ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — For many, the American Dream means being your own boss. That’s been the case for two generations of one Rockford family, originally from Mexico.
Brisa Berumen-Dixon started her non-emergency medical transportation company, Seabreeze, in 2019 after seeing patients struggling to get to their doctor’s appointments.
“I worked in the community with patients with traumatic brain injury, and there was a huge barrier to helping people get to their medical appointments,” Berumen-Dixon said. “We often don’t think about how impactful transportation can be, but one in five people are impacted by transportation, and 32% of patients who miss their medical appointments are due to transportation.”
Her company now has 25 vehicles, with which she carries out 325 trips per day.
On Thursday, the City of Rockford highlighted Berumen-Dixon and its business achievements at their social media.
Earlier this year, the city declared June 17 as Berumen Family Day to honor her grandparents, Jose and Herminia, and their contributions to the city.
“They actually have the first Mexican grocery store in Rockford, on the corner of Cunningham and Corbin. El Jalisco,” Berumen-Dixon said. “I’ll never forget people and families who were struggling would come in and my grandfather would say, go ahead and get what you need. He was always willing to help and go above and beyond. That’s definitely something he instilled in me.”
She says she hopes to inspire other Hispanic people to live a life of service to their community.
“I hope I can continue to inspire, you know, mi gente (my people). I hope I can be that and more to continue to inspire other people to start businesses in the community where I was born and raised,” she said.
Her name, Brisa, means “sea breeze” in Spanish.
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