Edna Concepcion

R. Edna Consing-Concepcion
Co-founder and Chairperson of the Philippine American
Business Improvement and Development

R. Edna Consing Concepcion is an April Aries born in 1953. Aries
are said to be optimistic, spontaneous and fun loving, possess a
pioneering spirit, are risk takers, natural leaders and organizers.
They are loyal friends but fierce enemies, generous with their
talent and time, and have a great sense of humor. These just
about sum up who Edna Consing Concepcion is.

The “R. ” in Edna’s name stands for Rafaelita, the female
counterpart of Rafael. She was named after her father, the late
Rafael Soriano Consing Sr. of Molo, Iloilo. Edna inherited her
business savvy and pioneering drive from her father who was the
consummate entrepreneur. Rafael Consing Sr. brought electricity,
the telephone system, and the telegraph system to Butuan,
Cabadbaran, San Carlos, and other towns and municipalities in
Visayas and Mindanao from the early 20’s to the 1950’s. He

blessings in life” and to “give back”.

Their feisty but very loving mother, the late Remedios Pagkatipunan, a proud U P alumna, was, to Edna, the ultimate
feminist. She decided to move the family to the United States after Rafael Sr. passed away. So in April of 1974, Edna
and her younger siblings, Ruby, Rafael and Rodolfo arrived and settled in the City by the Bay!! They walked across
the Golden Gate Bridge, explored the infamous Haight-Ashbury district, drove down Lombard Street, hopped on cable
cars -- they experienced all that beautiful San Francisco had to offer.

Though Edna and her siblings were thrilled with their new surroundings, Edna was homesick.   She had left her heart
in Manila. Dante Enriquez Concepcion, an engineering graduate from Mapua Institute of Technology, joined the U. S.
Navy in 1975 to be able to follow his sweetheart. (The U.S. Navy paved Dante’s legal entry to the U.S.). The young
lovers walked down the aisle of St. Charles Church on the 13th of January 1976. Shortly after, the newlyweds moved
to Charleston, South Carolina, Dante’s first duty station. Thus began Edna’s life as a military wife!   Two years later,
Dante was then stationed in Subic Bay, Philippines where the Concepcions were blessed with their first-born, Rea
Therese.   They returned to the USA in 1982 and settled in sunny San Diego. Two years after, Dante Jr. was born and
eventually, the Concepcion household became long-time residents of Bonita, San Diego.

Edna’s Husband, Dante Enriquez Concepcion, retired from the U.S. Navy in 2005 -- after 30 years of honorable
service as a Naval Officer. He is now a Senior Logistics Management Analyst with Lockheed Martin where he is able to
put his engineering and management expertise at the forefront just as he did while in the U.S. Navy. Edna’s favorite
Naval Officer’s frequent deployment in the service of our country during those 30 years enabled Edna to wear
different hats relative to her three great passions --- her children, her career, and the community!.

Edna Consing Concepcion   is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Business Management (cum
laude).   She holds Program Certificates from the Wharton School of Business in Finance and the UCLA Anderson
School of Management. Ms. Concepcion is a Certified Financial Advisor. She has licenses in securities, investments,
insurance and real estate. With these credentials, Edna launched her career in the Financial Industry where she has
excelled for the past 30 years. She is co-founder and Executive VP of the Heritage Financial Group of Companies, Inc.
with the following subsidiaries: Heritage Investment and Retirement Planning, Heritage Financial, Insurance and Tax
Advisors Co. and Heritage Funding Solutions, Inc.   She takes pride in having assisted family, friends and clients in
their financial requirements over the years -- from their mortgage financing to their investments and to
comprehensive financial and retirement planning. Young couples, whom she had advised 30 years ago with their
mortgage financing, are now consulting her on their financial and retirement planning. It is no surprise then, that Ms.
Concepcion has been named “the Community’s Trusted Financial Adviser”. Along with her colleagues’ expertise and
the dedicated staff, the Heritage Financial Group is able to give reliable and trustworthy counsel and service to the
different communities.

It is not ‘all business’ with Edna. She is much involved in “giving back”, a trait that was instilled in her early in life by
her parents and the nuns. Her mantra remains “to advocate for and promote women, children and the Filipino”.   Ms.
Concepcion served as Commissioner of the City of Chula Vista from 2000 – 2008. She was the three-term President
of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, San Diego County from 1997 to 2000. Edna is co-founder and
Chairman of the Philippine American Business Improvement and Development (Phil Am BID). She is a staunch
supporter of the San Diego Philippine Library and Heritage Museum founded by one of her mentors, Dr. Barbara
Yorobe. Edna also volunteers for the “Change Their Lives” fundraisers chaired by Ret. Assemblywoman Shirley
Horton for South Bay Community Services’ Casas Seguras, a safe haven for women and children who are victims of
domestic violence. She is also a very proud member of the Maria Clara de Pilipinas Sorority that was founded by the
late Ms. Lucy del Rosario Gonzales, a dear friend and advisor. MCPS emphasizes family values and instills a respect
and appreciation for one’s culture and heritage in its members, enabling young Filipino American women to discover
their own talents and be shining examples of womanhood. Ms. Gonzales, along with Mr. Nonoy Mendoza, nominated
Ms. Concepcion for the TOFA award.

Ms. Concepcion is steadfast in uplifting the Filipino community and has been widely recognized for her efforts. Among
her accomplishments and the numerous Professional, Civic and Community awards she has received over the years,
Ms. Concepcion takes the greatest pride in the following:

* Being instrumental in the passage of AB420, the Legislative Bill that enabled the

teaching of the Filipino

language and culture in California schools to continue through the

creation of an accreditation infrastructure for

its teachers. AB 420 was authored by her

very good friend, Assemblymember Shirley Horton of the California

Legislature (2002 –

2008).

* Highlighting the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, San Diego (FACC, San

Diego) during her

leadership and partnering with different private and public entities like

the County of San Diego for the notable

“Ready, Willing, and Able” program that resulted

in more than 150 job opportunities for community members

who were government

welfare recipients.

* Recognizing our Filipino professionals, business leaders, and Filipino-owned

businesses through the FACC

program, “TOPS and TOBY” -- “The Outstanding

Professionals” and “The Outstanding Businesses of the Year”

– that she established.

* Representing the Filipinos in San Diego County during the Padres’ Philippine

Centennial celebration game

in 1998 where she threw the Ceremonial First Pitch -- the

first Filipino American to be accorded that honor --

and convincing the San Diego Padres to

have the Filipino Anthem (Lupang Hinirang) sung live, right after the U.

S. National Anthem,

by a Filipino American lawyer, Connie Viado, with Rod Alonte, Alex Castro and Daughlet

Ordinario, an all Filipino American group, for the first time.

* Co-founding and being Chairperson of the Philippine American Business Improvement

and Development (

Phil Am BID ) made up of business leaders, military officers,

professionals, community advocates and public

officials whose mission is to be catalysts

for positive changes in the businesses and communities they belong

to. Phil Am BID’s

main project is to gift the community with a business cultural complex, the hub from which

will

evolve a thriving and prosperous business cultural district, the Philippine Town of San

Diego County.

* Establishing Phil Am BID’s 5-Star Trailblazer Awards for Leadership and Community

Advocacy.

* Helping organize, along with her former classmates, their online e-group that was

instrumental in locating

and gathering their class of ’71 from St. Theresa’s College. This

was followed by a Grand Reunion in October

2000 -- a memorable and emotion-filled

“Meeting of Hearts and Minds” with classmates from Canada, Europe,

Manila and different

parts of the U.S., most of whom had not seen each other for 29 years.

* Being selected as one of the TOFA 2010 Awardees not only because of the personal

honor but also

because, as she says, “ I will be in the company of successful people who

give back to the community ---

leaders with kind hearts.”

* Being dubbed the “Community’s Trusted Financial Advisor”.

* Most prized achievement with her husband Dan -- raising two beautiful children.

Edna and Dante Concepcion are blessed with two brilliant and caring children. Rea Therese has a degree in
Television, Film and New Media from San Diego State University, and is now pursuing her Masters in Creative Writing
at Brooklyn College in the Big Apple. Rea, writing under the pen name Moonie Alexander, recently won the Himan
Award/Scholarship for her Fiction story “Lowcountry”. Dante Raphael Concepcion, Jr. is a talented young man whose
interests in architecture, interior and furniture design, and painting, keep him in his studio most of the time
developing new ideas. Just like his mother, Dante Jr. has a keen business sense and is very good with numbers and
people.

Those who know Edna Concepcion will vouch for her tenacity (the words “no” or “cannot” are not in her vocabulary),
but there is a lighter side to this TOFA honoree. Her sense of humor and good-natured disposition have remained
intact through the years. She looks forward to family get-togethers and reunions with schoolmates and old friends.
She enjoys going to the theatre and walks by the water. A great evening for Edna is cuddling in bed with her favorite
books. She also practices numerology and is a neophyte golfer!!

Says Ms. Concepcion, “Heaven’s blessings and opportunities abound and we just have to be diligent and persevering
in finding them. When we do, then it’s vital that we remember to be grateful by sharing these blessings with our
fellowmen”.

Ms. Concepcion further says, “It is a great honor to be a part of TOFA as it recognizes the myriad opportunities that
this wonderful country affords to any enterprising and hard working soul. It is truly inspiring to be in the company of
these successful men and women – not only because they are leaders in their professions but also because they are
grateful, kind leaders who enrich other people’s lives in return.

With immense gratitude for this honor, I wish Mr. Nonoy Mendoza, his lovely wife Aida and the TOFA Organization
more success!”

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established ice plants in these areas and owned a thriving shipping line and several sawmills
under Butuan Sawmils, Inc. which he founded in 1920. Although most of Rafael Consing’s
businesses were in the southern Philippines, he had his headquarters in Manila where he raised
his family.

The union of Rafael Soriano Consing, Sr. and Remedios Monsod Pagkatipunan of San Mateo,
Rizal blessed them with four children: Rafaelita Edna, Maria Ruby, Rafael Jr., and Rodolfo.

The family also included other
children from previous marriages.
Edna’s half siblings on the Consing
side are: Horatio and Cesar
Consing (both perished in World
War II), Consuelo, Fe, Anita and
Flora. Those on her mother’s side
are: Roland, Lirio and Renato.
Clearly, eight was not enough!
Although the older Consings had
families of their own, it was still a
huge, happy household for the
younger Consings.

Edna has fond memories of her
days at St. Theresa’s College
(Manila), an all-girls Catholic school
ran by Belgian nuns. Education
there was serious business, a
finely tuned blend of academics,
extra-curricular activities, faith
formation, character building, and
community sensitizing. Edna says,
“It was a lot of fun --- with a mega
dose of discipline!”

She recalls having tons of
homework, toting a heavy book-
bag, joining study groups for tests
and exams, and “hanging out” at
Alemar’s Book Store or the
Bungalow Restaurant in Malate
with her classmates. She also
remembers how, as a member of
the Student Catholic Action (SCA),
she assisted in catechism classes
and brought food and clothing to
the underprivileged on weekends.
The school was where Edna
learned to be “grateful for the

H eritage
I nvestment and
Retirement
Planning , Inc.

Family