Family Businesses Find Success in Pasadena

Family businesses are critical to the success of communities nationwide. More than 24 million family businesses in the United States contribute nearly two-thirds of the country’s GDP and employ more than 60% of the workforce.

Many family businesses thrive in Pasadena, TX. The talented workforce, city programs and community support foster an environment conducive to family business success in Pasadena.

National celebration

Friday, June 23, is National Family Owned & Operated Businesses Day, an annual celebration to recognize the family-owned and operated businesses that continue to offer their products and services by applying the ethics and traditions passed down by generations. These businesses make communities enjoyable places to visit and live. The local hard-working and innovative small business owners contribute to the vibrancy and character of Pasadena while employing many of our residents. These locally owned businesses help define our community and what it's like to live here. 

Pasadena family businesses

Pasadena is a community that supports its family-owned businesses. The following enterprises are excellent examples of the ingenuity and dedication to running a business in the Pasadena community.

Formers International, Inc. specializes in the engineering and manufacturing of replacement bag formers used in food packaging applications. Founded in Pasadena by John Dominguez Jr. in 1975, Formers International is now owned by John Dominguez III, who became the sole owner in 2013. While Formers International maintains its local, family-owned business appeal, it ships internationally and maintains relationships with the world’s top snack food and confectionary brands. The company owns several patents on the key components of former assemblies and has developed a product line that solves many of the packing industry’s biggest challenges. James Leija, Marketing Coordinator, points to the culture and growth as reasons the business has been successful in Pasadena.

John Dominguez III says, “Pasadena holds a great bit of culture beneath the refinery stacks and fresh smells from the taquerias. Pasadena’s growth allows for a large talent pool of educated and driven workers. The city’s programs and resources allow small, minority-owned companies to focus on providing their best service, rather than worry about the location where they decided to lay down roots.”

TPIS Industrial Services has specialized in soft trades in the industrial industry since its founding in 2001 by Juan and Esmeralda Ocampo. The pair operate the business along with three of their five children. The company's mission statement includes striving to “be the leader in scaffolding, insulation, coatings, refractory, electrical/steam tracing, fireproofing and auxiliary services industry by providing world-class customer service, support, and quality while maintaining safe conditions for our team members and communities.” Their management style rests squarely on their core values of and decision-making of Family, Accountability, Integrity, Transparency and Humility.

“We aim to make every decision within our company with these values in mind and are confident our success is drawn from them,” said Angie Leon, one of the three siblings. “Pasadena has many small business opportunities that have helped our company. The community support we have received and the networking opportunities have positively impacted TPIS.” 

Pasadena supports family businesses

Each of these companies has reflected on the positive support from all facets of the community that has aided their longevity in Pasadena. Dominguez III said Pasadena’s local resources aid local businesses.

“Tapping into available resources, like the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Pasadena EDC and other local business organizations, provide guidance, support, and even networking opportunities to help you succeed,” he said.

Leon stated, “Pasadena is the perfect location for our industry. We are local to many industrial plants that comprise most of our customers. That, combined with our amazing team members and customers, is why we never see ourselves leaving Pasadena!” 

Support Pasadena’s family businesses today!

The Pasadena EDC is thankful for all the family-owned businesses that make our community such a special place to live and work. Your contribution to our community is invaluable and we call for all our community members to support you. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that nearly half of all private businesses fail during the first five years of operation. With that in mind, the Pasadena EDC calls for the community to follow our social media platforms on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube or subscribe to the Pasadena Pulse E-Newsletter to be aware of opportunities to support these great businesses of Pasadena year-round.