Caring for people and pets

Age: 30

Title: Owner

Organization: Danny the Groomer

Daniel Hernandez came to the United States 10 years ago and lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Only six months after arriving, his mother died. He worked odd jobs for a few years, and then decided to be a dental technician. After becoming certified at the University of Illinois Chicago, he worked in that job for three years. Next he opened a restaurant in Little Village in Chicago, but he had to shut the business after only a year because of health problems.

When he recovered, he returned to what he had always liked: dog grooming. He found a job as a groomer at a local shop, and while working there came up with the idea of creating a page on Facebook. People began following his page, he started working from home, and when he reached 20,000 followers he quit his job and opened his own business. Now, two years later, he has more than half a million followers across all his social media accounts and is making a living from that and his businesses.

Monica Lopez

Age: 39

Title: Director of Talent

Acquisition

Organization: Northwestern Mutual Chicagoland

Monica Lopez is an alumna of Northeastern Illinois University, a human resources and organizational development consultant to business partners, a career coach, entrepreneur, and speaker.