In a recent feature published by Insider, entrepreneur and Forbes Business Council member Onahira Rivas shared how she’s transforming American manufacturing through her venture, Florida’s Cotton Clouds. The interview offers powerful insight into female leadership, innovation, and legacy building, values that align closely with the mission of Women in Business.
When most people talk about American manufacturing, they look back at what has been lost. Onahira Rivas looks forward. She isn’t just building a cotton factory in Florida; she's reframing what industrial leadership can look like in the twenty-first century, diverse, digital, and deeply connected to community. Rivas is the founder and CEO of Florida’s Cotton Clouds, the state’s first cotton manufacturing hub currently under development. The facility will produce cosmetic cotton pads, swabs, and balls made entirely with American-grown cotton and is projected to generate more than 120 new jobs once operational. To Rivas, the project represents far more than production lines and payroll. It is a vision for how the United States can reindustrialize with inclusion and innovation at its core.
“I want to prove that American factories can thrive again,” she told Insider, “and that women and minority leaders can be the ones driving that revival.”
That confidence comes from experience. Over 24 years, Rivas has built a career that bridges corporate leadership and entrepreneurship. She led multimillion-dollar growth campaigns in the pharmaceutical sector, introduced more than 1,000 products into Walmart stores across North America, and raised millions in capital for emerging ventures. Each milestone became a lesson in how to build, scale, and sustain companies, lessons she now channels into both her factory and her consulting practice. Her consulting program, The Bold Business Framework™, distills those lessons into a structured roadmap for CEOs and founders who want to scale strategically, attract investment, and future proof their operations through AI. The program has become known for its pragmatic focus on efficiency, investor readiness, and systems design, a reflection of Rivas’s no-nonsense leadership philosophy. One client described the program as pivotal in re-engineering their business model and clarifying their growth strategy.
What makes Florida’s Cotton Clouds unique is how it fuses manufacturing with storytelling. Every product display will feature QR codes connecting consumers to media content such as factory footage, founder interviews, and stories of U.S. cotton farmers. The goal is to make manufacturing visible, relatable, and emotionally engaging. It is an ambitious fusion of industry and media that is already gaining attention. Florida’s Cotton Clouds was named Most Valuable Company on Amazon Prime’s The Blox and is featured in upcoming documentaries Legacy Makers and Advancement. For Rivas, these moments are not about publicity but about showing consumers that the American factory can once again inspire pride. “If consumers can emotionally connect to where their products come from, they will value American manufacturing again,” she said.
Behind the business strategy is a personal mission. Rivas views entrepreneurship as a platform for legacy and service. Through initiatives like Quinceañero de Ensueños, which provides milestone celebrations for underserved youth, and Regalando Sonrisas, a Christmas program for families in need, she integrates compassion into her leadership model.
Her influence extends beyond business as she serves on the Advisory Board of Webber International University’s Women in Leadership Program and was included in Who’s Who in America, recognitions that honor her dedication to both progress and purpose. “Business isn’t just about profit,” she said. “It’s about blessing others, creating jobs, and leaving something that matters.”
Her daughter and co-founder, Luisa Rivas, calls her “a role model who shows that women can lead at the highest levels of manufacturing while opening doors for the next generation."
As Florida’s Cotton Clouds moves closer to opening, Rivas continues to position it as more than a production site. With Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certifications in progress, the company is breaking new ground in an industry long dominated by legacy players. Colleagues describe Rivas as both visionary and executor, a leader who dreams big and delivers. One mentor summed it up best: “She can map out a billion-dollar idea and then execute it step by step. That’s rare.” Rivas agrees that her mission transcends cotton. “It’s bigger than that,” she says. “It’s about proving that America can compete again and showing that leadership can be innovative, diverse, and deeply human.”
This story was originally reported by Insider Contributor. Read the full feature on Insider.
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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!
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