Turning Crisis Into Opportunity
ManilaTimes.net:
When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, Rosanno Osi was a medical student and the owner of a ceramics factory in Porac, Pampanga. The tragedy, while painful, forced Osi to assess his mission in life. He asked himself whether he would be more effective as a doctor or as an entrepreneur.
In the end, Osi realized that he could help himself, his family and his fellow Capampangan by rebuilding his business literally and figuratively from the ashes. After he relocated to Angeles City, the enterprising Osi thought long and hard how to make the Pinatubo tragedy work for him and his plan. The answer obviously lay in the lahar or volcanic debris that covered the province and destroyed many homes, landmarks and commercial establishments.
Osi, whose undergraduate course was medical technology, thought of making picture frames from lahar. Excel Frames n Decor was born in 1992, making the once-hated volcanic debris a popular material for décor not only here but also in countries where Philippine products are in high demand.
Excel produces carefully handcrafted décor from volcanic ash. Osi proudly said the materials used for each item are earth-friendly, nontoxic and biodegradable. Prices for the merchandise can go as low as P80 and as high as P7,000. This pricing range enables people from all cross-sections of society to buy and enjoy Excel’s products.
The company’s entry into the export market began in 1993 when Excel participated in a Hong Kong trade fair with the backing of Nelly Villafuerte, then an undersecretary for the Department of Trade and Industry, and Mina Gabor, then the country’s tourism secretary.
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