Entrepreneur Ron Montoya to be honored with Amistad Award

By Erika Palma

On Oct. 16, Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., and San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez, formerly the auxiliary bishop of Denver, will honor four Catholics for their dedication serving the Church through a variety of Hispanic ministries.

The Archbishop Gomez Awards Dinner will take place at Centro San Juan Diego, the Denver Archdiocese’s institute for family and pastoral care offering education and outreach to Spanish-speaking Hispanics.

Pastoral Leadership Award recipients will be Luis and Irma Olivas of Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora. Social Justice Award recipient will be Richard McLean of St. Therese Parish in Aurora.
The Amistad (Friendship) Award, which goes to an individual or organization that has supported Centro San Juan Diego in its mission to educate and offer spiritual direction to those less fortunate,  will go to Ronald Montoya, former chair of the advisory board of Centro San Juan Diego.

“Ron reflects perfectly the meaning of the Amistad Award—friendship” said Luis Soto, executive director of Centro.  “He has been a friend of Centro since its beginning. He took the responsibility of being the president of the advisory board and led us through the renovation of the old Sacred Heart School building into what you see now as Centro San Juan Diego.”

The event is set from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., beginning with a reception, followed by a dinner and program. Anne Trujillo, KMGH Channel 7 News anchor, will be mistress of ceremonies. In addition to Archbishops Chaput and Gomez, Denver Auxiliary Bishop James Conley will also be present.

 Born and raised in Denver, Montoya is president and CEO of PlastiComm Industries Inc., the owner of Innov8 Solutions USA, and president of sister company Plastic Supply Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M.

 Montoya holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado and juris doctorate from the University of Denver.

His service on community boards and committees includes: Metro State College Foundation, Denver Hotel Authority, Colorado Forum, Mountain States Employers Council, and the Rose Community Foundation.  In addition, he has served as chairman of the board for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as executive director of the Colorado Office of Minority Business.

 “His professional leadership has proven invaluable in helping us to stay on course during the storms of change,” said Soto. “The future looks bright for Centro San Juan Diego and a good part of that credit goes to him. I am very grateful to Mr. Montoya; he has played a key role in our mission of providing ongoing assistance to low-income and immigrant families in the Latino community as they move toward self-sufficiency and well-being.”

Tickets for the Archbishop Gomez Awards Dinner are $100 per person. R.S.V.P. deadline is Oct. 8. Centro San Juan Diego is located at 2830 Lawrence St. For more information, call 303-295-9470 Ext. 104 or send e-mail to centro@archden.org.