Around the world, you will find individuals who strive to be the very best they can be. From ordinary people, they become extraordinary achievers. You find them in different fields—from sports to science, from arts to business. These peak performers are not born, they’re made. And Paraluman Panahon Anderson, or Para Anderson (as people know her) is certainly one of them.

The president of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (FACCOC) and the chair and president of the Council of Trade and Investments for Filipino Americans, Para Anderson has built an amazing career in Marketing Research.

Para spends a larger chunk of her days serving the Filipino-American community, specifically for FACCOC. “Now that I am the President of this organization, I feel an even stronger sense of purpose and duty. It is unbelievable the amount of my waking hours spent doing FACCOC-related activities. I may not make everyone happy or serve everyone but at least no one can say I am doing this for money or for my own glory. If I can make a difference in one person’s life through my community service at FACCOC, then I think I have accomplished my goal,” she admitted to the Asian Journal.

For more than two decades, Para has climbed up the ladder of success in the technology industry, working her way up in the field of marketing and marketing research for companies like Epson, Toshiba America, and Canon USA.

As department head of Market Research at Canon USA for 12 years, Para participated in introducing some historical endeavors through innovative products, including Canon’s first ink jet printer, first scanner, first digital camera and first multi-function printer.

In 2006, Para ventured into entrepreneurship. Today, she is a full-fledged entrepreneur and connector, juggling her days as President and CMO of Mindoro Corp, Elite StainMaster Flooring Center in Santa Clarita, and serving as marketing consultant for start-ups.

Origins and Family Life

In an exclusive interview with Asian Journal, Para shared her humble beginnings.

“I came from a big family, the eighth of ten children (five boys and five girls) of my God-centered parents, Benigno Elizaga Panahon and Rosario Saa de Asis. I was born at home in what was an idyllic quiet village or ‘bukid’ in Najuan, Oriental Mindoro. At that time, my father was assigned as principal, while my mother was the first grade school teacher in Nagiba Elementary School in Naujan. My earliest and fondest memories were carefree, happy days at the elementary school, which I considered my own playground, next door to our house. Being a first grade teacher, my mother taught me to read and write as early as three years old. She carried me to school daily even as a baby, so I practically grew up in school,” recalled Para.

“After I graduated from elementary school, my parents were transferred to Calapan, where I studied high school at an all-girl Catholic high school, Holy Infant Academy. I completed my bachelor’s degree in English literature in a local catholic school, Divine Word College. My parents still live there in Calapan today; both are 92 years old,” Para said.

In 1978, Para moved to Manila to live with her siblings and worked as a secretary at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). There, she fell in love with a graduate school student, American Gary Frederick Anderson. They married soon after and a son was born in June 22, 1980 in Makati (then part of Metro Manila.) The Andersons then moved to Palos Verdes, California in August 1980. Their daughter was born in Torrance in July 20, 1982.

The Big Move

Para’s first years in California weren’t easy. “It has been 31 years since we moved to California but I still vividly recall the difficulty in assimilating with an all-Caucasian family and neighborhood in Palos Verdes. It was such a complete culture shock and a very difficult transition for me, as a 23-year-old provincial Filipino mother who was accustomed to eating rice and fish three times a day. Raising two children while maintaining a household without help was one of the most challenging adjustments in my life, despite having the modern conveniences of washer/dryer, vacuum cleaner and such. Thanks to my gracious and kind parents-in-law, they were so accommodating and understanding that they made it easier for me to assimilate and adjust to my new life and family in the US. Soon enough, I came to enjoy my life in the US, despite missing my big noisy family in the Philippines,” she recalled.

A Successful Corporate Career in America

Para’s marketing and marketing research career in the technology industry began in 1981 when Epson established an office in Torrance, CA. Para was one of the first Epson employees to be involved in the introduction of the first groundbreaking dot matrix printer designed for personal computers.

“In 1985, my young family moved from Palos Verdes Estates to Orange County where freeways were still wide open and houses were more affordable. I left Epson when the long commute from OC to Torrance became unbearable, compounded by the fact that I was working full-time, raising two kids and finishing my MBA at Pepperdine University,” admitted Para.

She joined Toshiba America in Tustin in 1986 as an integral part of the product team that launched the first “IBM-compatible” laptop in the world, the T1100. From 1992 to 2005, while working at Canon USA, Para led the market research department and helped introduced Canon’s innovative products like the first ink jet printer, first scanner, first digital camera and first multi-function printer.

“As department head of the Market Research at Canon USA for 12 years, I had the privilege of directing all consumer research engagements which required me to travel extensively around the US and occasionally abroad. Traveling to big cities and small towns, I met and interviewed hundreds of interesting people from different walks of life, ethnic backgrounds and economic situations giving me a deeper appreciation of living in this beautiful God-blessed country. My long and rich career in the technology industry ended when Canon pulled its corporate operations out of CA and consolidated it in Long Island, NY. Immediately thereafter, I had a short stint as a corporate researcher for KB Home, one of the largest homebuilders in the US and when the real estate market took a nosedive in late 2006, my marketing and market research career came to a screeching halt,” said Para.

Entrepreneurship

After her long and rich corporate career, Para then decided to join her husband in running their consulting company, Mindoro Corp. Gary handles the financial modeling consulting work, and Para does the marketing. “Currently, my main activities are to connect people and businesses looking for opportunities and investments in the Philippines. The upside of entrepreneurship is the flexibility in setting my daily schedule and time to join networking groups, the downside is wearing many hats and juggling many balls in the air,” explained Para.

Volunteer Work and Community Service

Her passion for volunteer work and community service took root while involved in a local church. “My husband and I joined The Filipino-American Christian church in Irvine in 2000 where we immediately felt at home. We became involved in the leadership group, including the Missions Committee. The first mission trip to the Philippines was one I organized along with Pastor Jonathan Mortiz, his family and his dad who is a radio evangelist at FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company), Pastor Paul Mortiz. We held the evangelistic missions naturally in places close to my heart, Naujan and Calapan, in honor of God and as gift to my father who was celebrating his 80th birthday at that time,” shared Para. “Since then, I participated in several missions trips to Bacolod, Marikina, and Payatas where our church, now named Woodbridge Community Church, continues to support children feeding programs in partnership with the local church there. My missions trips to Payatas smoky mountains, experiencing the incredible stench and the heart-breaking poverty of the people up close, opened my eyes to the stark reality that the physical and spiritual need is so enormous, so great, as huge as the mountains of trash facing me. I am thankful that our church consistently gives monthly and goes to Payatas mission annually,” she said.

Business Organizations and Non-Profits

In 2007, Para joined several business organizations including the Irvine Chamber of Commerce and the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (FACCOC). The following year, in 2008, she was encouraged to run for the board and have served continuously as PR Officer, Secretary, President-elect and now President of FACCOC.

Para also serves in the Advisory Board of Econserve, a non-profit organization to save Naujan Lake by teaching out-of-school Filipino youth leadership, service learning and environmental conservation

Very recently, she was appointed Chairman and elected President of the Council of Trade and Investments for Filipino-Americans, a new business advocacy group under the guidance of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center, Los Angeles.

“This group is an offshoot of the Philippine trade briefing we held in November 2009 and our trade mission trip to the Philippines in September 2011. I am excited to accept this responsibility. The influence of this group can be far reaching and global as we will be thrust in the forefront to educate, encourage and facilitate active participation of Filipino-Americans in creating and building wealth that will benefit both the US and the Philippine economies. Economic growth has been one of the primary concerns of President Noynoy Aquino and his administration. I am honored and humbled to play a role in helping him achieve his administration’s goals for the benefit of our homeland,” said Para.

Interests

When at home, Para finds delight in gardening, growing roses and vegetables. “Our backyard is large enough that we can plant a wide variety of plants and vegetables that even during the winter months, we have a good supply of vegetables. We grow our own salad in the backyard,” she said.

“Like many people, I find exploring and traveling to places anywhere, local or abroad, exhilarating and educational. I enjoy reading personal and spiritual development books, which help me walk closer to God, become a better person and a have a willing heart to help others. As human beings, discipline doesn’t come naturally so I find it important to improve myself by reading, taking classes, engaging in church community for these activities serve as reminders and inspirations for me to grow,” shared Para. “It may sound odd but I find it enjoyable to meet interesting new people for coffee, hear their journeys and stories, study their personalities and character, learn from them, and see if we can help each other,” she added.

Advice to Kababayans

As a consultant to start-up companies, Para has a lot of advice to Fil-Ams who want to become entrepreneurs. “First, we have to believe that God is our ultimate boss and coach so it is important to thank Him first when we wake up in the morning and ask for his divine guidance in any thing, in any business venture we do. You’ll be amazed at how He directs us to the right people, the right circumstances and the right path. We have to recognize that He gave each of us gifts and talents and one must use those gifts. We must recognize that having the talents, ambition, right attitude and potential to succeed is nothing unless we act and develop good habits to make our dreams a reality. The blessings will not fall from heaven if we don’t get up and out of our comfort zone.”

“ I find that entrepreneurship requires a whole person of character, that is why I advocate personal development and self-improvement classes. Invest in it. If you think about it, free resources are abundant—the Internet, the library, our friends—all we have to do is be resourceful. Go out and find them. Developing good habits does not require any financial outlay but can bring you enormous success in business. One of them is cultivating relationships with successful business people who can teach you their secrets to success. Oftentimes, Fil-Ams are shy and would say ‘nakakahiya naman to ask’ because we don’t want to impose on people but all you have to do is ask and that is what I mean by getting out of our comfort zone and acting on what you already have. Success is a life-long process and discipline and the space here will not be enough to say it all,” concluded the Pinay peak performer.

Story from Asian Journal.