MINORITY BUSINESS : Infotec Rises on List of the Nation’s Largest Latino-Owned Firms

It’s been a rewarding--and awarding--year for Fernando Niebla, founder and chief executive officer of Infotec Development Inc. in Santa Ana.

In February, the software maker was named “company of the year” by the Latin Business Assn. in Los Angeles. A recent issue of Hispanic Business magazine rated Infotec the 12th-largest Latino-owned business in the nation--a leap from No. 29 only a year earlier. And on Monday, U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno personally thanked Niebla for his company’s role in the new National Drug Intelligence Center, based in Johnstown, Pa.

Niebla attended the dedication of the center, where Infotec installed a computer network for law enforcement agencies nationwide to coordinate drug trafficking efforts. “I had not visited the center before, and I was very impressed,” Niebla, fresh off the plane from Pennsylvania, said Wednesday. “It will allow investigators to sort through large amounts of data and track illegal activities.”

The $6-million contract helped make Infotec one of the 500 largest Latino-owned enterprises listed by Hispanic Business. Three other Orange County businesses made the cut as well: Fullerton Dodge; Akasaka, Ortiz & Varela Insurance Services in Orange; and Bobon Inc., a painting contractor in Anaheim.

Southern California companies that ranked among the nation’s biggest were recently honored by the Latin Business Assn. at the First Annual Salute to the Hispanic 500 Firms, which took place at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.