Founder and CEO
RAMCO
A Venezuelan native, Milagros “Mili” Mendez moved to the U.S. over 20 years ago with a goal of pursuing a law degree here. Those educational plans quickly changed when she got introduced to the automotive aftermarket through a childhood friend who owned an auto parts distributor in Venezuela and shared that his primary supplier was not fulfilling his orders. With auto parts now piquing her interest, Mendez was on a mission to learn more, which fueled her passion to make a difference in the industry and a new career path was born. Mendez founded RAMCO in 2003 after becoming the main supplier to the largest distributors in Venezuela, then decided to serve the U.S. market.
A successful businesswoman in an industry she feels is still a male-dominated, Mendez offers this advice to other women: “Follow your intuition, and don’t let anyone turn off your light; you must believe in yourself…keep going, get organized, be persevering and surround yourself with people who contribute good things.”