Well-known Immigrant Entrepreneur, builder, Consummate Businessman, and Leader Louis Ruiz Passed Away at the Age of 88
(Business writer JJC can be contacted at nothingbutshopping@yahoo.com)
A cornerstone of the Ruiz Family Died; He was a thinker, innovator, a father, husband, friend, counselor and great entrepreneur. His story is one of the many untold contributions of countless immigrant entrepreneurs to this country.
Louis was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. His parents fled to the United States when Pancho Villa seized their land during the Mexican Revolution. Just many young men who want to give something back to this country, he served in the army. While he was living in Los Angeles, he worked as a grocery store owner and insurance salesman. He found out that the key to the American Dream is through hard work. Becoming a business owner was the direct passport to a better life in this country. He was always motivated by his entrepreneurial spirit that he inherited from his parents and brought from the old country. That is why he did not hesitate to leave everything else behind to go into business with his younger brothers Oscar, Eddie, Carlos and Art and a brother-in-law to co-found a large tortilla factory that invested a lot in new technology.
The role that Louis and his brothers played in the Mexican Food industry is immense. They were the pioneers of what has become a huge industry in this country. They laid the groundwork. Without them, the Mexican Food industry might not have become what it is right now. After moving to Tulare, Louis started a home bakery delivery service that delivered groceries to farm families.
These days, the company headquarters is based in Dinuba, CA. Ruiz Foods moved to Dinuba where Louis built a home on "D Hill." He planted fruit trees and flowering bushes that attract and marvel any visitor. Louis was chairman emeritus of Ruiz Foods. Even though he retired from the company in his later years, he would visit and maintain close contact with his son and other key employees of the company. He valued his work in the maintenance shop where he was working on an automatic, tamale-wrapping machine. He enjoyed looking at the tortilla line to make recommendations each time he was at the factory. His legacy is that Ruiz Foods will continue to be relevant to the community and world's needs. Frozen burritos and other staples of the Mexican Food industry are appreciated all over the world. Louis left the world a better place where his cultural foods can feed the hungry. He was an example to countless Mexican American entrepreneurs who did not feel limited by his origin and culture. On the contrary, he used what he knew to build a food empire in a little California town, Dinuba which is about to celebrate its 100 years.
With his passing, all of us feel the pain and void in this important industry. He was honored and named the Small Business Administration's Small Business Person of the Year at a 1983 ceremony in the Rose Garden in Washington, DC.
Remember that condolences can be sent to RuizFamily@RuizFoods.com
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