LU MAR INDUSTRIAL METALS, INC
Gabriel Garcia (323-636-0156) was a teenager with only five years of education when he moved from Mexico to California. But a chance encounter at a coffee shop changed his life. It was there that he met Samuel Kimmel, the owner of a recycling plant who gave him a job. While working there, Gabriel learned English and much about the recycling business. He knew so much about it that when Samuel died, Gabriel was asked to run the business. He accepted and did so for nine years. Then Gabriel wanted to buy out the Kimmels’ business but was rejected. That was when he decided to start his own company, which would become LU MAR INDUSTRIAL METALS, INC. With the help of Comerica Bank, he was able to attain the acres of land he needed for his operations. In addition, Gabriel’s plant is advantageously located in the middle of Los Angeles. This allows him to easily access material from other parts of the city. Lu Mar Industrial Metals, Inc. ships recycled metal throughout the United States and overseas. Its clients range from computer manufacturers to restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory. Currently, Lu Mar Industrial Metals, Inc. is worth close to $30 million.

PATTEN ENERGY ENTERPRISES, INC
Ezekiel Patten (310-665-9100) has always admired smaller and more responsive companies. That is why he chose to work as a marketer for a small oil firm that sold to the Panama Canal. When his position there ended, he started PATTEN ENERGY ENTERPRISES, INC. in 1990. There, Ezekiel continued doing what he did best—buying gasoline and lubricants from large oil suppliers and reselling to various companies and the government. However, Ezekiel faced the difficulty of obtaining capital to start his business. He had to use his credit cards to gain a combined credit line of $80,000. Fortunately, he received financing from Comerica Bank as his business grew. In 2004, Patten Energy Enterprises, Inc. grossed $13 million and is continuing to climb. Even so, Ezekiel’s company still faces a relatively thin profit margin due to high costs. He is hoping to lower his expenses by eventually purchasing his own oil refinery.