From the American Dream to 2026 Business of the Year

From the American Dream to the 2026 Minority-Owned Business of the Year Award

On June 18th, at The Westshore Grand, the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce named Pia Esthetics Day Spa the 2026 Minority-Owned Business of the Year.

If you had told the two of us back in 2004, fresh from Colombia, working out of a small space on Bay to Bay Boulevard, that 22 years later we'd be standing on a stage holding this award, we probably would have thought you were joking.

But here we are.

Thank you to the Chamber

This one means even more because the South Tampa Chamber is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. One hundred years of championing local business in this community. To be recognized during their centennial, alongside an incredible group of finalists (a record 96 nominations this year, which is wild), is genuinely humbling.

Thank you to Kelly Flannery and the entire Chamber team, the judges, the volunteers, and everyone who pours time into lifting up small businesses in South Tampa.

To our team

Let's be honest about something. Owners get handed the trophy, but the team is who fills the room.

To our technicians and our front desk crew. The people who show up every day and treat every client like the most important person to walk through the door (because they are). This award has all of your fingerprints on it.

We have always run things a certain way around here. We hire people who are genuinely passionate about this industry, we train them properly, and then we trust them.

A little bit of our story

For anyone new here, the short version. Pia Trujillo pioneered professional Brazilian waxing in Tampa before most spas would even offer it. She built a months-long waiting list and decided it was time to open her own place. The Tampa Bay Times noticed. Clients followed. A lot of them never left.

Two decades later, we are still family-owned, still minority-owned, and still chasing the same simple mission we started with: take care of people and never cut corners.

Why "minority-owned" hits a little different for us

Winning in this category, specifically, means a lot to us.

We came here in the year 2000. We were in our early 20s, and we had a little girl.

We have always felt a responsibility to represent the Colombian and Latin-American community well. Not with words, but with how we run the business. With professionalism. With integrity. With work that speaks for itself.

After 22 years in business, Andrés Hernandez has been mentoring other business owners through SCORE, many of whom are immigrants and first-time founders navigating the same challenges we once faced. If we can make someone else's climb a little shorter, that's a win worth showing up for.

And finally, thank you to our clients

Some of you have been with us since the very beginning. Some of you found us last month. Every one of you is the reason we get to keep doing this. Thank you for trusting us with your time, your beauty needs, and your standing appointments.

Thank you.

With love and gratitude,

Pia, Andrés, and the entire Pia Esthetics family