I am a cabinet maker who knows design well, and how to use different machines and tools to make quality cabinets. My business, Dclass, is about home remodels with a focus on kitchens, including cabinets. The Latino, immigrant owned business is based in Charlotte NC and helps homeowners and home builders across the city.
Mario’s story
My name is Mario Chaparro, and I am from Lima, Peru. I immigrated to the United States in 2006 and now live in Charlotte, North Carolina with my family. I am 59 years old, and I am happily married to my wife Liliana. We have two children, Mario and Fiorella, and three grandsons: Nicholas, Natalie, and Alejandro.
When it comes to personal hobbies, I love cooking Peruvian food from back home. I also love sports, especially soccer and tennis. My advice to others younger than me is: “Work and try very hard. Be bold enough to chase your dreams and make them come true.”
I started a small company in Peru when I was 22 years old, which focus on designing wooden shelves for children. I started this company in a room in my parents’ house. When I arrived in the United States in 2006, I worked at a company called Closets By Design, continuing to build on my passion in this industry of cabinet and furniture design. Still, I remained interested in starting my own business once again, this time in America.
I did start this business using both grants as well as loans from both the state of North Carolina as well as mentoring services. The state has a number of assistance programs for immigrant and other minority owned businesses. Capitol and other NC funding sources are available. To learn more on the design company, or state funds, read more about free grants in NC for minority businesses.
In 2008, then I launched my own cabinet-making business, D-class, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The business started in my garage. I only made small designs at the time. During the economic down around 2008, I realized I could not continue and so I found work in other closet and fine carpentry companies to continue to build my experience. Now, I am back focused on D-class and continue to work from my garage.