Despite being the successful businessman he is today, Justin Uy, President of Cebu-based Profood International Corp., never fails to look back at where he came from.
From being a striving small-scale entrepreneur to a thriving businessman who owns several companies, Uy endeavors to give back to his fellow Cebuanos to whom he attributes his success.
Uy, known as Cebu’s Mango King, is the founder of one of the most successful Filipino food exporting companies which offer a wide range of tropical fruit products including dried fruits, fruit juices, fruit preserves, concentrates, and jams, among others.
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He is also the Chairman of JPark Island Resort and Waterpark and JFiber Internet Services Corp. (JFiber).
Steering through Difficulties
The path to becoming a well-respected entrepreneur had a lot of bumps on it. He had three failed business ventures as a teenager, which he took as learning experiences as he established his next business.
However, Uy shared that the COVID-19 pandemic was a dark moment for him. His ventures took severe hits from the crises, as the pandemic crippled industries including the dried fruit and tourism industry.
Justin Uy, known as Cebu’s Mango King, manages several successful companies at his helm. As a Converge user, he emphasizes the importance of connectivity to enable the operations of his many businesses. “Without connectivity, you cannot move forward,” he shares.
Profood International Corp. is one of the most successful Filipino food exporting companies which offer a wide range of tropical fruit products including dried fruits, fruit juices, fruit preserves, concentrates, and jams, among others.
Profood is famous locally and internationally for its dried mango products.
“The pandemic was the worst crisis I have ever experienced. I started very young so I already experienced crises prior to this. While I was able to take advantage and learn from previous experience, this pandemic is something out of control,” he highlighted.
But Uy stood his ground. He remained compassionate to his people for the fear that they would not be able to sustain their daily needs.
“We never shut down our food and hotel business. We were asked by the government to close down but I said, ‘Who will answer for the farmers? Who will answer for the thousands of workers?’. I will be doing what you want us to do– social distancing and other health protocols so there’s no reason why you should not let them work,” the Cebuano businessman said.
Amid all the losses and financial setbacks his companies suffered, he never laid off any of his thousands of regular employees.
Digitalizing the Business
As Profood International expanded into broader markets locally and abroad, Uy realized the need to modernize his businesses through digitalization.
“I started 1994 and honestly, we didn’t have enough money for it but I’m forced to do so because it helps the business. As of today, we cannot live without it already,” said Uy.
The Cebuano entrepreneur also emphasized the importance of connectivity to enable the operations of his business, especially now that meetings and other business processes are already done online.
Uy said that Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has been their reliable internet service provider, allowing him and his employees to connect and communicate, especially whenever he needs to travel abroad.
“We are a Converge user and strong connectivity definitely helps the business, especially if you are talking to your people. I travel a lot so I need strong internet to connect to my people, and my employees also need a stable and reliable connection to communicate with everyone,” he said.
“Without connectivity, you cannot move forward. Whenever I have to attend meetings, it has become a part of my life already. Without it, you cannot be more efficient because you wouldn’t be able to access the data you need to make the right decisions,” he added.
Giving Back to the People through Strong Connectivity
From being an enterprise customer in 2021, Uy started partnering with Converge in 2022. With the aim of giving back to his fellow Cebuanos through a stronger and more reliable internet connection, he supports Converge in deepening its presence in Cebu.
As Chairman of JFiber, Uy shares: “Dennis Anthony Uy would always say, internet access should not be a privilege of a few, but a right of every Filipino. We share the vision of Dennis and Grace Uy to provide Filipinos and in our case, Cebuanos, with world-class, pure end-to-end fiber internet connectivity.”
“I am always for the development of the country so when Dennis told me about this, I was delighted because this is something new and we can also help a lot of Filipinos and Cebuanos,” he noted.
Last September 2022, Converge and JFiber opened its newest business center in Cebu City as part of its commitment to enhancing customer satisfaction in its growing customer base in the region.
Converge business centers facilitate different customer transactions including application processing, plan upgrades, service inquiries, technical reporting, repair requests, and billing-related transactions, among others.
To know more about Converge, visit www.convergeict.com