Loida Nicolas-Lewis
Encyclopedia
Loida Nicolas Lewis is a Filipino-born, New York
-based industrialist, philanthropist
, civic leader, motivational speaker, author, and lawyer.
near Sorsogon City
.
An attorney by profession, Lewis served as an informal adviser and confidant to her late husband, Reginald F. Lewis, TLC Beatrice’s first chairman and CEO. TLC Beatrice was the successor to the international operations of Beatrice Foods
. She assumed the leadership of the TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc. in February 1994, a year after Mr. Lewis’ death, succeeding her half-brother in law Jean Fugett
Jr. She held around 55% of the shares. She cut costs and sold non-core and under performing assets (such as the company jet and limousines), reduced debt and strengthened her management team. In October 1995, she succeeded in selling $175 million in corporate bonds. She was named the top US woman business executive in September 1995 by The National Foundation for Women Business Owners and Working Woman magazine.
In September, 1997, the company sold its French food distribution business. In 1998, the company sold its European beverage operations. In 1999 it sold the ice-cream operations in Spain
and the Canary Islands
and its potato chips and snack business in Ireland
. In 2000, the last unit of the company, Bireley’s in Thailand
was also sold. Proceeds were distributed to the shareholders who enjoyed a 35% return on their investment.
around 1960 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1968. Lewis was the first Asian American to pass the American Bar (in 1974) without having been educated in the United States. She is eligible to practice law in the Philippines
and New York
.
She worked for the Law Students Civil Right Research Council in New York in 1969, Manhattan Legal Services from 1970-3, and as an attorney for the Immigration and Naturalization Services from 1979-90.
She is an immigration law
yer who has written several books on the subject. She worked for the US government after she successfully sued them for hiring discrimination.
In 1972, Lewis established a monthly magazine for the Filipino-American community and served as the magazine’s publisher until it merged with another publication in 1980.
Lewis frequently appears in charity and fund-raising events, making financial donations and moral support to poverty alleviation projects in the Philippines. She is also a motivational speaker and lecturer on wealth generation, entrepreneurship, career planning, and immigration laws.
In 1999, she founded a school in Sorsogon City, The Lewis College, that teaches Kindergarten through college students.
, Lewis has four siblings. Her father, Francisco J. Nicholas, started one of the country’s largest furniture manufacturing firms, Nicfur. She is a Catholic.
She attended St. Agnes Academy (formerly Academia de Sta. Ines), the oldest Catholic school in Albay
, Philippines. Lewis graduated cum laude from St. Theresa’s College, a private, Roman Catholic women's college in Manila
, Philippines (that location has since closed). At the University of Philippines she was involved in the student council and the national union of students.
Nicholas-Lewis met her husband-to-be Reginald F. Lewis on a blind date in New York in 1968, when she was on a round the world trip and staying with her sister Imelda, then a student at Columbia University. They married on 16 August 1969 in Manila. Their first daughter Leslie was born in 1973. Reginald Lewis acquired Beatrice International in December 1987 in a $985 million leveraged buyout, creating the largest African American
-owned company in the United States. The family moved to Paris in 1990. Lewis has spoken to audiences around the United States and the world to promote the biography of her late husband, Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?….How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion Dollar Business Empire.
A wide and frequent traveller, Lewis speaks English
, French
, Spanish
, Tagalog
and Bicolano. She currently resides in New York City
with her two daughters.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based industrialist, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, civic leader, motivational speaker, author, and lawyer.
Business interests
Lewis was the Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of TLC Beatrice, LLC from 1994 until 1999. and is Chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice (China), Limited, a Cayman company which operates retail convenience stores in five major cities in China and TLC Beatrice Foods (Philippines) which operates a fresh meat processing plant in the Bicol RegionBicol Region
The Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 regions of the Philippines. Its regional center is Legazpi City...
near Sorsogon City
Sorsogon City
Sorsogon City is a 2nd class city in Sorsogon, Philippines. It is the capital city of the province of Sorsogon The city is located at southernmost tip province of Luzon. This city was formed by merging the Bacon and Sorsogon towns. The city serves a trans-shipment point from the Visayas and...
.
An attorney by profession, Lewis served as an informal adviser and confidant to her late husband, Reginald F. Lewis, TLC Beatrice’s first chairman and CEO. TLC Beatrice was the successor to the international operations of Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company. In 1987, its smaller international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of its domestic brands and assets were acquired by Kohlberg,...
. She assumed the leadership of the TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc. in February 1994, a year after Mr. Lewis’ death, succeeding her half-brother in law Jean Fugett
Jean Fugett
Jean Schloss Fugett, Jr. is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League. A 6'3", 225 lbs...
Jr. She held around 55% of the shares. She cut costs and sold non-core and under performing assets (such as the company jet and limousines), reduced debt and strengthened her management team. In October 1995, she succeeded in selling $175 million in corporate bonds. She was named the top US woman business executive in September 1995 by The National Foundation for Women Business Owners and Working Woman magazine.
In September, 1997, the company sold its French food distribution business. In 1998, the company sold its European beverage operations. In 1999 it sold the ice-cream operations in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and its potato chips and snack business in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. In 2000, the last unit of the company, Bireley’s in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
was also sold. Proceeds were distributed to the shareholders who enjoyed a 35% return on their investment.
Legal work
Lewis earned a law degree from the University of the Philippines College of LawUniversity of the Philippines College of Law
University of the Philippines College of Law or UP Law is the law school of the University of the Philippines. Since 1948, it has been located at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, the flagship campus of UP's seven constituent universities. Until the 1970s, night classes of...
around 1960 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1968. Lewis was the first Asian American to pass the American Bar (in 1974) without having been educated in the United States. She is eligible to practice law in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
She worked for the Law Students Civil Right Research Council in New York in 1969, Manhattan Legal Services from 1970-3, and as an attorney for the Immigration and Naturalization Services from 1979-90.
She is an immigration law
Immigration law
Immigration law refers to national government policies which control the phenomenon of immigration to their country.Immigraton law, regarding foreign citizens, is related to nationality law, which governs the legal status of people, in matters such as citizenship...
yer who has written several books on the subject. She worked for the US government after she successfully sued them for hiring discrimination.
Authorship
Lewis has written books on U.S. immigration law. Her book How to Get a Green Card (Nolo), reached the bestseller list in the non-fiction genre.In 1972, Lewis established a monthly magazine for the Filipino-American community and served as the magazine’s publisher until it merged with another publication in 1980.
Socio-civic activities
Lewis is the former National Chairwoman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (2002-2006), the largest advocacy group for Filipino Americans in the United States. She is the chair of US Pinoys for Good Governance. Lewis is also an active board member of the Philippine Development Foundation, a public charity that focuses on building an ecosystem of science and technology-based entrepreneurship and innovation for social and economic development in the Philippines.Lewis frequently appears in charity and fund-raising events, making financial donations and moral support to poverty alleviation projects in the Philippines. She is also a motivational speaker and lecturer on wealth generation, entrepreneurship, career planning, and immigration laws.
In 1999, she founded a school in Sorsogon City, The Lewis College, that teaches Kindergarten through college students.
Early life and personal life
Born and raised in the Sorsogon City, PhilippinesSorsogon City
Sorsogon City is a 2nd class city in Sorsogon, Philippines. It is the capital city of the province of Sorsogon The city is located at southernmost tip province of Luzon. This city was formed by merging the Bacon and Sorsogon towns. The city serves a trans-shipment point from the Visayas and...
, Lewis has four siblings. Her father, Francisco J. Nicholas, started one of the country’s largest furniture manufacturing firms, Nicfur. She is a Catholic.
She attended St. Agnes Academy (formerly Academia de Sta. Ines), the oldest Catholic school in Albay
Albay
Albay is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Legazpi City and the province borders Camarines Sur to the north and Sorsogon to the south. Also to the northeast is Lagonoy Gulf....
, Philippines. Lewis graduated cum laude from St. Theresa’s College, a private, Roman Catholic women's college in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines (that location has since closed). At the University of Philippines she was involved in the student council and the national union of students.
Nicholas-Lewis met her husband-to-be Reginald F. Lewis on a blind date in New York in 1968, when she was on a round the world trip and staying with her sister Imelda, then a student at Columbia University. They married on 16 August 1969 in Manila. Their first daughter Leslie was born in 1973. Reginald Lewis acquired Beatrice International in December 1987 in a $985 million leveraged buyout, creating the largest African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
-owned company in the United States. The family moved to Paris in 1990. Lewis has spoken to audiences around the United States and the world to promote the biography of her late husband, Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?….How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion Dollar Business Empire.
A wide and frequent traveller, Lewis speaks English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Tagalog
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
and Bicolano. She currently resides in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her two daughters.