In this category of The Business Manual CEO Awards, the Special Award recognizes successful entrepreneurs who inspire us to fulfill the potential for entrepreneurship within each of us.

On a night that celebrated the nation’s 20 top CEOs, five successful entrepreneurs also received special honors from The Business Manual CEO Awards. These five CEOs, The Business Manual believes, represent the entrepreneurial values that the website’s editorial team wants to promote to its readers and the country. They are each inspirational examples of leadership, vibrant and dynamic CEOs who have helped empower customers, partners and stakeholders in their individual businesses. For their remarkable achievements in their respective industries, The Business Manual is proud to present them with the Special Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Co-Presented by Pharmaton.

The 5 winners of the Special Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Co-Presented by Pharmaton, are:

• Natividad Cheng, CEO of Uratex
• Jose Magsaysay Jr., Co-Founder of Potato Corner
• Paco Magsaysay, Founder of Carmen’s Best
• ER Rollan, Co-Founder and CEO of Growsari
• Steve Sy, Founder and CEO of Great Deals

Speaking about the special award, Jamie Superable-Martin, Pharmaton Brand Manager, says, “Pharmaton Energy+ understands the Filipino entrepreneur’s need to perform at their peak. Countless jobs, spectacular products, unique services, and brilliant solutions that help to improve their customers’ quality of life, rest on their ability to push themselves every day. Leading breakthrough businesses require both physical and mental energy. Pharmaton Energy+, powered by Ginseng plus 40 Vitamins and Minerals, can give entrepreneurs that PLUS that they need for a stronger body and a stronger mind. Beyond being a daily multivitamin, Pharmaton is their partner for success.”

Each of the special awardees have unique journeys that led them to become successful entrepreneurs. We celebrate these inspiring journeys here.

Selection for the Special Awards for Entrepreneurial Excellence 

The Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Co-Presented by Pharmaton, is a special category in The Business Manual CEO Awards. The winners were chosen from among the CEOs who have graced the cover of The Business Manual website since its inception in 2022.

The magazine’s editors were responsible for choosing the winners based on who best embodied the mission of The Business Manual to empower and inspire successful entrepreneurs in the Philippine business community. 

In addition, the Special Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Co-Presented by Pharmaton showcases leaders who display outstanding leadership in two categories: “body” and “mind.”

For the “Mind” category, awardees should demonstrate active decision-making, thoughtful analysis, and strategic leadership. For the “Body” category, awardees should exhibit proactive execution and successful entrepreneurial initiatives.

The Awarding

The Awardees

Natividad Cheng, CEO of Uratex

Natividad Cheng is proof that traditional values like hard work, grit, and a focus on quality are the most important ingredients of a successful business. Together with her husband Robert, she founded Uratex from humble beginnings and turned it into a central part of the lives of Filipinos with products such as foam mattresses and monoblock chairs. From there, Natividad Cheng expanded the business into textiles, auto parts, houseware, and even food containers.

Jose Magsaysay Jr., Co-Founder of Potato Corner

Jose “Jomag” Magsaysay, Jr., began Potato Corner with one French fry stand in one location. Today, the company has over 1,400 branches–1,200 in the Philippines and 200 in Indonesia, the United States, Canada, and Panama. More importantly, Potato Corner has truly become an integral part of the everyday life of countless Filipinos.

Paco Magsaysay, the Founder of Carmen’s Best

Paco Magsaysay built Carmen’s Best on single-minded dedication to one thing: quality. His artisanal ice cream brand soon found a market well beyond its original target, steadily growing until it established itself as a major ice cream brand. The company continues to grow with a healthy infusion of investment from Manny Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Investments.

ER Rollan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Growsari

Equal parts tech startup and social enterprise, Growsari is a company built to cater to the underserved needs of the 1.3 million sari-sari store owners in the Philippines. By creating an ordering platform where sari-sari store owners can source their products, he is empowering a legion of small business owners in the country.

Steve Sy, the Founder and CEO of Great Deals

Steve Sy began Great Deals as a wholesale seller of mobile phone accessories; however, everything changed when he discovered e-commerce. Through online selling, Great Deals grew into an e-retailer and e-distributor that enables successful entrepreneurs and online sellers at every level. Today the company is one of the fastest-growing startups in the country, currently with over a billion pesos in equity.

This article is powered by Pharmaton Energy, with Ginseng plus 40 Vitamins and Minerals, to help business leaders and striving achievers to “Be One in Body and Mind®”. Now, with a new and improved formulation (vs. Pharmaton Essential). Pharmaton is a trusted multivitamin brand with 60 Years of Science, available in leading drugstores nationwide.

Pharmaton Energy+ calls on Filipino entrepreneurs to Be One in Body and Mind, syncing physical energy and mental prowess as a key to their success. Pharmaton Energy+ is powered by Ginseng plus 40 Vitamins and Minerals, which helps produce physical and mental energy to seize the day.