Maria is the first female Hispanic-owned waste removal company in the United States and one of Houston’s largest minority-owned companies.

In 2015 the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) announced Rios as one of the top 27 women entrepreneurs in the world.  Fortune named Rios as one of the 2013 Fortune Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in the U.S.  Goldman Sachs honored Rios as one of its 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs.  In 2015 Rios and NWI were featured on CNBC’s Blue Collar Millionaires, a docu-series profiling big personalities who have gained wealth “by getting their hands dirty…and rolling up their sleeves…with a can-do mindset.”  CNBC marketed the Rios episode as “The $30M empire built on trash.”

Maria Rios began her U.S. journey emigrating from El Salvador as a child. Through reliance on faith, a relentless work ethic and determination, Rios graduated with her BA from the University of Houston. She will share her implausible journey becoming a multi-million-dollar business in Houston.  Today she is revolutionizing the safety industry, as she has launched her new global division Nation SafetyNet powered by IBM Watson IoT.