County Has 18 of the Top 500 Latino-Owned Firms : Ratings: Hispanic Business magazine says top-ranked local company is Infotec Development of Santa Ana. Sales were $126 million in 1992.
A record 18 Orange County businesses appear among the nation’s top 500 Latino-owned companies on a list released on Thursday by Hispanic Business magazine.
The top-ranked Orange County company is Infotec Development Inc. in Santa Ana, in 12th place. The computer services and defense engineering company, which had 1992 sales of $126 million, jumped from 29th place last year.
And an Orange County company on the list for the first time landed in the top 100: Fullerton Dodge, with 1992 revenue of $35.8 million. It ranks No. 60.
The 18 Orange County businesses together had annual sales of more than $277 million, almost 45% more than the total for the 17 local companies on last year’s list.
“I think it’s important that this list exists,” said J. Fernando Niebla, chief executive of Infotec. “It shows the economic strength of the Hispanic community.”
This is the 11th year that Hispanic Business, based in Santa Barbara, has published such a list.
Total sales of the 500 companies edged above $10 billion for the first time, the magazine said, an increase of 2% over last year. Total sales have increased 24% in the past six years.
California is home this year to 130 of the 500 companies. Florida is second with 114, Texas has 71, and New York has 24.
In Orange County, La Pizza Loca restaurant chain in Buena Park ranks 151, with $14.5 million in 1992 sales. Others in the top 200 are Orange Coast Electric Supply Co. in Irvine, No. 189, $11.92 million in sales; Borbon Inc., a paint and wall covering supplier in Buena Park, No. 192, $11.33 million, and Roto Industries Inc., an Anaheim trash container maker, No. 199, $10.8 million.
Also in the top 500 were Burtin Corp. in Santa Ana, a polyurethane foam products maker, ranked 209th with $10.5 million in sales; Cordova Bolt Inc. in Buena Park, a nut and bolt distributor, No. 230, $9.55 million; Savala Construction Co. in Irvine, No. 337, $6.14 million; Akasaka, Ortiz & Varela Insurance Assn. in Orange, No. 338, $6.11 million in sales; ACS Contracting Inc., a general contractor in La Habra, No. 343, $6 million.
Two Flags Wholesale, an Anaheim food distributor, ranked 355th with $5.5 million in sales; Independent Forge Co., an aluminum precision forger in Orange, No. 417, $4.5 million; Omni Metal Finishing in Fountain Valley, No. 429, $4.2 million; Public Inc., a trucking and warehousing company in La Palma, No. 431, $4.19 million; Data Extras, an office supplies company in Yorba Linda, No. 453, $3.77 million; Black Oxide Industries, metal finishers in Anaheim, No. 475, $3.4 million, and R.C. Cement Contractor Inc. in Anaheim, No. 499, $3.1 million.
Akasaka and R.C. Cement are new to the list this year.
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC / Latino Business
State Leads the Nation
California is home to more firms owned by Latinos than any other state in the country, according to Hispanic Business magazine’s annual ranking of the nation’s Top 500 companies. California firms represent 20% of the Top 100. Sales in millions of dollars.
Rank Rank Type of 1993 1992 Company Location business 5 8 Cal-State Lumber San Diego Wood products 11 14 Lloyd A. Wise Oakland Auto sales, service 12 29 Infotec Development Santa Ana Aerospace 22 19 TELACU Industries Commerce Financial services 23 27 Rosendin Electric San Jose Electrical contractor 26 24 Ruiz Food Products Dinuba Mexican food mfg. 34 23 Ramos Oil Sacramento Petroleum prod. distr. 37 36 Pacifica Services Pasadena Engineering services 42 38 Cacique Industry Cheese, meat prod. 48 42 La Reina Los Angeles Mexican food mfg. 58 55 DeLa Fuente Auto San Diego Auto sales, service 60 -- Fullerton Dodge Fullerton Auto sales, service 53 58 Alrod International Burlingame Customs broker 77 83 Camino Real Chevrolet Monterey Park Auto sales, service 80 77 F. Gavina & Sons Vernon Coffee roasters 84 70 C&F; Foods Industry Agricultural pkg./ distr. 85 72 1 Day Paint & Body Torrance Auto painting 86 -- Film Roman N. Hollywood Entertainment distr. 92 75 Malaco International San Francisco Petroleum prod. distr. 93 89 S. Diego W’sale Elec. San Diego Electrical supplies
Rank 1992 1993 sales 5 $169.6 11 137.2 12 126.0 22 93.0 23 91.0 26 83.3 34 61.3 37 57.5 42 54.1 48 45.0 58 36.7 60 35.9 53 35.0 77 28.0 80 27.5 84 25.1 85 25.0 86 25.0 92 22.0 93 22.0
Source: Hispanic Business magazine; Researched by DALLAS M. JACKSON / Los Angeles Times
