When integrity leads the way, excellence follows.

We’re thrilled to welcome RTG Building Services, led by Owner & President Ramiro Gaitán, to the Lozafina family!

With more than 20 years of experience in commercial cleaning and construction support, Ramiro has built RTG Building Services into one of Nebraska’s most trusted names in commercial cleaning, construction cleaning, and now painting services.

Lozafina, a Nebraska-based branding, marketing, and public relations agency, was honored with The Bloc’s Champion for Community Award during the 50 Over 50 Nebraska celebration held Saturday, October 25. The award recognizes leaders and organizations making a meaningful, lasting impact in their communities.

Founded by Josefina Loza in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lozafina was built on a mission to amplify diverse voices through authentic storytelling, public relations, and community-driven communication. What began as a one-woman venture has grown into a dynamic agency known for its work with nonprofits, civic organizations, and mission-aligned businesses across Nebraska and beyond.

For more than two decades, Tony Aguilera has quietly championed Latino students in Nebraska, helping hundreds pursue higher education through his work with the Barrientos Scholarship Foundation.

This month, that legacy was recognized on a public stage.

Aguilera was named one of the honorees at 50 OVER 50 NE, a statewide celebration hosted by The Bloc, Inc. that honors Nebraskans age 50 and older who have made significant contributions in their communities.

When Dina Becirovic from The Bloc called, I knew whatever she had brewing was going to be big, but I didn’t know just how much heart it would take. She said, “We’re celebrating 50 leaders over 50 across Nebraska, and we want to do it right.” That meant not just listing names or passing out awards. That meant telling stories. That meant building something rooted in pride, in place, in people.

So we got to work.

Lozafina has been working with The Bloc since the inception of the 50 Over 50 Nebraska Awards Ceremony.

Interested in exploring your entrepreneurial spirit? Do you have an idea you’d love to see come to life?

Consider joining Room for Roots, Inc.’s Spring 2026 Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship Cohort, where purpose meets practical tools to help you bring your business dreams to life.

This 9-week program, designed by Bridgett Belsky, is specifically for women of color who are ready to take the next step toward financial independence and self-determined success.

It’s the final day to raise your hand, lean in, and make a difference.

Inclusive Communities is wrapping up volunteer applications today for its upcoming IncluCity Youth Leadership Retreat, a powerful four-day experience designed to equip young leaders with tools to explore identity, build empathy, and lead with inclusion at the center.

If you’ve ever wanted to be part of something real, something that helps shape the next generation of changemakers, this is your chance.

José Garcia and his wife Linda García-Perez have long stood as cultural stewards in Omaha’s Latino community. Together, they cofounded the Mexican-American Historical Society of the Midlands and the South Omaha Museum of Immigrant History, institutions that anchor their life’s work in preserving history, advocacy, and cultural memory.

In 2024, Itzel López made history by becoming the first Chief Executive Officer of the Latino Economic Development Council (LEDC), a position born of community trust, strategic vision, and years of service. LEDC is the nonprofit heartbeat of Latino economic empowerment in South Omaha, focused on supporting entrepreneurs, workforce pathways, and inclusive growth.

At an age when most teens are just testing their voice, 17-year-old Alejandra Wellsis using hers to change how we talk about youth mental health.

Alejandra’s journey didn’t begin in a boardroom, but in the quiet of a personal struggle. Through her teenage years, she battled anxiety and depression, an internal conflict that sparked the idea behind Hiya, a jewelry brand built on the message: you are not alone.

Born in Llera, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on January 17, 1914, Héctor Pérez García would become a towering figure in American Latino civil rights. Yet, his journey took him across borders and battlefields to places as far as Omaha.

After medical training in Texas, García completed his general internship and surgical internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Creighton University, positioning him among the few Mexican-American physicians with direct ties to Nebraska.

For Gina Ponce, leadership has been a lifelong act of service. Over the past three decades, she has become one of Omaha’s most trusted advocates for education, equity, and opportunity, shaping pathways for Latino youth and families to access higher education and professional growth.

For Margartio “Tony” Gonzalez, the story of community begins where his own journey did, inside the walls of the South Omaha Boys & Girls Club. What started as a safe place after school became a lifelong calling. Today, after more than 25 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands, Gonzalez leads the same site that once helped shape him.

When Lina Traslaviña Stover became Executive Director of the Heartland Workers Center in 2022, she didn’t just step into a leadership role; she stepped into a legacy. Her charge: to amplify the voices of immigrant, marginalized, and frontline workers across Nebraska.

South Omaha wept in January when Dr. James F. Ramirez passed away earlier this year. At age 91, he left behind a legacy deeply rooted in our Latino community. Born on October 17, 1933, Ramirez was the son of immigrant parents and grew up in the packinghouse neighborhoods of South Omaha.

For Ella Ochoa, the rows of crops stretching across South Texas were both classroom and crucible. By age four, she was already working alongside her migrant parents, stooping under the sun to pick vegetables for hours each day. Those early years of labor shaped her understanding of sacrifice, inequity, and resilience, lessons she would later turn into a lifetime of advocacy.

On the walls of South Omaha and across neighborhoods often bypassed by public art, Hugo Alberto Zamorano paints narratives of culture, memory, and identity. As lead artist behind Del Futuro al Pasado and dozens of others, his canvases are conversations between the past and the present, invited into streets, schools, and public spaces.

Abril García is a bridge builder whose vision and grit have shaped Latino media in Nebraska. For over 25 years, she has led Mundo Latino Publications, amplifying stories of community, opportunity, and justice through print and digital platforms.

Early in her career, Abril recognized a gap: Latino communities often lacked access to media that spoke their language, lived their experiences, and advanced their interests. She stepped into that void. Over time, under her leadership, Mundo Latino Network expanded to include Radar, a Hispanic-focused job board initiative, and digital platforms aimed at closing communication gaps in recruitment and employment.

Stephen Johnson “Steve” Turre was born in Omaha, Neb., but his musical soul carries echoes of mariachi, blues, jazz, and ancestral whisperings through conch shells. Today, the 77-year-old stands among the jazz world’s most inventive voices: trombonist, arranger, educator, and pioneer of the seashell as an instrument.

When Gladys Godínez co-founded the high school activist group Nuestro Futuro (Our Future), she was still a teenager, but already, she had begun to reshape narratives in Lexington, Nebraska. Today, she carries that same spirit forward as an organizer, broadcaster, and defender of immigrant and worker rights across rural Nebraska.

Albert Varas currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Latino Center of the Midlands, having first held the role of Executive Director from 2017 to 2020. Since 2021, under his leadership, the organization has expanded strategic partnerships, boosted capacity, and streamlined operations to better serve Omaha’s Latino community.