Preview of Book Chapter
Page 2 of 3
Written by Cesar Plata, Founder infoBayArea.com, muyBueno.net

Cesar's parents made many sacrifices so they could send him to a private college preparatory high school. Years later, he became the first person in his family to complete a college education. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis, where he was also involved in leadership positions in several organizations.

Throughouth his career as a student and engineer, Cesar mentored and encouraged many students to set goals and pursue a college education. His desire to become an entrepreneur started as a hobby back in 1996. He observed many organizations were providing similar services, and people were simply not sharing resources or communicating with each other! There was also a growing pool of individuals willing to participate in community activities as mentors and volunteers, but no one was connecting with them. During the early years of the Dot-Com boom, he realized there was a need to help inform and connect Bay Area Latino professionals, so he developed a subscription email service that informed his colleagues about events, resources, and networking and volunteer opportunities. Cesar aimed to promote unity, education, leadership, and eliminate exclusivity within our community, by inviting everyone to get involved, join forces and work together! He realized the Latino professional community was a huge, growing, unrepresented and untapped market segment.

By 1998, Cesar's hobby had gained significant amount of interest throughout the Bay Area. In early 1999, with the help of his friend Rhéal Paquette, he developed his website www.muybueno.net and transitioned his hobby into a full-time venture. Cesar also formed partnerships with numerous businesses and organizations, specifically in the Latino market, and organized monthly networking events. His events became very popular, and he hosted them at some of the largest and exclusive locations throughout Silicon Valley.

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