April 2008 - Global View Newsletter
U.S. TRANSLATION COMPANY PRESIDENT WINS UTAH'S SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
Born and raised in Peru, a third world country, David Utrilla immigrated to the United States in 1994 in the hunt for the American dream. On April 22, 2008, in Washington D.C., Utrilla, President of U.S. Translation Company, will achieve this dream when he is presented with Utah’s Small Business Person of the Year award from the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Facing an uncertain future due to political unrest and terrorism in Peru, Utrilla came to America with suitcase in hand, speaking no English, yet determined to make a better life for himself and future family. He quickly realized that in order to be successful in this country, he had to learn the language quickly and adapt to the American culture.
In order to achieve this, he enrolled in the ESL program at WSU and upon completion, continued his studies in business management and international business. Determined to succeed, he studied, worked, volunteered and tried to assimilate in any way possible; generally getting no more than 4 hours of sleep a night.
After realizing that many of the educational materials from Peru were the same as those used in the USA, just in different languages, he decided to open a translation services company. There was one problem; Utrilla knew that as the representative of a language company, potential clients would be skeptical if he didn’t speak English well.
In just 1 year, Utrilla developed a plan, polished his language skills and founded U.S. Translation Company.
From one $13,000 project in 1995, to serving over 600 clients in 2008, Utrilla has finally realized his dream. Utrilla said about his success, “I feel that my success is due to my abc's of business: a positive Attitude, a Belief that I should be able to succeed if I follow everything that I have planned, and the Courage to follow through on my plans and to keep going no matter what challenges I may face.”
Although Utrilla is determined to continue the growth and success of his company, he is just as committed to helping others succeed and giving back to a society that helped him realize his dream. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Weber-Davis Boys and Girl’s Clubs of America, donates to Weber State University, has organized relief efforts for those affected by the massive earthquake in Peru in 2007 and travels to his home country often for philanthropy and business.
Small Business Entrepreneurs are the foundation on which this country grows. The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that small businesses employ about half of all private sector employees, pay more than 45 percent of total U.S. private payroll and have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade. Additionally, more than 99 percent of American businesses are small, and the average small employer had one location and 10 employees, compared with 62 locations and 3,313 employees in the average large business.
Because of this, every year since 1963, the President has proclaimed National Small Business Week to recognize how small businesses contribute to the strength and economic well being of America.
The Small Business Person of the Year winners were selected based on their company’s strength in staying power, growth, financial stability, innovation, response to adversity and community contributions.
This is a prestigious event with speakers such as Newt Gingrich, U.S. Ambassador Susan Schwab and former Utah Governor and current Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Michael O. Leavitt.
Utrilla will also be among the nation’s top 53 Small Business Executives competing for the National Small Business Person of the Year Award. On May 5th, the local SBA office will honor Utrilla at an awards ceremony at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah.
U.S. Translation Company: Superior quality Interpretation and Translation Services in over 100 Languages!
