Onahira Rivas Named Official Nominee for 2026 Latin Business Awards at Telemundo Center

August 29, 2026

After more than two decades doing business across international markets, Onahira Rivas has turned her latest venture toward a new chapter in her career: manufacturing in the United States. Now, that work has earned her recognition as an official nominee for the 2026 Latin Business Awards, taking place September 12 at Telemundo Center in Miami.

Rivas, founder and CEO of Florida’s Cotton Clouds, joins the 2026 class of Hispanic entrepreneurs, executives and industry leaders being recognized by the organization. Her nomination was publicly announced by the Latin Business Awards through its Instagram platform, where the organization introduced Rivas as one of its official nominees for this year’s ceremony.

The nomination arrives during a defining chapter of Rivas’ career. After more than 20 years of international business experience spanning Europe, Asia, Latin America and the United States, she has turned her attention to manufacturing in South Florida, building Florida’s Cotton Clouds as a Miami-based producer of cosmetic cotton products.

In announcing her nomination, the Latin Business Awards highlighted that trajectory, pointing to Rivas’ international business background and her current mission to strengthen U.S. manufacturing, generate employment and encourage a new generation of women in business.

At Florida’s Cotton Clouds, that mission centers on an everyday product: cosmetic cotton. Rivas has been building the infrastructure to manufacture those products in the United States, developing a production operation in Miami while contributing to a broader movement toward domestic manufacturing.

The company represents the latest evolution of a career that has taken Rivas through international markets and, more recently, onto the factory floor in South Florida.

A Major Night for Hispanic Entrepreneurship in Miami

The Latin Business Awards were created to recognize Hispanic entrepreneurship and business excellence. The organization describes its mission as highlighting the effort, determination and passion behind Hispanic entrepreneurs while amplifying their stories and the impact they are creating for future generations.

The awards have also developed into a gathering point for Miami’s Hispanic business community. According to the organization, the event brings together more than 500 attendees each year, connecting entrepreneurs, investors and professionals through networking, a red carpet and an awards ceremony.

This year, the setting adds another dimension to the occasion.

The 2026 Latin Business Awards will be held at Telemundo Center, 1 Telemundo Way in Miami, on Saturday, September 12. The evening is expected to bring together figures from across business, entrepreneurship, media and entertainment for the annual recognition.

The announced 2026 lineup includes author and media personality Ismael Cala, restaurateur Juan Chipoco and other nominees representing industries ranging from finance and corporate development to technology, health, hospitality and media. Television personality Caterina Valentino has been announced as the official host.

The program will also extend beyond its competitive recognitions. Organizers have announced a special tribute to María Antonieta de las Nieves, internationally known as “La Chilindrina,” honoring her career, talent and legacy in Latin American entertainment.

Together, the lineup reflects an event designed to recognize the wider influence of Hispanic professionals across industries rather than a single definition of business success.

For Rivas, it also brings manufacturing, an industry that is not typically at the center of Miami’s entrepreneurial identity, into that conversation.

From Global Business to a Factory Floor in Miami

Miami is widely associated with tourism, hospitality, finance, real estate, and international trade. Manufacturing has a quieter presence in the city’s business landscape, but it has become central to the latest stage of Rivas’ career.

Through Florida’s Cotton Clouds, she has made domestic manufacturing the focus of that next chapter. The company produces cosmetic cotton products in Miami, adding to the number of businesses choosing to manufacture in the United States while building production capacity in South Florida.

It is a distinctly different setting from the international business world that defined much of Rivas’ earlier career. Today, her work involves the realities of building a manufacturing operation from the ground up, including machinery, production, sourcing, packaging, distribution, and the long-term challenge of scaling products made in the United States.

That makes the timing of the Latin Business Awards nomination particularly notable. It does not arrive at the end of Florida’s Cotton Clouds story. It comes while the factory is still growing.

On September 12, Rivas will enter Telemundo Center as an official Latin Business Awards nominee representing more than her past accomplishments. She will also represent what she is building today: a Miami manufacturing company focused on domestic production, growth, and the future of American-made consumer goods.

For an entrepreneur whose career has crossed continents, the recognition marks another milestone in a professional journey that has now brought her vision to the factory floor in Miami.

The 2026 Latin Business Awards will take place Saturday, September 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Telemundo Center in Miami, Florida.

About Onahira Rivas:

Onahira Rivas, a visionary entrepreneur whose indomitable spirit and strategic prowess have propelled her to the forefront of global business. Driven by a profound determination to revitalize American manufacturing, Onahira founded Florida’s Cotton Clouds, the first factory of cotton products in Florida.

Her relentless passion doesn't stop there; she also established Legacy Architects, a platform designed to inspire and empower entrepreneurs to build enduring legacies that resonate through the ages. Onahira Rivas's remarkable journey is a shining testament to resilience and unwavering dedication. No matter where you come from, if you set your mind and heart to it, you can achieve greatness!