SIZE does not matter all the time. Sometimes, it takes guts, perseverance, hard work and a vision to compete against the Goliaths in corporate Philippines. Dennis Uy, the promdi (country bumpkin) entrepreneur or promdipreneur from Mindanao who has been the chairman and president of Udenna Corp., has proven just that. He began small, put in the work and eventually, built a commercial empire in markets dominated by top petroleum companies and major telecommunications providers.

Uy developed and introduced different and better products and services to the market. Secure in his roots but, at the same time, conscious of the difficulties involved in creating enterprises that would have to compete with the big players, he embraced the opportunities presented to him.

The Davaoeño’s business acumen could be traced back to his humble beginnings. His ancestors, who moved from Fujian, China to Tagum, Davao in the 1930s, taught him about entrepreneurship. Uy’s grandparents established businesses, ranging from gold mining and trading to vehicle dealing and food

retailing, among others, with the help of his father and his father’s siblings.

After helping his family’s business since the 1990s, Uy decided to start his own firm in 2002, establishing Udenna Corp. with his wife, Cherylyn. Then, he recognized an opportunity in the oil retailing industry, which was then dominated by three big petroleum companies, by offering customers and clients in Davao a different option.