Hispanic Entrepreneur Carlos Bernard Tackles Important Issues Outside of Work

Hispanic business owner spends his down time volunteering for not-for-profits

Playing With Time

It’s mind-boggling how much people can cram into one day, as if they have clocks that go up to 32 hours instead of 24. But that’s how folks such as Carlos Bernard approach life.

In addition to being president and co-owner of the printing/marketing company Sir Speedy in Pleasantville, New York, since 1990 (after a stint as VP and COO of Commit Leathers in New York City), he’s been actively involved in a number of not-for-profit organizations in Westchester County, New York. These include the Institute of Applied Human Dynamics, the Community Capital Micro Loan Fund, April’s Child (formerly The Child Abuse Prevention Center), WESTCOP and Centro Hispano.

And those are just the current ones Bernard’s associated with. Until just recently, he was also active in the Westchester Hispanic Chamber, Kids Express, the Westchester WorkForce Investment Board, the Hispanic Business & Professional Association, the Westchester Hispanic Coalition, the Westchester Putnam Boys Scouts and the Westchester Community Foundation Apoyo Fund.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with not-for-profits,” he says. “And I’m thinking that maybe a couple of years from now, when I decide I’ve had enough of the printing business, I’ll do some even more consulting working for them.”

That, and supporting his wife’s, Fran’s, efforts to become a master inventor. Already retired, she has a temporary patent on a dog-pack holder, which allows dog walkers to maintain control of multiple pooches with one hand while leaving the other free for other purposes, such as “using a poop bag,” Bernard jokes. Prototypes of the product were made using three-D printers at a local university.

During his off-off times, when he’s not at the office or volunteering his time to not-for-profits, he plays tennis, saying that it helps clear his mind and solve problems. As he explains, “I used to be a runner, and that type of solitary activity allows for a lot of deep thinking. But when my knees started going bad, I took up tennis. Even though it isn’t quite as solitary, it still gives me time to mull things over, because when I look at that little ball, I think ‘Okay, this is how I am going to deal with this issue”—whack! That’s why we go through two cans of balls every time we play.”

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