Fernando Zapari, publisher and CEO of El Mexicano News, has been opening doors and helping others his entire life, but he got into the newspaper business by accident. He founded El Mexicano News over 30 years ago after being injured on a construction job. "The start of the newspaper happened because I fell off a scaffold," he says. "It was a bad fall, but thank God, I recuperated." Zapari's injuries forced him to chart a new path for his future. "There was no more construction work for me because of my injuries," he says. "So, I decided to start a newspaper!" It was an ambitious idea for someone with no experience in the business. Fernando was born and raised in Mazatlan, Mexico where his father was a sportswriter. But Fernando admits he had "no clue" how to run a monthly newspaper. "I still use these two fingers to type," he says with a laugh. "But, we get it done." He was inspired and encouraged by his friend Michael Patterson, who published Frost Illustrated which served the African-American community for decades. Zapari wanted to serve the Latino-American population in northeast Indiana in a similar way. Fernando Zapari looks at the first El Mexican News which was published in May of 1994. He proudly points to a framed black and white issue on the wall of the El Mexicano News office at 2301 Fairfield Avenue in Fort Wayne. "This is the very first issue produced back in May of 1994," he says with a proud smile. 363 issues later, the newspaper continues to inform and educate the community. "El Mexicano News is more than just a newspaper," says Erika Cervantes. "It's a bridge to the community." Erika Cervantes left an 18-year career in banking to join forces with her father Fernando Zapari. As the oldest of Zapari's four children, Cervantes had a front row seat to see the newspaper grow. "That first issue," she says as she points to the wall it hangs on. "I still remember that as a child." "Now, 30 years later, I've joined his team, and it's just awesome." Cervantes spent 18-years in the banking industry before joining ranks with her father. She helps run the business and the family's employment agency, Concordia Staffing Services, Inc. Family is first and foremost in the Zapari household. Fernando met his wife Trina in 1977. Trina and Fernando Zapari in Mazatlan, Mexico where they met. The couple has been married 46 years. He was working as a waiter in Mazatlan, a picturesque resort town. "She was on vacation when I asked her where she was from," he says. "When she said Fort Wayne, I said, where's that?" Eventually he asked her out, and the rest, as they say, is history. "46-years later, here we are!" As Fernando tells the story, he scrolls through pictures on his computer. "That's me and my wife the first time I saw snow," he says fondly. "You can see I am smiling and I had long hair." "It was the blizzard of 1978." Mazatlan is over 2,100 miles from Fort Wayne, but the family has made the trip by van many times. Zapari keeps a piece of his childhood home with him at all times. "This necklace means a lot to me," he says as he tugs on it. "This necklace is a little piece of Mazatlan from the beach. I never take it off." The necklace, like El Mexicano News, is a part him. "My wife and I still deliver the paper," he says. "And we love it!" "It was the blizzard of 1978." "We do it because I'm passionate about informing the folks about what's going on." 5,000 copies a month are printed and dropped off in communities across northeast Indiana. Coverage is augmented by the website elmexicanonews.com and social media platforms like Facebook that provide a way to get their message out quickly in an ever-changing landscape for newspapers. "It's very important to educate people about the opportunities for higher education, which is something we promote heavily," says Zapari. "A lot of people don't ask for help, because they're shy, or have a language barrier." "It's important we get the word out that their are many opportunities out there." "I've never met someone like Fernando," says Beatriz Romero, Office Manager. "He is always so positive with what he does. He is always helping people." "We're very proud of him," says Cervantes with a tearful, but happy smile. "Even better to work for your dad, right?" "I'm grateful for every day," says Zapari as he holds a 'grateful' bracelet given to him by a friend. "Gratitude is the best attitude we can have." "Every day I celebrate Latino-Heritage month because we're happy." "We love Fort Wayne." "We really do." "This is home for us."