In any business there are setbacks and unexpected challenges, for Acai Express — based in Puerto Rico — the 2017 hurricane season brought disaster that could have easily wiped out the progress and growth of any emerging business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Acai Express owner, Hector Westerband\u2019s story is a lesson in belief, determination, and perseverance. It is an uplifting metaphor for triumphing over adversity. Not only did Hector weather the storm, but he gained new strength, confidence, and vision that continues to guide and benefit Acai Express\u2019 success and growth today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s hard to remember that the 2017 hurricane season started with the vengeance of Hurricane Irma; a category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mile-per-hour winds. The eye of that record-breaking storm skirted Puerto Rico on September 7th leaving 1 million people without power. In retrospect, that brush with disaster pales by comparison to Hurricane Marie, which slammed into Puerto Rico, on September 20th — a mere 13 days later. That storm, now recorded as one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history, wreaked untold damage and devastation on the people and infrastructure of this commonwealth; knocking out the electrical power grid, water supply, destroying homes, roads and leaving thousands stranded with little food or means of transportation and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hector Westerband, who was forced to evacuate his own home near the beach, could have focused understandably on his personal survival, but as a strong community supporter and \u201cfather\u201d to 12 Acai Express franchisees in Puerto Rico, Hector\u2019s energies were galvanized into the safety and survival of his community in what he remembers as a country that looked like a bomb exploded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hector recalls the relief of learning that all 12 of the Acai Express trailers and their owners were spared devastation. But he quickly realized the community had urgent and immediate needs he could address. Westerband\u2019s generators had survived and kept the frozen acai berry pulp from spoiling. He and his Acai Express trailers became part of the local \u201clife support\u201d meeting the dire need for food. The acai berry base, remaining fresh fruit and toppings became a much-needed nutritious food source for the homeless and hungry. The Acai Express family went into survival mode working non-stop to share their good fortune with a community in shock. It was a lifesaving and lifechanging event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the aftermath of the storm, Puerto Rico grappled with the \u201cnew normal\u201d of life after Maria, as did Acai Express. With masses of people fleeing Puerto Rico to start a new life in the United States, Westerband was forced to restructure his company, rethink and rework his business on all levels. He rehired key staff, re-established basic systems, worked Acai Express trailers himself, and re-assembled a core team that shares a proven commitment to one another and the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The storm could have easily sidetracked Hector\u2019s growth plans. The recovery could have tapped all his energy and resources, but Hector, who today claims Hurricane Maria was \u201cin some ways, a blessing in disguise,\u201d found himself ready to surge forward with new confidence based on his experience. \u201cWhen you go into survival mode. It\u2019s amazing to learn you can survive and do even more than survive,\u201d says Westerband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not many businesses can boast opening a new operation in the wake of a natural disaster, but Hector\u2019s tenacity, vision, and belief made that possible. A new Acai Express franchise, carrying the brand\u2019s full product line and hope to a crippled community, was christened just 60 days after Puerto Rico\u2019s most devastating hurricane in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hector went into full-scale growth mode, building and rebuilding to be bigger and better than pre-Maria days. Sales were up 100% because of increased food needs. Westerband used that capital to retool and fund greater product distribution and new growth in 2018. And what a year it has been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Westerband\u2019s trip to the Amazon secured the highest quality organic acai berry, proprietary processes and exclusive sources for fueling Acai Express\u2019 healthy lifestyle mission. Plans for new Acai Express trailers, food trucks, and brick and mortar venues moved ahead. In April of 2018, Westerband teamed up with Gary Occhiogrosso\u2019s Franchise Growth Solutions to bring the Acai Express franchise offering to the United States. The brand image and design have been refined and retooled with enhancements that communicate a fresh, fun, high-energy vibe in keeping the tastes of the growing number of consumers who are opting for healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As 2019 looms near, Westerband credits his \u201cnear death business experience\u201d as a source of greater resilience, increased confidence, and a new drive to carry out his mission. He\u2019s been tested like few businessmen. His passion, attitude, and accomplishments in just 15 months of the post-Maria recovery attest to why franchisees couldn\u2019t find a better partner to grow with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In any business there are setbacks and unexpected challenges, for Acai Express — based in Puerto Rico — the 2017 hurricane season brought disaster that could have easily wiped out the progress and growth of any emerging business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Acai Express owner, Hector Westerband\u2019s story is a lesson in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[507],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":885,"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883\/revisions\/885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acaiexpressfranchise.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}