Rivera receives Minority-Owned Business of the Year Award

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Delaware office has honored Patricia Rivera with the 2019 Minority-Owned Business of the Year Award. The Lewes resident is the founder of Hook PR & Marketing, an agency for changemakers and organizations that solve tough challenges with innovative services.

The recognition is the second award that Rivera has received in a year. In December 2018, she accepted the 2018 Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year Award from the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce. 

Rivera came to the United States from Bolivia when she was 7. Her Sussex County-based company, founded in 2007, helps organizations capture their stories, build their brands and deliver their message in multiple languages.

“As the industry transitioned from legacy print media and channels into a sophisticated, digitally integrated universe, Patricia emerged as a leader in her community in adopting the best of technology and making it available for small businesses to stay competitive in the marketplace locally and globally,” wrote Antara Dutta, a former SCORE Delaware president, in her nomination letter. “She survived economic downturns with her commitment to innovation and ability to embrace change with grace.”

Hook PR & Marketing has clients statewide, including the Delaware Higher Education Office, $tand By Me, Telamon Corporation, NCALL Research and Perdue Farms.  

Active in the community, Rivera sits on the board of the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement and the Delaware Hispanic Commission. She is president of the board of La Esperanza. “I’m extremely honored,” said Rivera, a graduate of the University of Tennessee and former News Journal reporter. “I’ve been fortunate to have talented, smart women as mentors. They’ve challenged me, encouraged me, and helped me grow as a businesswoman and a person.”

Rivera last year launched a second company, Marketing Ella, to help women build bolder brands and smarter websites. For information about Hook PR & Marketing, go to www.hookpr.com.