June 6, 2007
By: Nicole
Ibarra
Virginia
businessman Danny Vargas knows the
importance of community involvement.
"It's good for business. It helps identify
new opportunities. But it's also good for
the soul. I challenge others to get
involved," said Mr. Vargas, founder and
president of VARCom Solutions, a D.C.area-based
marketing and public relations firm, and
soon to be chairman of the Herndon Dulles
Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Born in New York City to Puerto Rican
immigrants, Mr. Vargas has created
opportunities and has overcome obstacles all
his life.
"I grew up poor and we ended up on welfare.
As soon as I could, I left New York City and
joined the military," said Mr. Vargas, who
served in the U.S. Air Force, where he
pursued a career in intelligence. "I never
looked back. But I never forgot where I came
from."
Mr. Vargas served seven years in the Air
Force, including five years as operations
manager and intelligence analyst in the
Republic of Panama.
After his service in the military, Mr.
Vargas decided to pursue a career and
education in telecommunication.
"After having devoted about 12 years to
serving my country in the intelligence
field, I wanted to dive into the private
sector," said Mr. Vargas. "I went into
telecom because I though I could leverage
some of the technical knowledge I had gained
in intel and because I believed that telecom
would be a growing industry. Fortunately, I
was right on both counts."
In July 2004, Mr. Vargas started VARCom
Solutions, a provider of marketing, sales,
and communications support services. Upon
starting VARCom, Mr. Vargas started getting
involved in the Herndon Dulles Regional
Chamber of Commerce, the community, and
politics.
Mr. Vargas became involved with the chamber
of commerce in hopes of finding networks and
clients to help his new business. "I got
involved in many committees and became their
vice president of marketing. I was then
asked to step up as next chairman."
In July 2007, Mr. Vargas, who also serves on
the chamber's Hispanic board committee, will
become the first Hispanic to chair a
mainstream chamber of commerce in the
history of Virginia.
Through his involvement with the chamber,
Mr. Vargas met Ted Leonsis, vice chairman of
AOL. "I had met Ted Leonsis and others at a
chamber event and they made a compelling
offer to join them. I worked for AOL from
February 2006 to March 2007. There was lots
of changes in strategies and it made sense
for us to part ways, which led me to go back
to building up VARCom."
Today, Mr. Vargas serves on the boards of
various non-profit groups, such as the
Fairfax Partnership for Youth and the
Northern Virginia Family Services board and
advocacy committee.
He also speaks to students at various levels
to encourage them to stay in school and work
hard to succeed. "Remembering my own
experiences, I wanted to give back. I go out
to schools and encourage them to be
successful.
"I have been able to go to different parts
of the world and people stay there. Here, in
this country, you can overcome things. I
want to encourage people, especially those
in the immigrant community.
"Especially in the Hispanic community, when
we get to the top, we think we're done. But
we have to turn the pyramid upside down and
help."
Source:
HispanicBusiness.com (c). All rights
reserved.
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