Corona Entrepreneur Is Honored

Robert Rivera can trace his business success to a moped accident 16 years ago.

The 19-year-old Rivera took $1,500 from the crash settlement and used it for business cards, stationery and a phone. Today, his Corona-based Spectrum Communications Cabling Services Inc. has 120 employees and expects to reach $30 million in annual sales.

And last week Rivera was chosen from a pool of Latino entrepreneurs across the country to be Santa Barbara-based Hispanic Business Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Spectrum designs voice and data systems and installs computer networks and cable at private corporations in retail and health care industries and for government entities.

It has carved a niche wiring K-12 classrooms and also offers consulting services to inner-city school districts in search of funds to help close the digital divide.