CINCINNATI, Oct. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As National Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close on October 15, Best Upon Request, an on-site concierge company, honors its president/CEO, Tillie Hidalgo Lima. According to hispanicheritagemonth.gov, the purpose is to pay "tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society."
Hidalgo Lima was born in Havana, Cuba, shortly after Fidel Castro's revolution took over the country. Her parents escaped with her as a baby, leaving behind everything in the hopes that they would return as soon as communism was stamped out by the United States. But it never happened. Hidalgo Lima and her family were granted refugee status and settled in Atlanta, Georgia, later moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, where her father worked for Procter & Gamble. Hidalgo Lima became a U.S. citizen when she was 8 years old, and has never taken for granted the freedoms of her adopted country.
"Freedom is a privilege and a responsibility," says Hidalgo Lima. "It's one of my Seven F's. My personal values are Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, Financial Strength, Freedom and Fun."
Not knowing English as a child, her teachers thought she was deaf. There were no English as a Second Language programs in place in 1965. A fast learner, Hidalgo Lima translated for her mom. Her family of five siblings only spoke Spanish at home until she was 12 years old.
Education is very important for Cuban families. Hidalgo Lima put herself through college and graduated in 1983 from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy. She knew she wanted to help people with the utmost care and quality, which carried over in her second career as a CEO and business owner.
In 2003 Hidalgo Lima became president and CEO of Best Upon Request, a company her husband, Dave Lima, founded in 1993, and one of the first to provide concierge services, with errand running, as an employee benefit. Since she became owner, the successful business has grown its national footprint, became debt free, adopted Holacracy and earned the prestigious Corporate Plus® designation from the National Minority Supplier Development Council in 2015.
Hidalgo Lima is a passionate advocate for mentoring and investing in the community. She co-founded and co-chaired the United Way of Greater Cincinnati's Hispanic Leadership Society and sits on the United Way Board of Directors and St. Elizabeth Healthcare's Board of Trustees. On September 25, Hidalgo Lima was honored by the Cincinnati Bengals with the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award. This award recognizes the contributions of Hispanic leaders in each NFL market.
Hidalgo Lima has also been an honored recipient of the 2016 United Way John A. Hall Award for Promoting Diversity and Inclusion, the 2015 Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award by the Ohio Commission on Hispanic-Latino Affairs, the 2010 Cincinnati Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year by the Ohio Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, and the 2008 NSHMBA Brillante Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
About BEST:
In business since 1989, Best Upon Request is a certified Minority and Women Business Enterprise, and Corporate Plus® Member of the NMSDC, providing on-site concierge services to organizations nationwide. BEST helps employees save time and decrease stress, resulting in increased engagement and commitment to their employer. For healthcare clients, BEST also takes care of patients' non-medical needs to improve the patient experience. With on-site offices in 10 states, BEST serves customers in 20 states and Puerto Rico.
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