By Randy Capps
Like millions of others before him, Miguel Orozco came to the U.S. from Guanajuato, Mexico, in search of opportunity. Not only did he find it here, but now he’s helping others reach their business goals, too.
For that, Orozco has been chosen as the 2026 Johnston Now Honors Dynamic Entrepreneur.
“As a self-taught entrepreneur with no roadmap or guidance, Miguel has spent more than 15 years building businesses through hard work, determination, and vision,” Krystee Vernet wrote in the nomination. “Over the last six years, he has intentionally focused his efforts in Johnston County, creating businesses that serve the community, generate jobs and support local economic growth.”
It almost didn’t happen at all.
“So the thing is I came with no money,” he said, “(I had) $200, and I had to borrow from a friend. It was not mine.”
He came to Texas where he discovered a dislike for the weather and a love of cooking.
“I lived there for three years,” he said. “It was not for me. There was opportunity here, and I came here like, 20 years ago. What I liked about North Carolina was (summer). It was beautiful. All the trees and everything, and totally different from Texas.”
A job in a pizzeria sparked his interest in the food industry, and he brought that idea with him to Johnston County.
“Because I was a cook and, (like everybody, I had a dream.) So, I bought a used trailer,” he said. “Did some work on it. I was familiar with all the equipment, (but) I was not experienced with tools.”
Orozco brought in some family members with construction backgrounds to help finish the truck, and that led to the founding his first business, Orozco’s Designs & Building. The company sells, repairs and customizes food trucks.
Like many others, Orozco experienced growing pains in the form of regulations for the food trucks.
“It was so difficult,” he said. “The language (barrier for) what they wanted — they sent me big lists and it wasn’t easy for me. (Sometimes, I wanted) to throw the towel and forget it. Yeah, because it was easy to just go back to work for somebody.
“But from there, we just continued until we got the point. They (started) accepting the layouts and everything and we learned more about building them.”
Of course, once you have a food truck, you might then need a commissary to prepare the food for the day. That led to Orozco starting Elisas Commissary Kitchen, with locations in Selma, Smithfield and Henderson.
As a man who began his own entrepreneurial journey with a loan, Orozco is well aware of the financial burden that comes with chasing one’s dream. That led to the birth of Oro Financing, which offers assistance for those trying to get their food trucks rolling.
Since then, he’s also launched Friday 445 Grill in Smithfield, the Gran Gala Event Center in Princeton and 2nd Hand Consignment in Smithfield. Friday 445 Grill is a brick and mortar restaurant, the event center is a place to stage small events, like quinceaneras, and the consignment shop features used refrigerators and generators for those food trucks.
“The first thing is that I’ll give you a lot of orientation,” he said. “When they first come to our shop, they have to know what they want to go into. We help them to save all the money they can. We don’t just want anybody wasting money. We start with the layouts, what they want to sell and all that stuff. (Then), we give all the orientation … so they can be successful in their business.
“Yeah, I like to have this position. (I’m) having a good time. I just try to put everything together. But yeah, we got some big projects coming.”
Those projects include a fourth commissary in Wendell. In total, these businesses support about 50 employees and contractors, not to mention the would-be business owners that he’s helped along the way.
“I’m so satisfied,” he said. “Yeah, that’s what we want to offer a business. That’s the vision. You can help — everybody can. … We have to be open for anybody looking for experience and opportunity.
“But yeah, I really enjoy what I do and I would say thank God for things that helped. Family, partners, friends to support what we are right now.”
Want to learn more about Orozco’s businesses? Visit orozcosdesignandbuilding.com.
