, including Ukraine, Turkey, and Afghanistan.
Matt is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and has an MBA from the University of Rhode Island, He resides in Warwick with his wife Jillian and four children Evelyn, Henry, Maxwell, and Madeline. Matt is fluent in Spanish and Farsi/Dari and serves on several non-profit boards.
More to come!
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