Pan-American Life Insurance Group proudly celebrates being named among Latino Leaders Magazine’s 15 Best Companies for Latinos to Work For – 2026.
Our people are the reason we continue to grow, serve, and earn the trust of millions. Their leadership, passion, and cultural pride define who we are—and the future we’re building together.
At PALIG, we stand with our communities, upholding trust, honoring our promises, and living our purpose every day.
Pan-American Life Insurance Group
Publisher Jorge Ferraez
President and CEO Raul Ferraez
Editor Andrea Pina andrea.pina@latinoleaders.com
Administrative Director Lawrence Teodoro
Business Development Manager Cristina Villaseñor cristina@latinoleaders.com
Digital Media & Design Manager Wendy Zacarias wendy@latinoleaders.com
Event Director Isabela Herrera isabela@latinoleaders.com
Art Director Fernando Izquierdo
Editorial Art & Design Carlos Cuevas Luis Enrique González Moisés Cervantes
Human Resources Manager Susana Sanchez
Administration and Bookkeeping Carlos Bernal
Executive Assistant to the Publishers Liliana Morales
For advertising inquiries, please call 214-206-9587
• Foreword: Jorge Ferraez & Eduardo Tobon Co-Creators of the Index 500 - Page.9
INTRODUCTION
• The Ranking of largest Latino-owned companies in the United States: Full List & Company Profiles - Page.14
• What the Numbers Say: Insights and Analysis from the Index 500 - Page. 42
• Exclusive Interview with the #1 largest company Carvana: Teresa Aragon shares her insights: - Page. 44
• Leadership Highlights: Voices from the Top Executives of the Index 500 - Page. 75
• New section: Up & coming, companies with great potential - Page.90
• Best Companies for Latinos to Work 2026 - Page. 87
• Hispanic Chambers of Commerce: A special feature highlighting those advocating for Latino entrepreneurs - Page. 94
LATINO ART LEADERSHIP
WHAT WE NEED TO LEARN FROM IT
By William Hanhausen Courtesy of William Hanhausen
Carlos Cuevas
HERITAGE AND BRILLIANCE;
THE UNIVERSAL VOICE OF LATINO AND CHICANO ARTISTS
There are moments when art ceases to be mere decoration and becomes revelation. Latino artists carry within their canvases, sculptures, and words a force that transcends borders, classifications, and labels. Their works are not an appendix to American art; they are American art— bold, unapologetic, and alive.
In this spirit, we gather in celebration— not simply to hand out awards, but to honor the luminous contributions of men and women whose paths wind through business, education, civil service, religion, medicine, art, and more. These awardees are not defined solely by their professions; they are defined by their relentless service, their devotion, and their courage to leave a mark. It is a moment that creates not only recognition, but also a setting of intimacy and meaning, where gratitude is stronger than ceremony.
The Essence of “Damn Good Art”
“Damn Good American Art: The Truth of Latino Expression”
Let me be clear: Latino Art is not an “X.”
It is not a checkmark in a box, nor a marketing label meant to satisfy institutions’ hunger for diversity optics. It is, first and foremost, damn good art.
I write, collect, and speak about this genre not because it belongs to my heritage alone, but because it belongs to the human story. These artists speak with brush, stone, and voice—expressing stories layered with intellect, spirituality, and resilience. Their courage lies not in chasing validation, but in stripping away disguises to stand authentically before the world.
Like Cervantes’ knight-errant tilting at windmills, they refuse to settle for token recognition. Instead, they demand their work be judged by mastery, depth, and beauty. And when you stand before their creations, you do not see a marginalized group asking for mercy—you see universality, discipline, and brilliance.
A Matter of Recognition
“Beyond Labels: The Power of Latino Art” Andy Rooney might have said: “You know what bothers me? When people talk about
Latino art like it’s something other than art. As if brushstrokes suddenly know the passport of the hand that paints them.” He would be right. Too often, the conversation begins with identity politics and ends with diluted appreciation. But in the first division galleries around the world, or in the living rooms of serious collectors, art is judged not by the accent of its maker but by the fire it carries.
This is why Latino artworks are coveted abroad. There, critics and curators look past the surname and toward the canvas itself. And when they do, they find excellence.
Exemplars of Leadership
“The Art of Courage: Latino Voices in America” Consider the brilliance of Isabel Creixell, Devon Rodriguez, Vincent Valdez, Johan Barrios, Fernando Casas, Manfred Delgado, Benito Huerta, Eddy Martinez, Lara Alcántara, Alberto Godoy, Carmen Herrera, Teresita Fernández, Enrique Cabrera, Frank Romero, John Valadez, Marcos Raya, Luis Jimenez, Jesus Moroles, Aliza Nisenbaum, Ramiro Gomez, Alessandra Albin, Gabriela Monterroso, Vania Leporowski and Ana Mendieta, to name a few. These names do not rest on heritage alone—they stand on mastery. Their pieces live in museums, collections, and galleries not because they “checked
a box,” but because they command presence. They embody the truth: this is art that cannot be ignored.
Toward a True Platform
“Not an X: The Universal Voice of Latino Artists” Latino art deserves to be lifted not by the crutch of an “X,” but by the undeniable force of excellence. When artists embrace this truth, they liberate themselves from the weight of expectation and enter the space where all great creators’ dwell: the realm of universality.
It is Damn Good American Art.
“Heritage and Brilliance: Latino Art as Damn Good Art” The goal is not to erase heritage, but to transcend it—to let heritage enrich the work without imprisoning it. For in the end, Latino art is not “other.” It is not separate. It is not an appendix.
And that, in itself, is reason enough to celebrate the genre.
“Mi crispo es mi crispo”
Obstacles Welcome: Leading Through Relentless Change
Ralph de la Vega
We are living in an era of continuous disruption. At home, families navigate shifting career paths, digital overload, and technologies that reshape how we learn and connect. At work, business models that once endured for decades are being reinvented in quarters. Artificial intelligence is accelerating this transformation—reshaping productivity, decision-making, and talent expectations—but it is only one force among many. Geopolitics, regulation, cybersecurity threats, demographic change, and evolving stakeholder demands are all redefining leadership. Change is no longer episodic. It is constant.
THE REAL QUESTION is not how to avoid obstacles and challenges, but how to respond to them.
When I arrived in the United States as an immigrant, uncertainty was not a concept - it was daily life. I faced a new language, new systems, and limited resources. There was no roadmap. That experience shaped a conviction that has guided me ever since: obstacles are not interruptions to progress; they are the pathway to it. You can allow them to define you, or you can use them to grow stronger and move forward with greater clarity and confidence. That lesson has proven just as relevant in boardrooms as it was in my early years. Today’s leaders operate in an environment where disruption is routine. A competitor emerges with a new model. A regulatory shift changes economics overnight. A technology such as AI alters workflows and skill requirements. In these moments, the instinct is often to defend what exists. But leadership is not about preserving comfort; it is about creating clarity amid uncertainty. The real obstacle is rarely the external event. It is the internal resistance to change.
Over time, I have learned that navigating unexpected change begins with composure. Leaders must stabilize their own reactions before they can guide others. From there, the focus must shift to what is within control— values, execution, communication, and discipline. Every obstacle contains information. It reveals where capabilities are weak, where assumptions were flawed, and where new opportunities may exist. When anchored to a clear purpose, even disruptive forces can become catalysts for innovation.
My journey—from immigrant to corporate leader and community servant has reinforced that resilience and credibility compound over time. When trust has been built consistently, stakeholders grant leaders the room to adapt and adjust. In volatile environments, character becomes a competitive advantage.
Obstacles are inevitable. What is optional is your posture toward them. You can resist change and be overtaken by it, or you can welcome it, learn from it, and grow through it. In a world defined by velocity and uncertainty, the most powerful mindset remains simple and enduring:
Obstacles Welcome.
Ralph de la Vega is the former vice-chairman of AT&T Inc. He is the author of the best-selling book “Obstacles Welcome: Turn Adversity to Advantage in Business and Life.” He is also a LinkedIn Influencer, posting regularly on leadership and innovation.
MAGOS HERRERA: FROM JAZZ SINGER TO OPERA COMPOSER
REINVENTING THE ARTIST — AND THE BUSINESS OF CREATIVITY
Alexis Langagne the author is a Global High-Tech Executive, Global VP at Diebold-Nixdorf and previously Regional CEO/COO at HP and Oracle; Board Advisor for high-tech startups and Board Director for a sports non-profit. Alexis is also a professional-level drummer.
Magos Herrera has built a career that reads like a masterclass in reinvention. Born in Mexico City and now based in New York, she evolved from a jazz vocalist with a distinctive sound into a composer, producer, educator, and most recently an opera creator. In business language, she didn’t pivot, she expanded her audience.
SINGING in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, Magos embodies multicultural fluency long before globalization became a corporate buzzword. Beyond music, she is an active advocate for gender equality and the fight against violence against women — proof that leadership in the arts can extend well beyond the stage.
After releasing five albums, she moved to the U.S. at 22 to study at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, continued in Boston, and eventually settled in New York to pursue her international ambitions. Today she teaches masterclasses at Berklee College of Music — effectively investing in the next generation while continuing to grow her own brand. If artists had annual reports, hers would show strong performance in both innovation and talent development.
As a performer, Magos has toured nearly every continent, from Europe to Asia to Latin America. As a guest educator, she has taught in Malaysia, India, Switzerland, and Mexico. Few executives maintain that level of global presence without a jet lag strategy.
During a recent visit to New York, I asked her my favorite questions:
If you were remembered in 100 years for one piece?
A Magos sees herself as a storyteller. She points to instrumental works from her album Aire, especially Papalote, and to the opera Primero Sueño, co-composed with Paola Prestini and inspired by the baroque literary masterpiece of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. For her, music is narrative architecture — not just sound, but meaning.
If not a musician?
A A contemporary dancer - creative energy does not believe in single-industry specialization.
When did music become your life?
A While studying fashion design in Italy, watching a jazz singer in a bar. One performance redirected an entire career — a reminder that inspiration often arrives unannounced and completely ignores long term career plans.
Career setbacks?
A “All the time.” She describes an artist’s path as a journey of constant recalibration. Even supportive parents worry when their child chooses music — the original startup career.
Next big project?
A New collaborations with artists she admires. For Magos, growth comes through partnership - a lesson equally valid in boardrooms and rehearsal rooms. On generative AI, she notes how technology has already transformed how we consume music, shrinking attention spans and fragmenting albums into singles. Yet she remains confident in the enduring value of live performance. Humans, it seems, still prefer humans.
Magos creates not for market positioning but for the experience itself. Her curiosity remains the engine.
Watching her career unfold feels like observing a company that refuses to plateau — always exploring new products, new territories, new stories. And if innovation has a soundtrack, Magos Herrera is happily composing it.
PDA FIRST EVENT IN SAN JUAN BRINGS TOGETHER CEOS, KEY LEADERS IN PUERTO RICO
Interest in the Private Directors Association (PDA) and its mission “to drive private company success through the creation and optimization of governance boards, comprised of qualified and diverse members” is resonating as more than 35 chief executives and key leaders in Puerto Rico attended PDA’s first-ever meeting there on Jan. 28 at the historic Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan.
KPMG’s Puerto Rico Office generously sponsored the by-invitation-only luncheon and presentation. The Board Harbor Foundation and Latino Leaders magazine also provided support for the event.
“This is a special time for PDA,” said Debra McGuire, FASAE, MBA, IOM, CAE, President & CEO of the Private Directors Association
“With the large number of private companies in Puerto Rico—especially those with founders still active in their businesses and the incredible legacies of multi-generational family-owned companies—it is important in today’s rapidly changing marketplace to advocate on the value of leveraging governing boards to propel private companies to greater success.
“We know that private companies are economic drivers of communities, and in Puerto Rico, this is certainly the case,” she continued. “PDA wants to be part of the growth that independent board members and good gover-
nance can bring to strengthen Puerto Rico’s business community.”
What Is PDA?
The Private Directors Association is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago. It is virtual, with more than 3,400 members located throughout North America and around the globe.
“Effective governance is essential for private organizations to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment”,” stated Luis Perez, Partner
at KPMG, Puerto Rico Office.
“The Private Directors Association brings a robust network and deep experience, to foster collaboration with Puerto Rico’s business leaders as we navigate these times of change.”
PDA currently has 21 Chapters, with two new Chapters in formation: Puerto Rico and the Kansas City Metro area. Private companies may join as Corporate Members; organizations may participate as Organizational Members, and those who currently serve on a board or who are preparing for service on a private company board, may become part of PDA as Individual Members. As part of “One PDA,” PDA members may participate in both National and Chapter events for free or at the discounted member rates when a registration fee is charged, regardless if they belong to the Chapter hosting the event or not, whether in-person or virtual. “One PDA” allows members
to take advantage of a huge network of valuable contacts, participate in a wide array of quality educational programming, and post (or apply for) board opportunities.
Why Become Part of PDA?
During the luncheon, former Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, Managing Member of PRP Strategies, LLC, also spoke.
“The Private Directors Association’s interest in having a local Chapter in Puerto Rico is good news for us,” Pierluisi stated. “PDA’s mission is to help private companies grow and prosper, and Puerto Rico’s private sector must be part of that equation.”
Pierluisi shared his experiences as a PDA Member and provided insight about PDA’s signature event, PRISM—the Association’s annual conference and exhibition that brings together PDA members throughout NorthAmericaandaroundtheglobe.
Pierluisi attended PRISM 2025 in October, which was held in Anaheim, CA. Hundreds of PDA members participated, with more than 30 educational sessions on a wide array of hot topics affecting private companies and their boards, along with specialized programs for those beginning their board journey. PRISM 2026 will take place at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, Oct. 5-7.
Edmund Green, Co-Founder and Board Chairman of The Board Harbor Foundation Inc. added: "PDA is at the forefront of driving the importance of demon-
strably high-quality corporate governance with its focus on the unique challenges and opportunities most prevalent in the private board governance arena. Given PDA's keen focus on private companies, including family owned, ESOPs, etc., the membership base is naturally comprised of individuals skilled at corporate governance for all stages of organizational maturity from start-ups to large, family-owned businesses with over a century of longevity.
“There is no other organization in the corporate governance ecosystem that delivers the level of value in the private company governance space delivered by the PDA."
For more information about PDA, visit www.privatedirectors.org or to join the Puerto Rico Chapterin-Formation, please contact Kimberly Aldworth, PDA Director of Membership, at kaldworth@ privatedirectors.org or call 847.986.9350.
OUR REASON BEHIND THIS CLUB: SCALE, IMPACT, AND RESPONSIBILITY
When we created the Latino Leaders Index platform, we immediately set it to become a special, community, group and better said: a club. A very special club of the five hundred largest companies and organizations owned by Latinos in our country. This exclusive club goes well beyond the publication of a list; it is about a sense of community so it brings greater visibility, structure, and recognition to one of the most dynamic forces in our American economy.
WHAT BEGAN as an effort to organize and validate data has grown into a broader reflection of scale, impact, and responsibility. With this fourth edition of the Index 500, we are still identifying and elevating the largest Latino-owned companies as well as key organizations that are beyond the primary list in the United States.
Across industries, these businesses continue to expand with creativity and ambition. From manufacturing and technology to construction, healthcare, financial services, energy, food, and logistics, Latino-owned companies are building and growing at scale.
The largest company this year, Carvana, reached nirvana level growth at scale. Several private equity players and venture capital firms understand the opportunities with all these companies in terms of impact. These companies and their respective owners as well as other organizations beyond the Index are generating revenue, creating jobs, investing in their communities, and contributing to long-term wealth creation.
As these companies and organizations move from early growth into sustained scale, the focus naturally shifts. Governance, succession planning, capital strategy, operational excellence, and long-term resilience become defining priorities.
Their leadership carries both opportunity and responsibility.
Last year, the introduction of “Beyond the Index” recognitions acknowledged a broader ecosystem of leaders, institutions, and partners who contribute to the advancement of Latino enterprise. Sustainable progress is rarely achieved alone. It is shaped by collaboration, mentorship, access to capital, and shared accountability.
The Index 500 club serves as both a benchmark and a resource. Reliable information helps founders measure progress, supports boards in guiding strategy, and provides investors and institutions with clearer insight into a powerful and expanding segment of the economy. In a time of rapid technological change and scrutinized capital allocation, clarity and credibility matter. Each edition reveals new milestones, new companies reaching scale, and a growing presence of Latinas in executive and ownership roles. The network continues to deepen, reflecting both achievement and potential.
The Latino business community represents a vital engine of economic growth in the United States. Its continued expansion strengthens industries, communities, and the broader national landscape.
To the founders, CEOs, executives, board members, and aspiring entrepreneurs featured in these pages, we have one message: we admire and celebrate you. Your leadership sets the standard for what is possible.
We are honored to continue to watch and promote your work supporting you.
Jorge Ferraez & Eduardo Tobon Co-creators of the
Index 500
EXECUTIVE FOREWORD FOR LATINO LEADERS INDEX 500
BMO is proud to continue our multi-year partnership with Latino Leaders Magazine as we present the 2026 Latino Leaders Index 500. Now in its fourth year, the Index has become a trusted platform for recognizing the scale, impact, and leadership of Latino-owned companies across the United States. Each edition highlights the influence of Latino executives, founders, and owners who are shaping the direction and competitiveness of American enterprise.
THE STRENGTH of this community is evident in the data. The U.S. Latino GDP has reached $4.0 trillion - an economy that, if measured independently, would rank as the fifth largest in the world. This growth reflects not only market participation, but also leadership, innovation, and disciplined execution across industries essential to the nation’s economic future.
Latino-led organizations are expanding market presence, strengthening supply chains, and setting new standards in industries central to national growth. That influence is evident in the rapid expansion of the Latino economic engine. Between 2015 and 2023, the U.S. Latino GDP grew more than twice as fast as the rest of the U.S. economy, underscoring the agility, innovation, and leadership of this community. By highlighting their work, the Index underscores the importance of representation among decision-makers influencing strategy, investment, and growth at the highest levels.
The Index plays a meaningful role in amplifying the achievements of Latino leaders, showcasing their success and impact at scale. Their stories demonstrate how leadership shaped by diverse experience strengthens organizations, fuels innovation, and enhances long-term competitiveness. Just as importantly, the Index underscores the importance of representation among decision-makers influencing strategy, investment, and growth at the highest levels.
ERIC SMITH VICE CHAIR, BMO
At BMO, our purpose—to Boldly Grow the Good inbusinessandin life—guides our commitment to supporting clients and stakeholders who are shaping stronger communities. We provide strategic financial insights, advisory capabilities, and tailored solutions to help organizations navigate opportunities with clarity and confidence. We’re proud to be a trusted partner to the leaders shaping the next era of American industry.
As we present the 2026 Latino Leaders Index 500, BMO celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments of this year’s honorees. Their success demonstrates what is possible when vision, determination, and disciplined execution come together. We are proud to stand alongside these leaders and remain committed to boldly growing the good by supporting their continued success, influence, and impact across the national business landscape.
CAPITAL, CONNECTIONS, AND CAPACITY:
FOREWORD TO THE INDEX 500 2026
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) is accelerating business growth and prosperity in America by strengthening three pillars of business success: capital, connections, and capacity.
Focusing on these foundational “Three Cs” allows us to help America’s Hispanic-owned businesses scale up and align their products and services with the needs of Fortune 500 corporations and U.S. government contracts. This work has paid significant dividends for our community and for the nation.
The U.S. GDP has tripled since the year 2000, growing from $10 trillion to over $31 trillion in 2025, thanks in large part to the contributions of America’s roughly 5 million Hispanic-owned businesses, which are supported by a network of 260 Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the business and buying power of over 68 million Americans of Hispanic origin.
The overall contribution of America’s Latinos to the U.S. GDP has surged to over $4 trillion — exceeding the GDPs of India, the United Kingdom, and France. In fact, despite representing only 20% of the U.S. population, Latinos were responsible for over 30% of American GDP growth since 2019.
Hispanic-owned businesses growth outpaces the national average as well. They have grown at an average annual rate of 7.7%, far surpassing the 0.46% growth rate for other employer businesses nationwide.
And there’s still room to grow.
Since America’s Latino population represents 20% of the nation’s total population, increasing the share of Hispanic-owned businesses to match this proportion would result in the creation of 812,440 new businesses, generating a combined $1.1 trillion in additional revenue and $250 billion in payroll.
America’s economy grows stronger and more competitive every day thanks to the hard work, innovation, and dynamic business sense of our Hispanic entrepreneurs.
The USHCC is proud to partner with Latino Leaders magazine to recognize and celebrate the outsized economic impact of America’s Latino community. Jorge Ferraez and the Latino Leaders team have made it their mission to recognize Latino leaders, and this year’s Latino Top 200 Index is a veritable “Who’s Who” of the men and women shaping the future of a strong American economy.
RAMIRO A. CAVAZOS President & CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
A CONVERSATION WITH ARON LEVINE PRESIDENT, BMO U.S. ON THE INDEX 500
You recently stepped into a role that brings together U.S. Personal and Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Wealth Management under one leadership structure. How would you describe your approach to leading this unified platform and the kind of experience you want business leaders to have when they work with BMO?
AL: Bringing these businesses together is grounded in a belief I hold deeply: we win when our clients win. Business owners don’t organize their lives around banking categories; they think about growth, opportunity, and long-term impact. Our responsibility is to support those goals with clarity, consistency, and a deep understanding of their full financial picture.
At BMO, alignment and simplicity matter because they lead to better client outcomes. When our teams work together to bring everything BMO offers to a client’s unique financial goals, clients experience seamless, relationship-driven support that combines strong advice with convenience in how they manage their money. Leaders who partner with BMO should feel confident that we’re accountable at every stage of their journey – focused on long-term progress, not just individual transactions.
BMO has the best team in banking – talented, empowered bankers who are focused on helping our clients and communities make progress now and in the future.
Your background includes work across consumer banking, commercial real estate, strategy, marketing, and global wealth. How do these experiences shape the way you think about supporting entrepreneurs and leaders in building high-growth companies?
AL: Those experiences have reinforced that growth is rarely linear. And for business owners, growth is often deeply personal. Business decisions don’t happen in isolation – they intersect with market conditions, capital needs, and personal financial considerations.
That perspective shapes how I think about our role as a bank. Supporting high-growth companies means taking a holistic view: anticipating what’s next, helping leaders weigh trade-offs, and offering guidance grounded in experience across cycles and industries. Whether it’s capital structure, risk management, or long-term planning, our responsibility is to help leaders move forward with clarity and confidence—not simply react to the moment in front of them.
As businesses grow, their financial needs evolve quickly. How does BMO guide companies through the different stages of that journey?
AL: We view growth as a continuous journey, not a series of disconnected moments. Early on, businesses are focused on cash flow, efficiency, and day-to-day operations. As they scale, the conversation expands to strategic investment, talent, and risk management. Later, leaders may be thinking about acquisitions, entering new markets, or long-term momentum.
Continuity matters. Our role at BMO is to be a partner through every stage of that evolution, with advice that grows alongside the business and helps them smoothly bridge the stages of growth. As our client relationships deepen, we’re better positioned to anticipate what’s next, offer proactive guidance, and help leaders prepare rather than react. It’s how we turn banking relationships into long-term partnerships – and help clients move forward with confidence.
“WHEN BANKS HELP CONNECT ENTREPRENEURS TO THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS AND PERSPECTIVES – NOT JUST THE RIGHT FINANCING – THEY HELP BUILD STRONGER BUSINESSES.”
Q BMO partners with Latino Leaders Magazine on the Latino Leaders Index500. When you spend time with leaders in this community, what stands out to you?
AL: What stands out most is ambition grounded in purpose. Leaders I’ve met through the Latino Leaders Index500 are building highly competitive, growth-oriented companies while staying deeply connected to their employees, families and communities. Many are focused not only on scaling their business, but on building a legacy—creating opportunity and opening doors for others along the way.
There’s also a remarkable level of resilience.These leaders are navigating complex environments, yet they continue to innovate, expand, and contribute meaningfully to the broader economy and the community around them. That combination of drive, responsibility, and long-term vision aligns closely with how we think about partnership at BMO.
Strong relationships often reveal their value during challenging moments. What helps build genuine trust between a business leader and their financial partner?
AL: Trust is built over time, long before a challenging moment arrives. It’s earned through consistency, transparency, and ac countability – especially when decisions are com plex, and outcomes are not guaranteed.
In my experience, trust is shaped by the smaller mo ments: listening carefully, returning the call, and offering an honest perspective when the answer isn’t easy. Some times that means having difficult conversations, but lead ers value partners who are focused on what’s right for their long‑term success.
In uncertain environments, those relationships create the confidence leaders need to make informed decisions and keep moving forward.
Technology has become central to how companies operate and compete. How do you blend digital tools with personal guidance?
AL: Technology should simplify complexity, not re place relationships. Digital tools give business lead ers greater visibility, efficiency, and control – but when decisions are high stakes or nuanced, per sonal guidance still matters.
At BMO, we pair strong digital capabilities with experi enced bankers who can interpret information and provide context. When data and human judgment work together, clients are better informed, better supported, and more confident in the decisions they make.
That balance is critical as technology continues to re shape how companies operate and compete. Our goal is to make banking easier and more intuitive, while ensuring our clients always have access to trusted advice.
BMO has introduced programs designed to expand access to capital and financial resources for historically underserved communities. What principles guide that approach?
AL: In 2023, we launched a five‑year, $40+ billion commitment to help more individuals, families, businesses, and communities make real financial progress. Altogether, the effort reflects our drive to support a thriving economy and strong neigh borhoods. It supports economic growth through financial solutions and community programs that
expand access to capital, make homeowner ship more affordable, support small business growth, and strengthen financial literacy. Our approach is grounded in access, readiness, and trust. Expanding opportunity starts with removing barriers to capital and financial re sources, but it doesn’t stop there. It also means ensuring clients have the knowledge, tools, and support to use those resources effectively.
Inclusion isn’t about a single product or moment — it’s about build ing pathways and relationships over time. When clients are prepared, in formed, and supported, access to capital becomes more meaningful and sustainable. That’s how we help businesses grow, strengthen communities, and drive long term economic progress.
Latino founders often emphasize the importance of networks and advisory support. What role should financial institutions play beyond lending?
AL: Capital is important, but it’s only part of what entrepreneurs need to succeed. Financial institutions can play a meaningful role by helping founders access broader networks of advisors, peers, and resources that support sustainable growth.
That means convening leaders, fostering mentorship, sharing insight, and investing in education that strengthens decision making. Platforms like the Latino Leaders Index500, which recognizes top Latino‑owned businesses across the U.S., add real value by elevating business leaders, increasing visibility, and creating opportunities for connection within a broader national ecosystem.
When banks help connect entrepreneurs to the right relationships and perspectives – not just the right financing – they help build stronger businesses. Supporting that broader ecosystem isn’t ancillary to our role; it’s central to long term success. When entrepreneurs are surrounded by strong networks and trusted guidance, they’re better positioned to grow, adapt, and create lasting impact.
Looking ahead, what gives you the most optimism about the future of U.S. banking and the next generation of business leaders?
AL: What gives me the most optimism is the talent, creativity, and purpose I see in today’s business leaders. Entrepreneurs across the country are building companies that are more inclusive, more innovative, and more globally connected than ever before. They’re not just focused on growth – they’re focused on impact, resilience, and building businesses that reflect their values.
At the same time, banking is evolving in powerful ways. Advances in technology and data allow us to be more responsive, more per sonalized, and more proactive in how we support clients. When you combine that progress with a generation of leaders who are both pur pose driven and ambitious, the opportunity ahead is incredibly strong — not just for businesses, but for the communities and economies they help shape.
WHEN YOU COMBINE THAT PROGRESS WITH A GENERATION OF LEADERS WHO ARE BOTH PURPOSE-DRIVEN AND AMBITIOUS, THE OPPORTUNITY AHEAD IS INCREDIBLY STRONG.
INDEX 500
INDEX 500
1 CARVANA * Auto Retail • Auto sales Tempe, AZ
Leadership: Ernie Garcia
Employee count: 23,100
Company website: carvana.com
per year: $ 20,322,000
2 MASTEC *
/ Construction • Engineering construction Miami, FL
Leadership: Jose Mas Employee count: 33,000
website: mastec.com
per year: $ 14,075,000
3 INTUITIVE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION ** Information / Technology • Government technology solutions Huntsville, AL
Leadership: Vergenia Shelton
Employee count: 350
Company website: https://irtc-hq.com/ Revenue per year: $ 10,000,000
4 BIMBO BAKERIES USA ***
Food Services & Retail • Global bakery products leader Horsham, PA
Leadership: Daniel Servitje Employee count: 149,000 Company website: grupobimbo.com/
per year: $ 8,400,000
and Beverage • Sugar refining, real estate West Palm Beach, FL
Leadership: Alfonso Fanjul (CEO)
Employee count: 3,000 Company website: floridacrystalscorp.com
per year: $ 7,749,000
Leadership: Daniel Alegre (CEO)
Employee count: 3,000
Company website: televisaunivision.com Revenue per year: $ 4,800,000
Leadership: Frank Grande
Employee count: 1,849 Company website: quirchfoods.com
per year: $ 4,434,178
Leadership: Neil M. Ashe Employee count: 13,800 Company website: https://www.acuityinc.com/
Jean-Claude Tissot (President)
count: 8,800
website: cocacolaswb.com
website: murgadoautomotivegroup.com
sunholdings.net
Leadership: Eugenio Baeza
count: 13,020
website: https://www.bafarinternational.com/
Leadership: Nestor Plana (CEO and Owner)
count: 1550
ilshealth.com
Leadership: Roberto Unanue (CEO) Employee count: 3,000 Company website: goya.com
Leadership: Enrique Gonzalez, Jr. Employee count: 2,300 Company website: https://www.vallartasupermarkets.com
Leadership: Francisco Gonzalez (CEO) / Ed Sanchez Employee count: 1,900 Company website: lopezdorada.com
22
Leadership: Paul Brisebois Employee count: 4,000 Company website: https://www.aggrowth.com/
Information / Technology • Systems integration Plano, TX
Leadership: Beatriz Manetta
Employee count: 30
Company website: argentassociates.com
Revenue per year: $ 206,000
121 TRANSFORCE *
Transportation • Truck driver recruiting Alexandria, VA
Leadership: Rafael Andres Diaz-Granados
Employee count: 1,733
Company website: transforce.com
Revenue per year: $ 205,002
122 AZTECA-OMEGA GROUP *
Engineering / Construction • General contracting Dallas, TX
Leadership: Luis Spinola (CEO/President)
Employee count: 125
Company website: Azteca-omega.com
Revenue per year: $ 205,000
123 FUJI FOODS USA ***
Manufacturing • Food/exotic flavors Santa Fe Springs, CA
Leadership: Alex Meruelo (Owner)
Employee count: 700
Company website: fujifoodsusa.com
Revenue per year: $ 203,277
* Revenue 2025 amount confirmed by company
Revenue 2025 amount estimate based on research of public information *** 2024 revenue, no new information was provided All revenues are displayed in thousands of dollars
124
Leadership: Max Jr Tejeda Employee count: 397
website: tejastubular.com
per year: $ 200,766 125
Leadership: Francis Jaramillo Employee count: 40
wwcpinc.com
Leadership: Marcos Rodriguez (Founder/CEO, Chairman) Employee count: 70 Company website: palladiumequity.com Revenue per year: $ 200,000
Freight Services Riverview, FL
Leadership: Bobby Harris Employee count: 750 Company website: mybluegrace.com Revenue per year: $ 195,900
Leadership: David Martin (CEO) Employee count: 92 Company website: Terragroup.com
per year: $ 195,540
129
WORLD VARIETY FOODS
Food and Beverage • Specialty produce Vernon, CA
Leadership: John/Sharon Hernandez Founders Employee count: 350 Company website: melissas.com Revenue per year: $ 194,327
Revenue 2025 amount confirmed by company
130
Auto Retail • Dealerships and used car retail Shorewood, IL
Leadership: Anthony H. Blake (President)
Employee count: 100 Company website: tysonmotor.com Revenue per year: $ 189,025
131 EL MILAGRO TORTILLERIA **
Food and Beverage • Tortilla manufacturer Chicago, IL
Leadership: Raul Lopez
Employee count: 350 Company website: https://el-milagro.com/ Revenue per year: $ 189,000
132 SYMPHONIC DISTRIBUTION **
Media & Communications • Music distribution platform Tampa, FL
Leadership: Jorge Brea (CEO)
Employee count: 135 Company website: https://symphonic.co Revenue per year: $ 188,000
133 REFLECTION WINDOW + WALL LLC * Engineering / Construction • Construction, architecture Chicago, IL
Leadership: Rodrigo d'Escoto (President) Employee count: 152 Company website: reflectionwindow.com Revenue per year: $ 184,000
134
Coral Gables, FL
Leadership: Pablo L. Cejas
Employee count: 131 Company website: ascendantgroup.com
per year: $ 183,076
135
Leadership: Calixto Garcia-Velez (CEO/president) Employee count: 456 Company website: banescousa.com Revenue per year: $ 181,700
136
CARDENA MARKETING NETWORK *
Advertising, Marketing & Media • Latin entertainment Chicago, IL
Leadership: Henry Cardenas
Employee count: 75
Company website: cmnevents.com
Revenue per year: $ 180,734
137
NOBLE TEXAS BUILDERS *
Engineering / Construction • General contracting La Feria, TX
Leadership: Rene Capistran
Employee count: 190
Company website: nobletx.com
Revenue per year: $ 176,000
138 HERNANDEZ CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT *
Engineering / Construction • General Contractor Fort Lauderdale, FL
Leadership: Alex Hernandez (CEO/Owner)
Employee count: 42
Company website: www.buildwithhernandez.com
Revenue per year: $ 175,000
139 VISION IT **
Information / Technology • Managed IT services Detroit, MI
Leadership: David Segura
Employee count: 15,000
Company website: https://visionit.us/
Revenue per year: $ 175,000
140 INGENESIS ***
Professional Services • Healthcare staffing, recruitment San Antonio, TX
Leadership: Veronica Muzquiz Edwards (CEO)
Employee count: 7,500
Company website: ingenesis.com
Revenue per year: $ 174,000
141
TELACU INDUSTRIES ***
Engineering / Construction • Developer Los Angeles, CA
Leadership: David Lizarraga (Chair)
Employee count: 400
Company website: telacu.com
Revenue per year: $ 174,000
142 MICROTECH
INDEX 500
Leadership: Tony Jimenez (CEO/Owner) Employee count: 145 Company website: microtech.net
per year: $ 172,000
143 THE GAMBRINUS CO. *** Food and Beverage • Beer brewer and distributor San Antonio, TX
Leadership: Carlos Alvarez
Employee count: 125 Company website: gambrinus.com
per year: $ 170,000
144 MERCADO LATINO INC *** Retail • Manufacturer, importer and distributor Industry, CA
Leadership: Roberto Rodriguez, Gilberto Arias
Employee count: 300 Company website: mercadolatinoinc.com Revenue per year: $ 165,989
145 H&B BUILDERS LLC ***
Engineering / Construction • General Contractor Goodyear, AZ
Leadership: Erik Hernandez
Employee count: 50
Company website: linkedin.comcompanyhbbuilders Revenue per year: $ 165,000
146
Professional Services • Executive search firm San Jose, CA
Leadership: Alyssa Terrizzano Employee count: 350
Company website: https://pierpoint.com/ Revenue per year: $ 164,000
147 ATHENA ENGINEERING ***
Engineering / Construction • Commercial and Residential San Dimas, CA
Leadership: Jannie Chiera
Employee count: 125
Company website: athenaengineering.com
Revenue per year: $ 160,500
148 ESTEFAN ENTERPRISE INC. ***
Miscellaneous • Multi-Media Entertainment Company Miami, FL
Leadership: Emilio Estefan
Employee count: 350
Company website: estefan.com Revenue per year: $ 160,000
149
Leadership: Frederik Riefkohl
Employee count: 490 Company website: https://csagroup.com/
per year: $ 160,000
150
Leadership: Gabriel Baizan & Jean-Pierre Baizan
count: 300
website: packserv.com
per year: $ 159,485
Leadership: Manny Medina
count: 1,155
website: outreach.io
Leadership: Samuel Carlos Tamayo Employee count: 350
website: latortillafactory.com
153
154 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ***
Administrative & Managing Services • HR, outsourcing Fitchburg, MA
Leadership: Reinaldo Lopez (CEO)
Employee count: 30
Company website: rmi-solutions.com
Revenue per year: $ 157,000
155 BRYCON CORPORATION ***
Engineering / Construction • Hospital & General Contracting Rio Rancho, NM
Leadership: Phil Casaus
Employee count: 750
Company website: brycon.com Revenue per year: $ 157,000
156 ALVARADO CONSTRUCTION/COLORADO ROCKIES ***
Engineering / Construction • Commercial, general construction Denver, CO
Leadership: Linda Alvarado (CEO)
Employee count: 30
Company website: alvaradoconstruction.com
Revenue per year: $ 156,000
157 CESAR CASTILLO, LLC ***
Health Care • Pharmaceutical, medical,consumer goods Guaynabo, PR
Leadership: Cesar Castillo
Employee count: 148
Company website: cesarcastillo.com/ Revenue per year: $ 155,530
158 MIKE SHAW AUTOMOTIVE *** Auto Retail • Dealerships Denver, CO
Leadership: Mike Shaw (CEO)
Employee count: 275
Company website: mike-shaw-automotive-group.com
Revenue per year: $ 155,200
159
CARAVAN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT LLC ***
Administrative & Managing Services • Facilities management Saginaw, MI
Leadership: Marco Mena (Owner/President) Employee count: 350
website: vilore.com
Leadership: Brandon J. Bordeaux
Employee count: 3,000
Company website: caravanfm.com
Revenue per year: $ 151,236
* Revenue 2025 amount confirmed by company
Revenue 2025 amount estimate based on research of public information
2024 revenue, no new information was provided All revenues are displayed in thousands of dollars
Professional Services • Construction project management Ann Arbor, MI
Leadership: Dax Ponce de Leon Employee count: 400 Company website: https://pmaconsultants.com/ Revenue per year: $ 100,000
244
VISTA HIGHER LEARNING **
Education • Language education publisher Boston, MA
Leadership: Jon Aram
Employee count: 150 Company website: https://vistahigherlearning.com
Revenue per year: $ 100,000
245
JAVIER’S **
Food Services & Retail • Upscale Mexican restaurant Newport Beach, CA
Leadership: Javier Sosa
Employee count: 800 Company website: https://javiersfinestfoods.com Revenue per year: $ 100,000
246 RCC-BGM (RELIABLE CONCEPTS CORPORATION/BRILLIANT GENERAL MAINTENANCE) **
Professional Services • Building maintenance solutions Hayward, CA
Leadership: Daniel Montes
Employee count: 300
Company website: https://rcc-bgm.com/rcc Revenue per year: $ 100,000
247 DE HARO RAMIREZ GROUP **
Engineering / Construction • Civil engineering services San Francisco, CA
Leadership: Marco Ramirez
Employee count: 125 Company website: https://www.dhrgconcrete.com/ Revenue per year: $ 100,000
248
1905 FAMILY OF RESTAURANTS **
Food and Beverage • Family restaurant group Ybor City, FL
Leadership: Richard Gonzmart
Employee count: 3,500
Company website: https://www.1905familyofrestaurants.com/ Revenue per year: $ 100,000
249 CIC CONSTRUCTION GROUP, S. E. ***
Engineering / Construction • General contracting Guaynabo, PR
Leadership: Gustavo A. Hermida
Employee count: 120
Company website: cicconstruction.com/ Revenue per year: $ 99,891
INDEX 500
250 FORD GREENWAY INC ***
Auto Retail • Used car sales and service Orlando, FL
Leadership: Theresa Hordge
Employee count: 146
Company website: greenwayford.com/ Revenue per year: $ 99,002
251 LA GALERA PRODUCE ***
Food and Beverage • Grocery distributor Chicago, IL
Leadership: Francisco (Paco Jr.) Vega (Owner) Employee count: 125 Company website: Lagaleraproduce.com
per year: $ 99,000
252 PARK NORTH LINCOLN-MERCURY INC ***
TX
Leadership: Diego Iturbe / Matt Barrientez Employee count: Company website: nplincoln.com/ Revenue per year: $ 97,924
253 RAMOS OIL CO., INC. ***
• Shell oil distributor Long Beach, CA
Leadership: Kent Ramos Employee count: 125 Company website: ramosoil.com Revenue per year: $ 97,563
254
• Electricity supply, customer service Fort Lauderdale, FL
Leadership: David Hernandez & Alberto Daire
Employee count: 162 Company website: libertypowercorp.com/ Revenue per year: $ 96,993
255 HOLSUM DE PUERTO RICO, INC .
Food Services & Retail • Baked goods, Puerto Rican tradition
Toa Baja, PR
Leadership: Denzil Sardina
Employee count: 800
Company website: holsumpr.com/ Revenue per year: $ 96,851
256 LD PRODUCTS, INC. ***
Retail • Wholesale trade of office supply products Long Beach, CA
Leadership: Aaron Leon
Employee count: 125
Company website: ldproducts.com
Revenue per year: $ 96,636
257 GHG CORP ***
Information / Technology • IT/HR solutions Webster, TX
Leadership: Israel Galvan (CEO)
Employee count: 350 Company website: ghgcorp.com
Revenue per year: $ 96,000
258 BELLA AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, LTD. ***
Auto Retail • New and used car dealership Hialeah, FL
Leadership: Jeronimo Esteve
Employee count: 750 Company website: bellaautomotivegroup.com
Revenue per year: $ 95,899
259 PAPA ***
Health Care • Solution for errands and everyday needs Miami, FL
Leadership: Alfredo Vaamonde
Employee count: Company website: Revenue per year: $ 95,400
260
Bayamon, PR
Leadership: Jose Santiago Employee count: 350 Company website: josesantiago.com/ Revenue per year: $ 95,290
261
262 INSCO DISTRIBUTING, INC. ***
Retail • HVAC distributor San Antonio, TX
Leadership: Rudy Trevino
Employee count: 350 Company website: insco.com
Revenue per year: $ 93,473
263
METROSTAR SYSTEMS LLC **
Information / Technology • IT solutions provider Reston, VA
Leadership: Robert Santos
Employee count: 350
Company website: https://www.metrostar.com/
Revenue per year: $ 92,200
264 ACCURATE BACKGROUND, LLC ***
Professional Services • Background screening services Irvine, CA
Leadership: Tim Dowd
Employee count: 1650
Company website: accurate.com/
Revenue per year: $ 90,950
265 BERMUDEZ, LONGO, DIAZ-MASSO, LLC ***
Engineering / Construction • Integrated construction services Guaynabo, PR
Leadership: Francisco Diaz -Masso
Employee count: 800
Company website: bldmpr.com/
Revenue per year: $ 90,517
266
WILDFLOWER INTERNATIONAL ***
Information / Technology • Software Santa Fe, NM
Leadership: Kimberly deCastro (CEO, Pres)
Employee count: 350
Company website: wildflowerintl.com
Revenue per year: $ 90,300
267 PERIKIN ENTERPRISES LLC ***
Engineering / Construction • Engineering, design Albuquerque, NM
Leadership: Mark Gittleman Employee count: 410
website: alphaspace.com
per year: $ 95,110
Leadership: Frank Garcia
Employee count: 125
Company website: perikin.com
Revenue per year: $ 90,000
* Revenue 2025 amount confirmed by company ** Revenue 2025 amount estimate based on research of public information *** 2024 revenue, no new information was provided All revenues are displayed in thousands of dollars
268 SERENDIPITY LABS
Real Estate • Coworking office spaces Stamford, CT
Leadership: John P. Arenas Employee count: 154 Company website: https://serendipitylabs.com/ Revenue per year: $ 90,000
269 IBOSS ** Information / Technology • Cybersecurity platform provider Boston, MA
Leadership: Paul Martini Employee count: 347 Company website: https://www.iboss.com/ Revenue per year: $ 90,000
270 PAN PEPIN ** Food and Beverage • Bakery food products Bayamon, PR
Leadership: Angel Vazquez Employee count: 500 Company website: https://panpepin.com/ Revenue per year: $ 90,000
271
Atlanta, GA
Leadership: Eddy Perez Employee count: 708 Company website: epmwholesale.com/ Revenue per year: $ 89,980
272 CACIQUE FOODS *** Food and Beverage • Mexican foods, cheese Monrovia, CA
Leadership: Gil de Cardenas Employee count: 333 Company website: caciquefood.com Revenue per year: $ 88,600
Employee count: 50 Company website: tomatothyme.com/ Revenue per year: $ 72,247
333 CANELA MEDIA *** Advertising, Marketing & Media • Digital streaming New York, NY
Leadership: Isabel Rafferty Zavala (Founder/CEO)
Employee count: 151
Company website: canelamedia.com
Revenue per year: $ 72,000
334
ZTEX CONSTRUCTION INC ***
Engineering / Construction • Civil construction El Paso, TX
Leadership: Richard Ortiz (Founder)
Employee count: 350
Company website: ztexconstruction.com
Revenue per year: $ 71,900
335
INCODE TECHNOLOGIES ***
Information / Technology • Identity verification software San Francisco, CA
Leadership: Ricardo Amper
Employee count: 350
Company website: incode.com
Revenue per year: $ 71,450
336
GONZALEZ DESIGN GROUP ***
Manufacturing • Multi-industry automation Madison Heights, MI
Leadership: Gary Gonzalez (CEO)
Employee count: 750
Company website: gonzalez-group.com
Revenue per year: $ 70,000
337
NEXTGEN INFORMATION SERVICES ***
Professional Services • Staffing, talent management St. Louis, MO
Leadership: Maria del Carmen Jacob
Employee count: 350
Company website: nextgen-is.com
Revenue per year: $ 70,000
338
RARE BEAUTY ***
Manufacturing • Vegan and cruelty free make-up El Segundo, CA
Leadership: Selena Gomez
Employee count: 200
Company website: rarebeauty.com
Revenue per year: $ 70,000
339 LIEF ORGANICS, LLC *
Manufacturing • Dietary supplement manufacturing solutions Valencia, CA
Leadership: Adel Villalobos
Employee count: 100
Company website: lieflabs.com/
Revenue per year: $ 70,000
* Revenue 2025 amount confirmed by company ** Revenue 2025 amount estimate based on research of public information *** 2024 revenue, no new information was provided All revenues are displayed in thousands of dollars
340
Information / Technology • IT staffing solutions Pasadena, CA
Leadership: Luis Gonzalez Employee count: 250 Company website: https://directedlink.com/ Revenue per year: $ 70,000
341 THE BUILDING PEOPLE ** Engineering / Construction • Construction management services Leesburg, VA
Leadership: Lawrence Melton Employee count: 350 Company website: https://thebuildingpeople.com/ Revenue per year: $ 70,000
Engineering / Construction • Aircraft parts manufacturer Addison, TX
Leadership: Jarid King Employee count: 350 Company website: https://kingaerospace.com/ Revenue per year: $ 70,000
Gurabo, PR
Leadership: Rosa Castro Avila Employee count: 500 Company website: neomedcenter.org/ Revenue per year: $ 69,948
San Jose, CA
Leadership: Guillermo Viveros (CFO) Employee count: 750 Company website: https://gardnerhealthservices.org/ Revenue per year: $ 69,200
345
Professional Services • Contract staffing solutions Stafford, VA
Leadership: Carlos Patricio Employee count: 350 Company website: https://patricioenterprises.com/ Revenue per year: $ 69,100
346 INTIVITY INC.
Professional Services • Office furniture management services East Rochester, NY
Leadership: Fabricio Morales Employee count: 95 Company website: intivity.com/ Revenue per year: $ 69,000
347 DEL VALLE GROUP, S.P. *** Engineering / Construction • General contractor services Toa Baja, PR
Leadership: Humberto Reynolds Employee count: 100 Company website: delvallegroup.net/ Revenue per year: $ 68,958
348 SPIRIT TRUCK LINES LLC *** Transportation • Trucking company San Juan, TX
Leadership: Joh, Raul, David, Ramiro & Leonel Garza Employee count: 350 Company website: spirittrucklines.comindex.php Revenue per year: $ 68,800
349
Food and Beverage • Fresh produce Houston, TX
Leadership: Alex Flores Employee count: 125 Company website: houstonavocadocompany.com Revenue per year: $ 68,659 350
Food and Beverage • Produce San Antonio, TX
Leadership: Gonzalez Family Employee count: 125 Company website: rivercityproduce.com Revenue per year: $ 68,463 351
Leadership: J.O. Alvarez Employee count: 100 Company website: joalvarez.com/ Revenue per year: $ 68,139
352
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES OF TAMPA ***
Engineering / Construction • General contracting Tampa, FL
Leadership: Fred Lay (Founder/President)
Employee count: 15 Company website: csioftampa.com
Revenue per year: $ 68,000
353
SIMCO ELECTRONICS **
Manufacturing • Test equipment services Santa Clara, CA
Leadership: Brian Kenna
Employee count: 376 Company website: https://www.simco.com/
Revenue per year: $ 68,000
354
CORDOVA BOLT, INC. ***
Manufacturing • Manufacturing, material handling Buena Park, CA
Leadership: Matthew Cordova
Employee count: 30 Company website: cordovabolt.com
Revenue per year: $ 67,906
355
ADONEL CONCRETE ***
Engineering / Construction • Concrete mix and delivery Miami, FL
Leadership: Luis Garcia
Employee count: 350 Company website: adonelconcrete.com
Revenue per year: $ 67,700
356
GONZALEZ & SONS EQUIPMENT, INC. ***
Engineering / Construction • Railroad contractors Hialeah, FL
Leadership: Arnie Gonzalez (Founder)
Employee count: 350
Company website: gonzalezandsons.net
Revenue per year: $ 67,686
357 CLEAR ALIGN LLC ***
Manufacturing • Electro-optic and infrared systems Eagleville, PA
Leadership: Angelique X. Irvin
Employee count: 83
Company website: clearalign.com/ Revenue per year: $ 67,000
INDEX 500
358 CLEAR ALIGN **
Information / Technology • Autonomous intelligent surveillance systems Eagleville, PA
Leadership: Angelique Irvin
Employee count: 100
Company website: https://clearalign.com/ Revenue per year: $ 67,000
359 CAPE ENVIRONMENTAL MGT. ***
Engineering / Construction • Remediation Norcross, GA
Company website: ccomgroupinc.com/ Revenue per year: $ 53,711
* Revenue 2025 amount confirmed by company ** Revenue 2025 amount estimate based on research of public information *** 2024 revenue, no new information was provided All revenues are displayed in thousands of dollars
412
Automotive lubricants & car care Yabucoa, PR
Leadership: Jorge Gonzalez Employee count: 80 Company website: oleinrefinery.com Revenue per year: $ 53,163
413
IT for health care New York, NY
Leadership: Walter Jin (Chairman/CEO) Employee count: 150 Company website: pager.com
Leadership: Juan Menchaca Employee count: 750 Company website: jamcointl.com Revenue per year: $ 42,037
494
MOUNTAIN G ENTERPRISES INC *** Engineering / Construction • Land use planning Folsom, CA
Leadership: Marcos Gomez Employee count: 300 Company website: mgeinc.com Revenue per year: $ 42,017
495 GLOBAL ORDNANCE *** Manufacturing • Munitions, equipment Tampa, FL
Leadership: Marc Morales (CEO/President) Employee count: 50 Company website: global-ordnance.com Revenue per year: $ 42,000
496 ALLRAN ELECTRIC *** Engineering / Construction • Electronic installation New York, NY
Leadership: Selim (Sal) Rusi (CEO)
Employee count: 70 Company website: nyallran.com
Revenue per year: $ 42,000
497 ALAMO 1 *** Engineering / Construction • Construction & remediation San Antonio, TX
Leadership: Alex Salas (CEO/Owner) Employee count: 350 Company website: alamo1.com Revenue per year: $ 42,000
498 VILLA PARK LANDSCAPE *** Professional Services • Landscape services Orange, CA
Leadership: Valerie Hernandez Employee count: 350 Company website: villaparklandscape.com Revenue per year: $ 42,000
499 CORSERVA, INC. ***
Information / Technology • Managed IT Services Trumbull, CT
Leadership: Camilo S. Employee count: 125 Company website: corserva.com/ Revenue per year: $ 41,574
500 SOUTHWEST FREIGHTLINES *** Transportation • Transportation service El Paso, TX
Leadership: Gustavo Jimenez (President) Employee count: 750 Company website: swflines.com
Revenue per year: $ 41,400
The top 10 states represent 81% of all companies
INDEX 500 2026: STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT
Geographical composition
The 18 U.S. States Not Represented in the Index 500 2026
Alaska (AK)
Arkansas (AR)
Delaware (DE)
Iowa (IA)
Idaho (ID)
Kansas (KS)
Kentucky (KY)
Maine (ME)
Mississippi (MS)
Industry composition
Top 5 industries = 60% of all companies in the Index:
Engineering / Construction — 92 (18.4%)
Professional Services — 53 (10.6%)
Information / Technology — 53 (10.6%)
Food and Beverage — 53 (10.6%)
Manufacturing — 49 (9.8%)
The top 5 industries represent 71.4% of the total revenue, and represent 48% of the companies.
Montana (MT)
North Dakota (ND)
Nebraska (NE)
Oregon (OR)
Rhode Island (RI)
Utah (UT)
Vermont (VT)
West Virginia (WV)
Wyoming (WY)
Comparison versus stats 2025
• Total revenue for 2025 was 135B, which represents a growth of 37% for 2026.
• The top 10 companies grew a total of 46% compared to 2025, in which they amounted to a total of 56B overall compared to 81.8B for 2026.
• The 2026 Index 500 brings no change in geographic concentration: California, Florida and Texas remain the axis of Latino entrepreneurship.
In summary:
• Total revenue surged
• Top 10 expanded faster than the rest
• Geographic concentration stable
• Industry concentration stable
DESIGNING TRUST AT SCALE
TERESA ARAGON, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMER CARE, CARVANA
Courtesy of Carvanan Carlos Cuevas
When Carvana launched, it set out to reinvent a car-buying process that had remained largely unchanged for decades. Buying a car traditionally meant spending hours at a dealership, negotiating in person, and completing paperwork on site. Carvana rebuilt the experience into a fully online transaction. That shift required customers to feel confident completing one of the largest purchases of their lives in a completely different way.
TERESA ARAGON, Carvana’s Senior Vice President of Customer Care, helped build that confidence from the very beginning.
In Carvana’s earliest days, just getting the phone to ring was cause for celebration. Each call was a test of whether customers would move forward with something entirely new.
“In the beginning, customer care was instinct, empathy, and a lot of figuring things out in real time,” Aragon recalls.
“There were no playbooks or systems, just a small group of people sitting together, taking calls, and learning directly from customers. Every conversation mattered because the entire business model was on the line.”
Carvana was introducing an entirely new way to transact in an industry built on in-person interaction. Many customers had detailed questions about financing, vehicle condition, and delivery timing, and Aragon understood just how much clarity mattered in those moments.
“We were selling trust,” she says. “Most people had never even consid-
ered buying a car online, so our job was simply to help them feel comfortable enough to stay on the phone. We celebrated every win because it meant someone trusted us with one of the biggest purchases of their life.”
Those early conversations shaped the DNA of Carvana’s customer experience.
At Carvana, customer care representatives are called “Advocates,” reflecting the expectation that they advocate for the customer. Their role is not just to process transactions, but to help resolve issues with clarity, accountability, and the customer’s best interests in mind.
“We designed everything around one core idea: your next customer may be your mom,” Aragon explains. “That means clarity over jargon, empathy over efficiency, and honesty even when it’s uncomfortable.”
That concept influenced hiring standards, training programs, technology development, and cross-functional decision-making. It reframed almost every question into, “How does this feel to the customer?”
AT CARVANA, THE TRANSACTION MAY TAKE PLACE ONLINE, BUT THE EXPERIENCE IS SHAPED BY THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT.
BEHIND EVERY INBOUND CALL OR DIGITAL INTERACTION, SHE REMINDS HER TEAMS, IS A REAL PERSON NAVIGATING A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT.
It took nearly a year for the company to consistently sell one car per day - an early goal. By the end of its second year, Carvana was averaging nearly six vehicles per day. In 2025, the company sold almost 600,000 vehicles — an average of more than 1,600 per day.
As headcount grew and systems became more complex, Aragon saw how easily culture could fragment. “Culture doesn’t scale on its own,” she says. “Culture has to be protected, taught, and lived every day.”
“The moment we began scaling rapidly, I realized culture couldn’t be left to chance,” she says. “Growth can dilute what makes a company special if you’re not intentional.”
For Aragon, that meant being deliberate about hiring people who genuinely care, promoting from within, and continuously reinforcing the company's purpose. “If you hire people who genuinely care and give them the support and trust to act like humans, they’ll do the right thing for customers every time.”
Today, as Senior Vice President of Customer Care, Aragon oversees large teams supported by purpose-built technology, data systems, and performance metrics.
“Metrics matter. Efficiency matters. But people matter more,” she says. “We invest heavily in hiring people with natural empathy and curiosity, because those traits can’t be taught. Then we support them with technology that helps them be more human, not less.”
Behind every inbound call or digital interaction, she reminds her teams, is a real person navigating a significant moment. “When you keep that front and center,” she says, “humanity follows.”
“I want customers to feel relieved, confident, and respected,” she says. “Even if something doesn’t go perfectly — and sometimes it won’t — I want them to feel that we cared, we listened, and we stood behind them.” If customers walk away thinking, “That was easier than I expected, and they really had my back,” then she believes the company has succeeded.
While Aragon’s operational discipline and customer-first philosophy have helped shape Carvana’s growth, her leadership perspective is rooted in something far more personal.
As a first-generation Latina, she grew up acutely aware of how communication shapes dignity. She observed how tone could empower or diminish and learned how quickly someone could feel misunderstood in unfamiliar systems.
“Growing up as a first-generation Latina gave me a deep appreciation for
INSIGHT:
• “In 2025, Carvana grew 43% year-over-year, delivered record unit economics, and passed significant value back to customers through better selection, faster delivery times, and lower costs. Achieving all of this at once is rare and speaks to the powerful positive feedback our model generates as we grow. Carvana is still very small relative to our opportunity, but with 5 million cumulative customer transactions and counting, we are actively changing the way people buy and sell cars,” said Ernie Garcia, Carvana founder and CEO.
communication and empathy,” she says. “I watched how people spoke to my mom because of her accent, and I learned early how powerful words, tone, and body language can be.”
That experience reinforced the importance of clarity and respect in every interaction. She remains mindful that buying or selling a car can be stressful, especially when customers are navigating financing or life transitions.
“Not everyone processes information the same way, especially during something stressful or unfamiliar, like buying a car online,” she explains. “From day one, I wanted our customers to feel understood, not talked down to, and our teams to feel safe bringing their full selves to work.”
For many customers, a car can represent a first job, a growing family, a move across the country, or a fresh start. That reality informs how Aragon approaches customer communication.
“I still think about how my mom would hear something, process it, and feel about it,” she says. “Would this make sense? Would it feel respectful? Would it feel clear?”
Early on, she recognized that Carvana’s Customer Advocates embodied the company’s values in real time. “I saw that when we slowed down, showed empathy, and explained things clearly, everything changed,” she says. “The customer relaxed. Trust formed.”
For Aragon, representation in leadership carries both responsibility and possibility.
“Representation means showing people what’s possible, even if they don’t see themselves reflected in leadership roles yet,” she says. “You don’t have to lead by being the loudest voice in the room. You can lead with empathy, accountability, and heart, and still drive results.”
Aragon adds, “If my presence helps even one young Latino believe they belong in leadership, then that matters.”
As Carvana continues to scale, the principles established in those early days remain visible in how the company operates. In an industry historically associated with friction, negotiation, and opacity, Aragon has helped architect a system built on transparency and reassurance.
Her journey reflects a broader shift in American business leadership. Empathy and representation do not come secondary; they are at the core of successful operations.
“I hope it shows that you don’t have to fit a mold to lead,” she says. “Your background, your experiences, and your perspective are strengths, not obstacles. You belong in rooms where decisions are made. You can build things from scratch. You can take risks and learn as you go. And most importantly, you can lead with empathy and still change an industry.”
At Carvana, the transaction may take place online, but the experience is shaped by the people behind it.
AS CARVANA CONTINUES TO SCALE, THE PRINCIPLES ESTABLISHED IN THOSE EARLY DAYS REMAIN VISIBLE IN HOW THE COMPANY OPERATES.
www.carvana.com
THE DISCIPLINE OF LONG-TERM THINKING
CALIXTO GARCIA-VELEZ, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BANESCO USA
Courtesy of Banesco USA Carlos Cuevas
Q When you look at your career today, which moment forced you to grow the most as a leader on a personal level, not just professionally?
CGV: Leading through the global banking crisis during the Great Recession from 2008 to 2012, while being responsible for more than 3,000 employees, was the most defining chapter of my career. As financial institutions collapsed around us, I had to make extraordinary decisions to navigate this period of uncertainty while keeping the organization operational. This included raising capital from investors to stabilize the bank, downsizing teams, and even eliminating lines of business to ensure our survival. It was a time when our employees and clients looked to us for stability and direction and guiding them through that uncertainty forced me to grow not just as a professional, but as a person and a leader.
Q What is one leadership habit or belief you held early in your career that you had to unlearn once you reached the CEO level?
CGV: One belief I had to unlearn as I advanced in my career was the traditional communication structure. From an early age, we’re taught to structure our communication memos with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. In business, that approach doesn’t always work. It’s far more effective to lead with the answer first. Decision-makers want the bottom line up front, followed by the context and reasoning behind it.
IF I COULD GIVE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO MY YOUNGER SELF STEPPING INTO LEADERSHIP FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT WOULD BE TO BALANCE YOUR LONGTERM CAREER GOALS WITH SHORT TERM OPPORTUNITIES.
BanescoUSA
banescousa
Banesco USA
Q As President and CEO, what is the hardest type of decision you face regularly, and how do you personally work through those moments?
CGV: As President and CEO, the hardest decisions I face are those involving the termination of an employee. It’s a responsibility that never gets easier, regardless of whether it’s due to performance issues or broader business circumstances. These decisions affect people’s lives, livelihoods, and families, and that weight is something I take very seriously.
Q How has stepping into the CEO role changed the way you think about responsibility to your team, your clients, and the broader community?
CGV: I wouldn’t say stepping into the CEO role changed my sense of responsibility. Throughout my time as an executive leader, I’ve always viewed responsibility to our team, clients, and community as interconnected. The difference now is that, as CEO, the final decision ultimately rests with me. It’s all about finding the right balance between what’s best for our employees, our clients, and the broader community, and making sure those decisions align with our organization’s values.
Q In what ways has your cultural background shaped how you lead, particularly in an industry that has not always reflected that diversity?
CGV: Culturally, as Hispanics, we tend to be warmer and more relationship-oriented, leaning toward a more paternal approach that isn’t always common in corporate America. At Banesco, it's essential that our employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to contribute their best, because they truly are our greatest asset. We take great pride in fostering collaboration and creating a welcoming environment for both our employees and clients. This spirit shapes our culture and reinforces the personalized, relationship-driven way we conduct business every day.
What differentiates Banesco’s philosophy of banking from more traditional institutions, and how do you personally make sure that philosophy shows up in everyday decisions?
CGV: What sets Banesco USA apart from more traditional banking institutions is our ability to think long term. As a privately owned company, we’re not driven by quarterly market pressures, which allows us to make decisions that prioritize sustainable and sustained growth over short-term gains. We also pride ourselves on our local decision-making capabilities. Ultimately, it all comes down to people. Our success depends on selecting the right team, ensuring our communication is consistent, and our messaging is clear, so that every employee understands and executes according to our philosophy. That alignment is what allows our values to show up in every interaction, with clients, within our teams, and across the communities we serve.
When you sit across from a business owner today, what do you think they most often misunderstand about their financial reality?
CGV: Often, when I sit across from business owners, espe-
cially entrepreneurs or small business leaders, I find that they sometimes underestimate the importance of forecasting and planning for future needs. Many are so focused on day-to-day operations that they lose sight of long-term vision and strategic business planning. Helping them understand how today’s financial decisions impact tomorrow’s results is often where the most meaningful conversations begin. Long-term planning allows businesses to anticipate change, manage risk more effectively, and make strategic investments that strengthen their future.
Q What lessons from periods of economic uncertainty or volatility have stayed with you and continue to guide how you lead today?
CGV: The experience of leading a bank through a major financial crisis where survival was key has stayed with me and continues to shape how I lead today. It taught me the importance of balancing risk-taking with prudence, making bold decisions when necessary, but always with a clear understanding of potential long-term consequences. It’s always in the back of my mind to ensure that the choices we make today won’t create adverse outcomes down the road. That perspective drives a more disciplined approach to growth and reinforces the importance of strong fundamentals.
Q If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self stepping into leadership for the first time, what would it be, and why?
CGV: If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self stepping into leadership for the first time, it would be to balance your long-term career goals with short term opportunities. Early in your career, it’s easy to focus on immediate progress, titles, promotions, or financial rewards, but true growth sometimes requires taking a step sideways or even backward to move forward. Those moments can feel like setbacks, but they often position you for greater opportunities in the long run. Leadership is a journey, and making decisions with a long-term perspective almost always pays off in ways you can’t yet see.
LONG-TERM PLANNING ALLOWS BUSINESSES TO ANTICIPATE CHANGE, MANAGE RISK MORE EFFECTIVELY, AND MAKE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS THAT STRENGTHEN THEIR FUTURE.
BUILDING SCALE WITH DISCIPLINE
A PIVOTAL MOMENT came in 2007, when Jhonny Mercado made the decision to invest in the United States at a time of growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty in Venezuela. While many entrepreneurs were retrenching, Mercado doubled down on the U.S. market, consolidating assets in pro-business regions and building what would later become JAI Restaurant Group. The move was not simply expansion—it was a long-term bet on market stability, operational scale, and disciplined capital deployment.
From the outset, Mercado’s vision extended beyond simple growth. Over time, JAI evolved from a strong operating platform into something more strategic. The organization operates not only as a franchise operator, but as a capital allocator and market builder—selecting brands, markets, and development opportunities with long-term durability in mind.
MERCADO OWNER AND CHAIRMAN, JAI RESTAURANT GROUP
LOOKING AHEAD, MERCADO REMAINS FOCUSED ON STRATEGIC EXPANSION AND LEADERSHIP CONTINUITY.
Courtesy of JAI Restaurant Group
JHONNY
“DISCIPLINE, CONSISTENCY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY, SUPPORTED BY A CULTURE OF ‘HOSPITALITY ALWAYS.“
Today, JAI oversees more than 109 Wendy’s and Taco Bell restaurants in the United States, alongside 20 locations in Panama, employing over 3,000 team members. JAI consistently ranks among top-performing operators in key markets, reflecting a disciplined focus on execution, cost control, and operational consistency across brands and regions.
Growth has not come without challenges. Rising labor costs, supply disruptions, and the pressures of the COVID era forced rapid adaptation across the industry. Mercado credits resilience to choosing the right brands, investing in strong markets, and surrounding the organization with leaders capable of solving problems at scale while maintaining a culture centered on accountability and hospitality.
For Mercado, leadership is not about centralized control but about building capable teams that execute consistently across markets. That philosophy has allowed JAI to expand across multiple states while maintaining operational discipline and brand alignment.
FOR MERCADO, LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT CENTRALIZED CONTROL, BUT ABOUT BUILDING CAPABLE TEAMS.
Looking ahead, JAI continues to pursue strategic expansion while preparing the next generation of leadership. New brand development, continued growth with existing partners, and expansion into additional markets remain central to the company’s long-term strategy.
In an industry often driven by rapid expansion, JAI’s philosophy is different: growth must be sustainable. Built through discipline, adaptability, and leadership continuity, the company continues to expand with a long-term view of value creation across markets and generations.
For JAI Restaurant Group, growth is not about size alone, but about building an enduring platform capable of thriving across cycles, brands, and generations.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF SUCCESS
GUILLERMO PERALES CEO & PRESIDENT, SUN HOLDINGS
Guillermo Perales built Sun Holdings on a simple but demanding principle: reinvest, refine, repeat. “It was the decision to reinvest every dollar from our early wins back into growth that changed everything,” he says. “Instead of celebrating small successes, we doubled down.” That decision became structural. Underperforming stores became turnaround opportunities, and capital flowed back into systems, people, and operating discipline. Growth was never accidental. It was engineered. “That commitment to reinvestment created the momentum that still drives Sun Holdings today.”
OVERSEEING thousands of employees across multiple states requires more than ambition. It requires architecture.
“Leadership at scale means creating clarity,” Perales explains. “Clear expectations, clear values, and clear accountability. When you can’t be in every store, culture must carry your voice.” His role, he says, is not control but empowerment. “My job is to give operators the right systems, real ownership, and a clear understanding of why their work matters.” He draws a distinction between those who manage stores and those who build organizations. “Average operators manage stores. Exceptional operators build organizations. They invest in people development, maintain operational discipline, and understand their numbers.” For him, operational excellence is not episodic. “It’s a lifestyle.”
That discipline shapes how Sun Holdings evaluates new brands. “We look for three things,” he says. “A strong and relevant brand with long term consumer demand, operational simplicity that can scale without sacrificing quality, and a franchisor that values partnership and sustainable unit economics.” Alignment matters more than optics. A past misstep reinforced that lesson. “On paper it looked like a strong fit, but their values and quality standards didn’t align with ours.” The experience clarified his approach. “You have to dig deeper than name recognition. Long term fit matters more than short term opportunity.”
“I WANT SUN HOLDINGS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS THE COMPANY THAT PROVED THE AMERICAN DREAM IS STILL ALIVE.”
Courtesy of Sun Holdings
IN THE END, THE ARCHITECTURE OF SUN HOLDINGS
WAS NEVER
ONLY ABOUT SCALE. IT WAS ABOUT BUILDING SYSTEMS STRONG ENOUGH
As the company expanded, protecting culture became as important as growing revenue. “Culture is protected through intentional hiring, strong training, and consistent leadership,” he says. “We promote people who live our values and recognize performance that reflects our standards.” Despite the company’s scale, he remains close to the field, making regular store visits and maintaining constant dialogue with operators. “Culture isn’t written,” he says. “It’s reinforced through what we model, reward, and hold accountable.”
In recent years, Sun Holdings has expanded beyond restaurants into hospitality, with investments tied to Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt. For Perales, the move is strategic rather than opportunistic. “Hospitality is a natural extension of what we already do, which is serving people,” he says. “It allows us to diversify while leveraging our strengths in operations and asset management.” Diversification, he stresses, is intentional. “We are building a hospitality vertical with purpose, not experimentation. At the same time, we are evolving our core platform to manage more complex assets.” Fitness, health, coffee, and bakery represent the next horizon. The objective is resilience and durability, not simply size.
Yet when asked what drives him most today, the answer shifts from expansion to permanence. “Legacy,” he says. “Because legacy includes both growth and profitability.” For Perales, legacy is not sentimental. It is structural. It reflects the same discipline applied to reinvestment, brand selection, and operator development, only with a longer time horizon. “I want to build something that outlives me. Opportunities for our people. Stability for their families. A company that continues to make a positive impact for decades.”
That long view extends beyond operations and into community impact. Guillermo and his wife Adriana have
TO ENDURE AND VALUES STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY FORWARD
BRANDS THAT SUN HOLDINGS OWNS:
• Freebirds
• Taco Bueno
• Uncle Julio’s
• Bar Louie
• Rodeo Bar
BRANDS
THAT ARE FRANCHISED:
• Applebee’s
• McAlister’s
• IHOP
• Arby’s
• GNC
three children, one daughter and two sons, contributing to the Sun Holdings legacy in meaningful ways. Their daughter, Dani, leads the company’s community giving initiatives, including a 2024 Taco Bueno campaign that has raised over $500,000 to support domestic violence nonprofits, with a $1 million goal by 2026. She also oversees scholarship and tuition programs for employees and families across all brands, a long-standing internship partnership with Tecnológico de Monterrey, the Certificates of Achievement Awards program providing nearly 11 million free meals annually, and charitable efforts supporting pediatric cancer research, food security, veterans, campus pantries, and disaster relief. His son Luis works alongside him to expand the company’s hospitality division and diversification strategy, while his youngest son, Alejandro, is in college preparing to join the family business.
• Popeye’s
• Papa John’s
• Burger King
• Golden Corral
• Cantina Laredo
• T Mobile
• Hilton
• Marriott
• Hyatt
For Perales, these efforts are not side initiatives. They are extensions of the same belief that built the company. “Opportunity should multiply,” he says. “That is the responsibility of leadership.”
Twenty years from now, he hopes Sun Holdings will be known for more than store count or market share. “I want Sun Holdings to be recognized as the company that proved the American dream is still alive. A company that grew responsibly, elevated thousands of leaders, and created meaningful impact in every community we served.”
In the end, the architecture of Sun Holdings was never only about scale. It was about building systems strong enough to endure and values strong enough to carry forward. “If people say, ‘They built opportunities for others,’ then we succeeded.” For Guillermo Perales, scale is not the objective. It is the responsibility that comes with building something designed to last.
THE OPERATOR BEHIND THE SCALE
At nearly $5 billion in revenue and approaching six decades in operation, Quirch Foods stands at a defining moment in its evolution. Growth at that scale is not accidental. It is engineered with intention.
JOE WARD
As President and Chief Operating Officer, Joe Ward understands that operational leadership is not about maintaining momentum. It is about building the infrastructure that sustains it.
“Our top operational priority is delivering exceptional, consistent service to our customers, every market, every channel, every day,” Ward explains. “As we continue to grow, scale can never come at the expense of reliability or trust.”
That philosophy defines how Quirch approaches expansion. In food distribution, where margins are tight, volatility is constant, and customer relationships are everything, consistency becomes currency.
For Ward, scale is not simply about footprint or revenue. It is about balance.
Quirch is optimizing its network to leverage economies of scale while preserving strong local execution. The company continues advancing improvement initiatives across routing, energy usage, inventory turns, and the thoughtful adoption of technology that enhances accuracy and efficiency.
Ward makes a critical distinction when discussing efficiency.
“Efficiency is not about cutting costs. It is about working smarter and operating better.”
In a volatile cost environment shaped by fluctuations in energy, labor, and commodities, discipline becomes a strategic advantage. Cost management is not defensive. It strengthens Quirch’s competitiveness and reinforces its value to customers.
UNDER WARD’S LEADERSHIP, QUIRCH FOODS DEMONSTRATES THAT OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE IS NOT A SINGLE INITIATIVE.
Medley
Quirch Foods Coral Gables Office
“When we manage our costs effectively, we become a stronger, more competitive partner for our customers. When we win, they win.” One of the most consequential operational decisions in recent years was organizational.
Approximately twelve months ago, Quirch implemented a corporate restructuring designed to position the company for long term growth. Leadership recognized a pivotal truth. What powered prior success would not automatically sustain the next phase. “We aligned around a simple truth. What got us here would not get us where we want to go.”
The company introduced a regional operating structure that maximizes scale while preserving strong local market execution. The impact has been measurable. Alignment improved. Accountability sharpened. Decision making accelerated.
Quirch achieved more than 10 percent growth in both revenue and EBITDA last year, a significant accomplishment in a mature and highly competitive industry. Ward attributes the results not only to structure, but to leadership placement. “That success is entirely driven by our people and by putting the right leaders in the right roles to succeed.”
In an industry undergoing rapid digitization, Ward maintains a pragmatic view of technology. “We view technology as a tool, not a replacement for judgment, relationships, or experience.” Quirch leverag-
LOOKING THREE TO FIVE YEARS FORWARD, WARD DEFINES OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN EXPANSIVE TERMS. IT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT OPTIMIZING TECHNOLOGY.
es nearly 60 years of operating data to improve inventory planning, demand forecasting, and operational alignment. Technology provides a shared source of truth that reduces ambiguity, minimizes rework, and strengthens accountability across departments.
Still, culture remains central.
Efficiency gains are often incremental, but they are cumulative. Small improvements applied consistently across a large organization create meaningful long term impact. It is a philosophy rooted in operational discipline and steady refinement.
Balancing scale and consistency in food distribution requires clarity and structure. Ward emphasizes clear operating standards and measurable key performance indicators that align the organization. Within those guardrails, autonomy flows outward.
“We think globally while acting locally, giving our teams defined parameters and the autonomy to make decisions close to the customer.” Training, communication, and leadership development ensure growth does not outpace culture. “Growth can never come at the expense of service, food safety, or trust. Those principles are non-negotiable.”
As President & Chief Operating Officer, Ward’s focus extends beyond growth into risk management. Supply chain disruption and vendor concentration remain top concerns. The response is proactive partnership and operational flexibility.
Labor availability, along with rising healthcare and benefit costs, requires sustained attention. Quirch addresses these pressures
by investing in talent and fostering an environment where employees can build long term careers. “We are deeply invested in talent development. Our people are our greatest asset.”
Cybersecurity represents another critical risk. The company manages it through training, strong internal protocols, and collaboration with specialized partners. For Ward, risk management is rooted in foresight. “Risk management, for us, is about preparation, vigilance, and leadership, not reaction.”
Looking three to five years forward, Ward defines operational excellence in expansive terms. It is not only about optimizing technology. It is about maximizing its value while keeping people at the center of every decision.
It means delivering best in class service across every customer segment. It means becoming the gold standard for cross functional collaboration in food distribution. And it means being the employer of choice in every community Quirch serves.
That ambition reveals something deeper about Ward’s leadership lens. Growth is not an endpoint. It is a responsibility. Developing leaders. Creating opportunity. Building a company that reflects the future of its industry. At scale, operations can become abstract, reduced to dashboards and metrics. Ward’s approach remains grounded in fundamentals. Service. Discipline. Structure. Culture.
Nearly 60 years of history. Billions in revenue. Thousands of customer relationships. The mandate is not reinvention for its own sake. It is evolution with intention.
Under Ward’s leadership, Quirch Foods demonstrates that operational excellence is not a single initiative. It is a mindset practiced daily, across every facility, every route, and every decision. In an industry where execution defines reputation and trust determines longevity, that mindset may be the company’s most enduring advantage.
QUIRCH ACHIEVED MORE THAN 10 PERCENT GROWTH IN BOTH REVENUE AND EBITDA LAST YEAR, A SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT IN A MATURE AND HIGHLY COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY.
Mia warehouse
QF Warhouse Forklift
BEYOND THE INDEX 2026
THIS EDITION BUILDS on the inaugural Beyond the Index list, representing the second year of this expanded effort.
Beyond the Index highlights influential organizations and leaders whose impact extends across capital, policy, education, and community-building, complementing the Index 500 by capturing the broader ecosystem of Latino leadership.
PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS
Altura Capital
Avance Investment Management
Avante Capital Partners
Clearlake Capital Group LP
Palladium Equity Partners
Thoma Bravo
Valor Equity Partner Holdings, LLC
GRAM (Grupo Romero Asset Management)
AUA Equity Partners
Monika Mantilla
David Perez & Luis Zaldivar
Ivelisse Rodriguez Simon
José Feliciano
Marcos Rodriguez
Orlando Bravo
Antonio J. Gracias
Marco Peschiera
Andy Unanue
As awareness and engagement continue to grow, we have broadened the scope and refined the categorization of organizations with diverse operational models that are making a measurable impact. This evolution reflects our commitment to continuously deepen and detail the ecosystem surrounding Latino leadership and influence.
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
AltaMed
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
Latino Business Action Network (LBAN)
League of United Latin American Citizens
Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD)
UnidosUS
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
TELACU Education Foundation
Cástulo de la Rocha
Helen Iris Torres
Antonio R. Flores
Arturo Cazares
Juan Proaño
Dr. Alberto J. Román
Janet Murguía
Ramiro A. Cavazos
Michael Lizarraga
“OUR BEYOND THE INDEX CATEGORIES ARE MEANT TO SHOWCASE LATINO LED AND OWNED ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE LIFTING EVERY PART OF OUR AMERICAN ECONOMY BY INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND COMPANIES” EDUARDO TOBON
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
Cabrera Capital Markets LLC
Claure Group
DEODATE Corporation
Four-Factor Capital, LLC
Ramirez & Co.
VENTURE CAPITAL FIRMS
Act One Ventures
Angeles Investors & Ventures
Chingona Ventures
L'ATTITUDE Ventures
LEAP Global Partners
L2 Point
NextEquity Partners
ULU
VamosVentures
TOP HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS
California State University
Florida International University
Miami Dade College
Rio Hondo College
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of La Verne
University of Texas at El Paso
Martin Cabrera Jr
Marcelo Claure
Rodrigo Gonzalez & Mauricio Nunez
Carlo Arroyo
Samuel Ramírez
Alejandro Guerrero
Adela Cepeda & David Olivencia
Samara Hernandez
Laura Moreno Lucas
Roman Leal
Kerstin Dittmar
Rami Reyes
Miriam Rivera
Marcos Gonzalez
Long Beach, CA
Miami, FL
Miami, FL
Whittier, CA
Edinburg, TX
La Verne, CA
El Paso, TX
“BEYOND THE INDEX RECOGNIZES THAT ECONOMIC LEADERSHIP DOES NOT OPERATE IN ISOLATION. BEHIND EVERY SCALED COMPANY IS A NETWORK OF CAPITAL, INSTITUTIONS, AND ADVOCATES SHAPING THE CONDITIONS FOR GROWTH. THIS SECTION HONORS THE ECOSYSTEM THAT MAKES LATINO ENTERPRISE POSSIBLE.” JORGE FERRAEZ
THE DISCIPLINE OF SEEING THROUGH SYSTEMS
FERNANDO DE LEON CEO LEON CAPITAL GROUP
When Fernando De Leon talks about business, it quickly becomes clear that he is not really talking about business. He is talking about systems. How they are formed, how they protect themselves, and how they eventually fail. Capital, in his view, is simply the scoreboard. The real work happens in the mind.
Courtesy of Leon Capital Group
DE LEON grew up between two countries, two educational systems, and two economic realities. Born in Brownsville, Texas, and raised in Matamoros, Mexico, he learned early to live inside contrast. Opportunity on one side of the border was structured and institutional. On the other, it was improvised and personal. Most people only encounter this duality later in life. For him, it was daily.
He was the youngest of six siblings in a family whose stability had already begun to erode. When his father died while Fernando was still a child, the family’s financial situation deteriorated quickly. His mother, who had never worked outside the home, was left to hold together a household with extremely limited resources. Electricity was cut off more than once. Candlelight became routine.
Economic hardship never felt romanticized to him. It felt unnecessary.
“I was angry, not because it was unfair,” he once explained. “It felt unnecessary. We were not supposed to be here.”
That distinction shaped everything that followed. De Leon did not frame hardship as destiny or injustice. He saw it as a misalignment. Something in the system had failed, and failure, to him, demanded correction.
As a child, he attended school in Brownsville in the mornings and a modest public school in Matamoros in the afternoons. Every day, he recalibrated. Teachers, expectations, infrastructure, and bureaucracy differed completely. Without realizing it, he was training what he would later describe as his mental algorithm, a way of decoding how systems actually function beneath their narratives.
That algorithm sharpened during a national spelling competition in the United States. Initially barred from competing because English was not his first language, De Leon challenged the decision. Not out of pride, but calculation. The prize money mattered.
“I told them I did not know if I would win,” he recalled. “I just wanted the chance to compete.”
He won locally, then in the South Texas region, and eventually placed second nationally. The money he earned, modest by American standards, supported his family in Mexico for months. It was the first time he saw a clear pattern. Disciplined effort, when aimed precisely, could materially change circumstances. Today, he calls that a noise to signal ratio, which focuses his energy on the clearest objectives.
“THE BUILDING IS NOT THE ASSET,” DE LEON EXPLAINED. “THE INFORMATION IS.”
By his mid teens, De Leon was already operating inside the real estate and industrial development ecosystem along the US Mexico border. Fluent in both languages and cultures, he began as a translator, quickly became an office manager, and soon negotiated equity participation in projects tied to NAFTA era manufacturing expansion.
At fifteen, he secured a five percent stake in a factory development by navigating permits, labor relationships, and political friction that others could not. The lesson was foundational. Value is created where friction exists, not where titles reside.
This pattern of identifying contradictions became central to his career.
Unlike many entrepreneurs, De Leon did not romanticize disruption. He studied it. At university, he immersed himself in evolutionary biology, philosophy, and political theory. Rousseau, Kant, Nietzsche. Not as abstractions, but as frameworks for understanding why societies organize power the way they do.
Humans, he learned, are wired to imitate. Innovation is difficult because non imitation feels physically wrong.
“The human instinct is to copy,” he said. “When you do not imitate, your body tells you something is wrong.”
HIS EDGE IS NOT PREDICTION, BUT DIAGNOSIS. HE DOES NOT CLAIM TO SEE THE FUTURE. HE SIMPLY REFUSES TO ACCEPT INHERITED EXPLANATIONS OF THE PRESENT.
That insight matters because De Leon does not present himself as naturally rebellious. On the contrary, he admits irreverence is painful. Doubt is constant. The fear of being wrong never disappears. But the ability to endure that discomfort, to remain outside consensus long enough for evidence to accumulate, is what separates disruption from noise.
This mindset defined his approach to real estate investing. While incumbents accumulated physical assets, office buildings, prestige addresses, fixed infrastructure, De Leon questioned the premise itself. Why assume value would remain tied to immobility. Why bet on concrete when mobility, data, and flexibility were becoming more valuable.
The answer was not another building. It was information.
Instead of owning space, his team built platforms. Instead of controlling square footage, they controlled data. Millions of users voluntarily uploaded property information, which could then be synthesized, structured, and analyzed using artificial intelligence.
“The building is not the asset,” De Leon explained. “The information is.”
To traditional real estate power brokers, the approach initially appeared counterintuitive. But systems always defend themselves before they fracture. What De Leon understood was simple. The marginal cost of processing information is dramatically lower than the cost of building physical infrastructure, and markets ultimately reward efficiency.
That logic governs his investment philosophy at Leon Capital Group. He does not chase industries. He interrogates them. Every sector, in his view, sustains itself through narratives designed to protect incumbents. Opportunity emerges where those narratives stop matching reality.
“Every industry lies to itself,” he said. “Your job is to find the lie that protects the status quo and poke at it, to observe if it sustains pressure.”
Performance, for De Leon, is non negotiable. Returns are not ego. They are evidence. Over his first twenty years as an investor, he generated audited annual returns exceeding thirty four percent, outperforming even Warren Buffett’s early career benchmark.
He does not cite this to posture. He cites it to calibrate.
“The market does not care about your intentions,” he said. “It only cares if you were right.”
Yet his motivation today is not purely financial. What gives him the greatest satisfaction is people. He speaks of his teams in the language of shared struggle, not hierarchy. Business, to him, is a laboratory where ideas are tested, but also where individuals learn to think independently.
What matters most, he says, is helping others develop judgment.
That emphasis runs through his family life as well. Raised by siblings who introduced him to chess, philosophy, and debate at an unusually young age, De Leon now asks the same of his children and extended family.
“I tell them to think for themselves,” he said. “Bring ideas to the table. Do not wait for permission.”
Legacy, interestingly, does not interest him in the conventional sense. He does not frame his life around remembrance.
“I will not be around to feel a legacy,” he said plainly. “What matters is whether people around me can think clearly when I am gone.”
In an era obsessed with certainty, Fernando De Leon remains comfortable living inside doubt. His edge is not prediction, but diagnosis. He does not claim to see the future. He simply refuses to accept inherited explanations of the present.
And in a world increasingly shaped by fragile systems, that discipline may be the most valuable asset of all.
STEWARDING LEGACY AND SCALING WITH INTENTION JACKIE ROBLES AND THE NEXT CHAPTER OF ANITA’S MEXICAN FOODS
In food manufacturing, growth can dilute identity. At Anita’s Mexican Foods and La Reina, growth has clarified it. Under the leadership of President Jackie Robles, the company has expanded from a regional tortilla producer into a national manufacturing partner while preserving the governance discipline and values that define a multigenerational enterprise.
YEARS AGO, the Robles family formalized its governance structure by establishing a Family Council and drafting a Family Charter. One of the most important decisions they made still guides the company today. Today it is the 3rd generation that has taken over the business, and even the 4th generation is starting to show interest in learning about it, especially over the summers where their schedules are more flexible.
“We agreed we would be business first, not family first,” Jackie says. “Because if we take care of the business, the business will take care of the family.” For her, that principle is not symbolic. It is operational. Carrying the family legacy means responsibility. “It’s a big responsibility,” she reflects. “Every decision has to protect the business so it can protect the family.”
That clarity has shaped Anita’s transformation. What once required larger labor teams on the production floor has evolved through automation and modernization. Photos lining the company’s walls document the shift from a regional tortilla manufacturer to a national and international partner serving major consumer packaged goods companies.
“We’ve grown intentionally,” she says. “It didn’t happen overnight. Every step has been strategic.”
More than thirty nine years ago, Anita’s introduced organic chips and tortillas to the market, well before clean label and ingredient transparency became industry expectations. Today, the company continues to manufacture products that are organic, non GMO, and made with cleaner ingredients.
LEADERSHIP COMPASS
Jackie Robles’ shares part of her Family Charter created with her siblings
Family: All descendants of a common ancestor, partners, and children. A social unit held together by traditions and values.
Love: An unconditional attachment of deep affection toward one another.
Health: A commitment to spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental well being.
Wisdom: The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
Happiness: Living with gratitude, contentment, and a sense of being blessed.
Spirituality: A personal relationship with God, lived with sincerity, humility, and trust.
“I love the fact that we are better for you,” Jackie says. “We were one of the first to introduce organic chips and tortillas. I don’t want to be a me too in the industry. If we’re going to sell something, it has to be quality.”
Her path to leadership was not predetermined. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in International Relations, she imagined a future in diplomacy or law. Instead, she married young, started her family, and later made the deliberate decision to return to the business.
JACKIE ROBLES
“I had three daughters very young,” she says. “And I looked around and thought, we have a family business. Why not help my family?” She began in sales. It was there that she noticed operational gaps that needed attention. “While I was in sales, I saw a gap in operations,” she explains. “I realized if we were going to build the business, we had to be strong in manufacturing. That’s our forte.”
Rather than remain in a comfortable role, she leaned in. She worked closely with her father, Mauro Robles, who mentored and challenged her. “He was a driver,” she says with a smile. “It was never good enough. But it inspired me. I would say, can we celebrate this for a second? And he would listen. He was a good listener.”
His mentorship extended beyond internal training. “He also gave me mentors outside the company. I’m a big believer in mentors,” she says. “He wanted me prepared.”
When he passed away three years ago, the loss was profound. “I miss my dad,” she says quietly. “He was my trainer, my mentor, my inspiration.” One of the defining moments of her presidency came after the pandemic. Anita’s made the difficult decision to sell its East Coast facility. It was not easy, but it was necessary. “It was a tough decision,” she says. “But it was the right decision. It made us stronger. We came out leaner and more focused.”
The move allowed the company to concentrate resources, strengthen core operations, and position itself for long term profitability. Although Anita’s is privately held and not required to disclose performance metrics, Jackie has made transparency a leadership priority. “We are not obligated to share our performance,” she explains. “But I believe in communication, transparency matters.” She implemented biannual town hall meetings where leadership shares results and outlines future goals. “If people understand the why, they support the direction,” she says. “Communication is probably my biggest strength.” Her leadership style is collaborative and thoughtful. She listens carefully, weighs data, and trusts her
COMPANY MILESTONES
• Anita’s Mexican Foods and La Reina
• Family owned, multi- generational enterprise.
• Established a formal Family Council and Family Charter governance structure.
• Expanded from regional tortilla production to national and international manufacturing partnerships.
• Pioneer in organic and non GMO chips and tortillas more than 39 years ago.
• Operates a tortilla facility in East Los Angeles and a snack facility in San Bernardino.
• Currently expanding owned brands while maintaining strong co pack partnerships.
• They are a Co-pack and Private label business.
A FAVORITE AT HOME
When asked about her favorite recipe using one of Anita’s products, Jackie smiles before answering. It is not a complex innovation or a modern twist. It is buñuelos.
Made from tortillas and finished with cinnamon and sugar, they represent something deeply personal. “Who doesn’t love tortillas coated with cinnamon and sugar," she says candidly.
instincts. Emotional intelligence plays a central role in her approach. “I trust my EQ as much as data,” she says. “I can sense when a department needs support or when something is off. Relationships matter. It’s not just transactions.” In an industry historically dominated by men, she has had to learn to trust herself. “Earlier in my career, I had to really learn to trust myself,” she admits. “Women often feel like we have to prove ourselves before we step into a role. Men sometimes just say, put me in and I’ll figure it out. We want to be prepared first.” Her message to other women is direct. “Trust yourself. You can do it. And if you don’t have support, find it.”
Looking ahead, the next chapter for Anita’s centers on diversification. The company has built strong capacity in co pack and private label manufacturing for major customers. Now it is expanding its customer base and growing its owned brands within the snack portfolio. Their vision is collaborative as opposed to transactional. “That is our strength, we see ourselves as partners and that approach has manifested itself into long term customer relationships and in very successful innovative new product launches,”she says. “We’re introducing new products in categories we’ve never manufactured before. That’s exciting for me.”
Her role, she explains, is clear. “My job is to make sure it happens. To give the team the resources and tools they need, and to make sure we are profitable for our shareholders.”
When pressure rises, she returns to what grounds her. “Prayer is the biggest thing,” she says. “I’m Catholic. My faith reminds me to take it one day at a time and to trust.”
She also leans on her family. “My husband and my three daughters are my biggest supporters and cheerleaders,” she says. “And I have an executive mentorship group that keeps me accountable. They’ve become trusted friends.”
Anita’s Mexican Foods today stands as a disciplined family enterprise that has modernized without losing its identity. Legacy, in Jackie Robles’ leadership, is not nostalgia. It is a responsibility carried forward with conviction.
BUILT TO ENDURE
THE STORY OF CARLOS LEDEZMA CEO, CABLE DAHMER AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
By Latino Leaders Magazine
Today, Carlos Ledezma leads Cable Dahmer Automotive Group—a multi-dealership organization employing more than 1,200 people and generating 3.7 billion in revenue in 2025 across automotive, insurance, real estate, marketing, and service operations. But the operating system behind that growth was built long before the rooftops, the expansion strategy, or the milestones.
IT STARTED on a ranch in Texas, in a family that believed in the power of work.
He grew up watching his parents build a life the hard way. His father was caught and sent back seven times to Mexico— before finally securing stability in the United States. My father and mother saw in America the possibility of prosperity for his family. Formal education ended after first grade, yet he carried something more powerful than credentials: an unwavering work ethic and a refusal to surrender to circumstance.
His mother worked just as tirelessly. Together, his parents labored on ranches, maintained properties, cleaned rooms, and took on whatever responsibilities were necessary to create opportunity for their six children.
He was the youngest—and the only one born in the United States. English wasn’t spoken at home, so his older siblings taught him what they learned in school. He picked up vocabulary from television and discipline from observation. The message in the household was never dramatic. It was practical: if you want a different life, you work for it.
Carlos & Sheila
A simple belief that shaped everything
Growing up in working-class environments also meant learning that belonging can be complicated. Opportunity and acceptance don’t always arrive at the same pace. What stood out, though, was not resentment—it was perspective.
When he once asked his father why he endured difficult environments without complaint, his father answered: “People are good. They just have bad days.”
That line stayed with him. It shaped how he interpreted setbacks, how he treated employees, and how he absorbed criticism. It became a filter for business and life: endurance doesn’t require bitterness, it does require gratitude.
Early success—and an early mistake
He began his career in the car business because he had two bald tires and reversed out on his transmission, with one daughter on the ground and one on the way, he applied in a car dealership because they advertised you can sell cars and get a demo in 1984 at a Chevrolet dealership in Dallas Texas. By the mid1990s, he was running a Chevrolet dealership that ranked among the top performers in the country.
AT A GLANCE
“NOW MY JOB IS TO BE THE DUMBEST GUY IN THE ROOM. IF I’M THE SMARTEST, I’VE HIRED THE WRONG PEOPLE.”
• Role: CEO & President, Cable Dahmer Automotive Group
• Workforce: 1,200+ employees
• Enterprise: Billions in revenue across automotive, insurance, real estate, marketing, and service operations
• Core belief: “You want to multiply, you grow people.”
Success brought momentum. It also brought an assumption. “I thought great leaders had to be the smartest person in every room,” he reflects now. “I was wrong.”
I now know I need to get the best people around me to be able to scale and develop into a world class company.
The
2002 deal that tested him
In 2002, he made the bold decision to purchase his first Chevrolet dealership. The price of the tag of $20.5 million, it was more than a transaction. It was a personal test.
Fifteen banks declined to finance the deal. Each rejection could have reinforced doubt. Instead, it strengthened resolve. He moved forward, assembled the right structure, and paid off the loan in four years.
That first acquisition proved he could take risks. It also revealed a limit: individual talent doesn’t scale by itself. When he later pursued a second dealership, a key financing partner declined support—questioning whether he could scale beyond one location. He proceeded anyway. The experience forced a hard realization: what wins in a single-store environment doesn’t automatically translate to a larger enterprise. As Peter Drucker says – “What got you here, will not get you there”
“The second store kicked my butt,” he admits.
Leadership, redefined
Expansion demanded humility. It demanded trust. It demanded leaders who could operate independently while staying aligned to a shared vision. We need to have Common – Language, beliefs and behaviors.
Over time, he reframed the job. “Now my job is to be the dumbest guy in the room,” he says. “If I’m the smartest, I’ve hired the wrong people.” That mind-
KEY MOMENTS
Mid-1990s:
Running a top-performing Chevrolet dealership
2002:
Purchases first Chevrolet dealership for $20.5 million; 15 banks decline financing; loan paid off in four years
2016:
Anchors the company more intentionally around Christian values
1976:
His father purchases El Ranchito (five acres in Texas)
set became a growth strategy. Not just adding rooftops but building leaders.
Growth measured in people
When he talks about expansion, he doesn’t start with numbers. He starts with trust.
Trust from manufacturers, lenders, and partners matters. But he points first to employees. In the stores, there are people who have stayed for decades. Longevity isn’t accidental. It reflects a culture built on shared aspiration.
“You want to multiply,” he says, “you grow people.”
He has invested heavily in leadership development, long-term incentive programs, and retirement contributions— designed so team members participate meaningfully in the enterprise’s success. For him, operational excellence isn’t rigid standardization. It’s repeatable systems that still leave room for human connection.
“PEOPLE ARE GOOD. THEY JUST HAVE BAD DAYS.”
Perspective in the market
His experience as a Latino leader has added both dimension and complexity to the journey. Early in the Kansas City expansion, he made a bold marketing decision to feature Spanish-language advertising prominently. It was authentic to his identity and reflective of his roots. It also required adaptation—learning how to balance cultural pride with local market realities.
“The advantage is perspective,” he says. “It gives you hunger and gratitude.” He also acknowledges being underestimated along the way. He chose not to dwell on it. He used it.
Ownership as a habit
If one thread ties the story together, it’s responsibility and accountability to those you lead. When challenges arise, his first question isn’t outward. “Where did I fail as a leader?” he asks himself.
That reflex of ownership before explanation helped carry the organization through cycles of growth and pressure.
Faith, focus, and the early hours
Faith plays a role in his grounding, though he speaks about it with steady restraint. In 2016, he made the decision to anchor the company more intentionally around Christian values. For him, it wasn’t about public positioning. It was internal alignment.
Today we have a Chaplin, and health coach with Christian based values to help the people through whatever struggles they are facing.
His day starts early—often before 3:30 a.m.— with prayer, reflection, and preparation. The discipline mirrors what he learned growing up: consistency creates stability.
The next chapter: succession and continuity
Now he’s thinking about succession. Building an enterprise is one challenge. Ensuring continuity is another. One of his daughters has stepped forward with interest in leading the organization forward. He approaches that possibility with pride—and realism. Leadership, he knows, is heavier than it looks.
INSIGHTS
THREE NONNEGOTIABLES IN HIS DAILY ROUTINE
• Up before 3:30 a.m. for prayer and reflection
• Exercise to maintain clarity and stamina
• Honoring the work ethic his father instilled in him
HIS GO-TO LEADERSHIP RESOURCES
The Bible—especially Proverbs and the Gospels—along with timeless business thinkers such as John Maxwell and Peter Drucker.
“Simple, enduring principles beat trendy advice every time.”
WHAT HE SAYS “NO” TO NOW
Early in his career, he accepted every meeting, opportunity, and side project. Today, he protects his time—prioritizing vision casting, leadership development, and family over distraction. Growth, he believes, comes from focus.
Beyond family succession, he is exploring ownership models and compensation structures that would allow leaders at multiple levels to hold meaningful stakes in the company’s future. The goal isn’t only to preserve what’s been built. It’s to institutionalize opportunity.
The man behind the titles
He leads a multi-brand enterprise that includes Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick GMC Kia and Stellantis franchises. But his emotional loyalty remains tied to Chevrolet, where the journey began. He keeps a Colorado truck at the ranch and is restoring a 1954 five-window Chevrolet pickup—his prized possession. Not because it’s the most valuable, but because it carries history, patience, and craftsmanship that can’t be rushed.
A few weekends each year, he returns to El Ranchito—the same fiveacre plot his father purchased in Texas in 1976. He and his brother still mow the land themselves. It isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s a reminder: do not ever forget where you came from… that is what his father would say to him as a young man.
A restored 1954 Chevrolet fivewindow truck holds his heart.
His story is often described as an American Dream, and in many ways it is. But beneath the headlines is something quieter: work builds dignity, leadership requires humility, and opportunity is meant to be shared.
Long before there were dealerships, there was endurance. Long after the titles pass to the next generation, that lesson remains—grounded, deliberate, and built to last.
FAVORITE VEHICLE
AGILITY FOR SURVIVAL
HENRY FLECHES CEO, UNITED DATA TECHNOLOGIES
How has UDT’s founding vision evolved since 1995?
HF: Over the last 30 years, we have seen remarkable growth both as a company and in our industry. However, our promise to our customers has remained the same throughout: being a trusted advisor that delivers insight-driven IT strategies to accelerate innovation, streamline costs, and reduce risk.
While the evolution of technology continues to advance rapidly, we are proud that our original vision for UDT has stayed true, even as we’ve grown into the national technology solutions provider we are today. Products and systems will always come and go, but our dedication to deliver on our promise to our customers is something that will always be the hallmark of our company.
What enabled you to scale nationally while keeping client trust?
HF: We have grown from a tiny team operating out of my parent’s home to today having more than 600 professionals nationwide and growing operationally across North America. As we have scaled, we have been intentional about never stretching our resources too thin so that we never overlook a current customer’s needs in the pursuit of new business. Slow and steady wins the race, and we’ve never pursued growth solely for growth’s sake.
Hiring high-quality, talented individuals as we’ve grown our footprint has also enabled us to bring in new business and add verticals while not interfering with legacy clients and operations. You are only as good as your team in the field, and that doesn’t change for us from market to market.
How do you balance founder agility with operational discipline?
HF: Even larger organizations must retain and fuel agility. Operational discipline is necessary to support our largest customers and to deliver on the promise of consistent execution. The technology industry however is driving record breaking innovation and that demands an organization that is agile in its adoption, delivery and use of innovation to deliver outcomes to our clients.
Agility is the only way to survive and thrive.
Courtesy of UDT
Where do you see the biggest AI and cybersecurity opportunity ahead?
HF: It’s no secret that AI presents a challenge - and an opportunity - on a number of fronts that we have never before encountered. I firmly believe that it is a tool that will revolutionize our world, and we’re already seeing the effects. Every day, our team is working in the space, using AI to help our customers and improve our internal operations. At the same time, the threats from AI are real, and there are bad actors who will use it to lie, cheat and steal. It’s our job to protect our customers.
It’s why we have dedicated in-house teams solely focused on ensuring the highest level of cybersecurity for our customers, and we know it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. In an ever-evolving space, we must be vigilant in our efforts to stay at the forefront of innovation and provide the best service we can to our customers. AI will deliver tremendous value over time for all that learn how to use it to deliver answers to customers. From an industry perspective AI will drive datacenter and infrastructure growth opportunities. It will fuel the ability to move from information to insights and inevitably answers. But not all customers will rely on public AI models. Many clients will need a version of AI that can be sovereign, on premise or in a secure enclave. These are organizations that must ensure that AI does not train on their data for public consumption and that AI cannot take credit for helping create new intellectual property.
This drives the need to further secure our most value assets for today and the future. The value of intellectual property creation and ownership. Cyber will continue to be an area of compounded growth as we provide customers with services that enable them to protect themselves against an ever changing security landscape where bad actors are also leveraging the power of AI.
What leadership principle has most fueled UDT’s growth?
HF: “Do the right thing and then do things right”. This has been a staple of myself and my co-founder as well as the whole leadership team. It is a trait that must be found in the DNA of everyone that works at UDT.
Short term gains do not deliver long term value. We must maintain a customer first approach and that means ensuring we are always placing their needs before ours. It is the only way to be trusted over time and especially when it matters the most to all stakeholders, those at the customer as well as those within UDT.
“WE MUST MAINTAIN A CUSTOMER FIRST APPROACH AND THAT MEANS ENSURING WE ARE ALWAYS PLACING THEIR NEEDS BEFORE OURS.”
DANIEL ALEGRE CEO, TELEVISAUNIVISION
You have led at Google, Activision Blizzard, and now TelevisaUnivision. What leadership skills have been most transferable across industries?
DA: At every company, the technology, products, and markets may change, but leadership fundamentals don’t. What remains consistent is the ability to build clarity around purpose, empower strong teams, and make decisions grounded in both data and values.
INSIGHT:
“2025 was a pivotal year for our company, our first as a new leadership team and the first in which we showcased our revamped content and platform investment and windowing strategy. We meaningfully transformed our business and delivered on the expectations that we set at the outset of the year,” said Daniel Alegre, Chief Executive Officer of TelevisaUnivision.
Whether you’re leading a global technology platform or a culturally rooted media company like TelevisaUnivision, success comes from listening deeply, setting a clear vision, and creating an environment where people feel accountable and inspired. It is also imperative to love what you do and feel passion for the mission that you are setting for the company. To be truly effective in executing a mission, leaders need to be willing to challenge assumptions, including their own, and stay close to both consumers, partners and creators.
TelevisaUnivision holds enormous cultural influence. How do you balance commercial scale with cultural responsibility?
DA: For us, cultural responsibility is not separate from commercial success — it drives it. When we say that “We are the Voice of Hispanics”, it is a focus and a responsibility we don’t take lightly. TelevisaUnivision exists to serve Spanish-speaking audiences with authenticity, respect, and excellence. When you get that right, scale and commercial success follows naturally.
We think of ourselves as stewards of culture. That means investing in original storytelling, protecting access to trusted news, and reflecting the diversity and complexity of Hispanic communities. Commercial growth comes from honoring that responsibility, not compromising it.
In the streaming war, what are your advantages and disadvantages?
DA: Our greatest advantage is our content – it comes from over 70 decades of creating the most beloved content in Spanish language. That content is now available on our streaming platform and audiences
young and old are reconnecting with some of their most beloved shows from the past and the present – on ViX. We have deep roots in live sports, news, and culturally resonant entertainment that people care about in real time. The challenge is operating in a media and entertainment landscape that is increasingly being shaped by global tech platforms with massive balance sheets. But scale alone doesn’t guarantee success or relevance.What does it is to deliver content consistent to your audience's value and love, that is when and how they want it.
How should brands think differently about reaching Hispanic audiences today versus five years ago?
DA: They need to move away from viewing Hispanic audiences as a niche or a monolith. Today’s Hispanic consumers are young, bilingual, digitally fluent, and culturally influential at a national scale. After all, Hispanics represent more than 20% of the US population and have the fastest growing purchasing and voting power in the nation.
“ WHEN PEOPLE SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED IN THE WORK AND FEEL THE VALUE OF THEIR EFFORTS IN THE BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITIES WE LIVE IN, THE IMPACT IS DEEPER AND THE RESPONSIBILITY IS GREATER.”
As such, Hispanics are culture-shapers, not just consumers. Brands that appreciate this and approach this influential audience with authenticity and relevance will earn their trust and loyalty. Brands who ignore this demographic are missing out on a much larger economic and cultural opportunity.
“NEVERTHELESS, GREAT STORYTELLING STILL BEGINS WITH HUMAN INSIGHT AND CULTURAL AWARENESS .”
You’ve operated inside algorithm-driven companies. How does data now shape content strategy at TelevisaUnivision?
DA: Data plays a critical role, but it is a complement—not a replacement—for creative instinct. We use data to understand audience behavior and optimize distribution. Our ViX streaming platform leverages deep data analytics to ensure we put the right content in front of our varied audiences. Nevertheless, great storytelling still begins with human insight and cultural awareness, which is why we challenge ourselves to be seen as a company that understands the voice of Hispanics.
What are most people underestimating about the U.S. Hispanic market?
DA: Many still underestimate its scale, growth, and influence on mainstream American culture – in entertainment, sports and politics. This is a young, entrepreneurial population that is shaping trends far beyond Spanish-language media. The other blind spot is how important it is to engage with Hispanics in their own language. To truly connect with our audience, it is imperative to speak to them in Spanish – it shows connection and understanding and drives the strongest results.
Is Spanish-language content still a niche category, or is it becoming mainstream American content?
DA: Spanish-language content is already mainstream—it just hasn’t always been recognized as such. Great stories transcend language, and Hispanic culture increasingly drives what’s next in entertainment. Look no further than the rise of Bad Bunny as proof that what we’ve known
for decades at TelevisaUnivision is increasingly becoming obvious to the rest of the world. Want to know where culture is headed next? Watch our awards show, Premio Lo Nuestro, or follow the headlines of our N + Univision news division. They reflect what’s culturally universal.
Where do you see the biggest opportunity over the next three years?
DA: Our biggest opportunity is fully realizing TelevisaUnivision’s potential as a unified, global media company, one that is content-centric, platform agnostic, and passionate about being relevant to audiences.
What has been the hardest transformation inside the organization since you stepped in?
DA: Speed. If we want to continue to lead with our audience, we must move first, not follow.
On a personal level, how has leading culturally rooted companies shaped your understanding of identity?
DA It has reinforced that identity is a source of strength. When people see themselves reflected in the work and feel the value of their efforts in the benefits to the communities we live in, the impact is deeper and the responsibility is greater.
INSIGHT:
“ViX delivered record revenue, achieved profitability in every quarter, and expanded operating margins throughout the year, evolving into a scalable growth engine that is now a strategically central component to our business model. In 2026, we are building on this momentum to deepen audience engagement, unlock greater value for our partners, and reinforce our leadership as the Voice of Hispanics.”
“GREAT STORIES TRANSCEND LANGUAGE, AND HISPANIC CULTURE INCREASINGLY DRIVES WHAT’S NEXT IN ENTERTAINMENT.”
EXPANDING THE CIRCLE OF C ARE:
HOW NESTOR PLANA IS EXTENDING INDEPENDENT LIVING SYSTEMS INTO THE IDD FRONTIER
For more than two decades, Nestor Plana has built his company around a disciplined but deeply human conviction: the most vulnerable individuals in our communities deserve to live safely and independently, not caught inside fragmented systems of care.
THROUGH INDEPENDENT
Living Systems and its health plan, Florida Community Care, Plana has developed a model that integrates long-term services and supports with medical and social care, focusing on individuals whose needs are too complex for traditional healthcare systems to manage effectively. The organization has concentrated on helping people remain in their homes and communities rather than defaulting to institutional settings.
Now that mission is expanding.
Florida Community Care has entered the intellectual and developmental disabilities space, bringing managed care infrastructure to a population that has long navigated disconnected medical, behavioral, and social services. Intellectual and developmental disabilities, often referred to as IDD, include lifelong conditions such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other cognitive or physical impairments that begin before adulthood and require coordinated support across multiple systems.
Plana does not describe the move as a pivot. He sees it as continuity.
“We’re watching a structural shift happen in real time,” he says. “States are recognizing that fragmented, fee-for-service systems were never designed to meet the needs of individuals with complex, lifelong conditions. Managed care, when built correctly, creates accountability around outcomes, not just transactions.”
Over the next five years, he expects long-term services and supports to continue moving away from siloed reimbursement structures toward integrated, coordinated frameworks. For individuals with IDD, that shift is particularly consequential. Families have historically been forced to manage overlapping networks of physicians,
FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN & CEO
behavioral specialists, social services agencies, and community providers largely on their own. Care coordination often falls on caregivers, not institutions. The result can be instability, crisis-driven intervention, and unnecessary institutionalization.
“Our role is to build the bridge inside the system,” he explains. “Families shouldn’t have to be the ones stitching services together.” As ILS scales into more complex populations, Plana has also evolved the organization itself. Supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities requires multidisciplinary leadership and deeper clinical specialization. Entrepreneurial vision alone is not sufficient.
“We’ve invested heavily in clinical leadership and behavioral health expertise,” he says. “This is not traditional healthcare management. It requires teams who understand the lived realities of families and caregivers.” That investment signals a transition from founder-driven growth to scalable systems. Compassion remains central, but operational rigor now carries equal weight. The objective is sustainability. As managed care expands statewide, the organization must grow without losing accountability.
The greatest operational challenge, Plana acknowledges, is alignment. Individuals with IDD often depend on a complex network of providers and community supports. When even one element fails, stability erodes quickly.
“The hardest part is coordination at scale,” he says. “It’s making sure medical providers, behavioral specialists, social services, and caregivers are all operating from the same playbook.” To address that, ILS is designing care management models that anticipate needs rather than react to crises. Technology platforms track risk indicators early. Care teams intervene before small issues escalate into emergencies.
The evolution into IDD has reinforced that lesson. Comprehensive support requires a single coordinated framework, not parallel systems operating independently. For Plana, the ambition is not simply to manage contracts or expand market share. It is to create measurable stability for individuals whose lives depend on consistency.
Five years from now, he says success will be visible in independence. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be living healthier, more stable lives within their communities. Caregivers will feel supported rather than overwhelmed. Reliance on institutional settings will decline. “Success will be measured in dignity,” he says. “If families feel confident navigating care and individuals are thriving in their communities, then we’ve built something that matters.”
Independent Living Systems began by focusing on vulnerable populations whose needs did not fit neatly into traditional reimbursement models. As managed care continues to evolve, Plana sees the IDD space not as a new frontier, but as unfinished work.
“The system is changing,” he reflects. “The question is whether we build it around billing structures or around people. We’ve chosen people.”
NESTOR PLANA
INDEX 500 2026
LEADING WITH VISION
Great leadership has always required decisiveness. Today, it also requires adaptability, empathy, and the discipline to think beyond the next quarter. In the following pages, CEOs and presidents from this year’s ranking share the principles that guide them — from building culture to making high-stakes decisions — offering insight into what it truly takes to lead in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
“Building this company as a Latino entrepreneur taught me that resilience, community, and innovation are just as important as technology itself. We have built a company where diverse perspectives drive smarter solutions and lasting impact.”
JEANETTE PRENGER
EXECUTIVE CHAIR, FOUNDER, ECCO SELECT
"Monterrey Security was built on resilience, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to our people and the communities we serve. Our roots in Chicago’s Latino community continue to shape who we are, but our vision extends far beyond geography. We invest in our team, develop leaders from within, and reinvest in our operations to ensure long-term strength and stability. Growth, for us, is not measured solely in contracts or expansion—it is measured in trust earned, partnerships strengthened, and opportunities created for the next generation. That philosophy continues to guide our success and positions us for sustained impact nationwide."
JUAN GAYTAN JR, CHAIRMAN, MONTERREY SECURITY
“At NOBLE, leadership goes beyond the projects we deliver. It’s about investing in people, expanding access to opportunity, and making sure the next generation inherits communities that are stronger, more vibrant, and full of possibility. Our responsibility isn’t just to build structures, it’s to build pathways with purpose, so others can rise, lead, and succeed.”
RENE CAPISTRAN
PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER , NOBLE TEXAS BUILDERS
“True leadership is service in action. At Azteca-Omega, we lead with courage, execute with discipline, and win with integrity—because sustainable success is built on trust, unity, and relentless forward motion with a ‘can do’ attitude.”
LUIS SPINOLA PRESIDENT & CEO, AZTECA-OMEGA
The voices of Banking
BMO leaders share their thoughts on the Latino segment
ALEXIS BABB
Director and Market Leader, South Bay, and Peninsula
How is BMO supporting the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
AB: BMO is deeply committed to supporting the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses through a comprehensive ecosystem of advisory resources, industry expertise, and relationship-driven banking. We have dedicated bilingual bankers embedded in local communities who understand the dynamics of their regional markets and are empowered to provide tailored, hands-on guidance to business owners.
Beyond core relationship support, BMO brings robust industry expertise across sectors such as Engineering & Construction, Food and Beverage, and Technology. This gives business owners access to sector-specific insights, benchmarking, and best practices that help them operate more competitively and sustainably.
We also help our clients invest in their employees through our Financial Wellness Program—offered in both Spanish and English. These customized sessions equip employees with tools, education, and resources to build stronger financial habits and long-term stability. A financially secure workforce is more engaged, more resilient, and better positioned to contribute to business success. Together, these resources create a holistic platform designed to help Latino-owned businesses grow, scale, and thrive across generations.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
AB: For Latino entrepreneurs pursuing strategic expansion, capital optimization, or ownership transitions, BMO’s Cor-
porate Advisory team offers a powerful combination of unbiased analysis and deep middle market expertise. Our advisory professionals operate solely with the client’s long-term goals in mind, providing clear, data-driven evaluations of inorganic growth opportunities (M&A), organic expansion paths, and both partial and full liquidity options.
What makes this approach especially valuable is that it remains outcome agnostic—meaning our recommendations are not tied to a specific transaction but instead focused on helping entrepreneurs define and achieve the path that aligns most closely with their vision, values, and longterm ambitions.
BMO also takes a holistic view of support. Our bankers work closely together to help ensure that both the company and the individuals who lead it are fully supported throughout periods of growth, liquidity events, or business transitions. Entrepreneurs often face highly personal financial decisions during these moments, and having a coordinated advisory team makes the process more strategic and grounded. The combination of unbiased Corporate Advisory insights and collaborative support across BMO enables Latino entrepreneurs to make confident decisions that strengthen their businesses, their leadership teams, and their long-term financial success.
ANNA LEON Managing Director, Bay Area
How is BMO supporting the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
AL: In the Bay Area, our work supporting Latino-owned businesses is rooted in personal connection and meaningful community engagement. We provide both strategic guidance and hands-on partnerships, working closely with private business owners through every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. This includes extending resources, education, and support not only to the businesses themselves but also to their employees.
A key focus of our work is building customized financial planning roadmaps that help clients with wealth creation, preservation, and transfer—a crucial element of multigenerational wellbeing, which is central to Latino culture. Beyond individual client support, we create opportunities for mentorship, career development, and increased visibility for Latino-owned businesses across the region.
Our community commitment is strengthened through partnerships with organizations that share BMO’s purpose of boldly growing the good in business and life. These collaborations help amplify Latino voices, elevate local entrepreneurs, and build pathways for long-term
success. Our efforts aim to uplift the broader community and create lasting impact for generations to come.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
AL: Our approach to supporting Latino entrepreneurs is deeply personal and grounded in our understanding of the community. In a region as innovative and diverse as the Bay Area, expanding access to capital requires creative thinking and helping business owners understand the full range of resources available to them. We guide clients through both short and long-term planning, helping them leverage financial tools strategically.
This is why we bring BMO to clients through personalized relationships rooted in knowing their stories, values, and goals. These one-onone conversations empower entrepreneurs to navigate financial decisions with clarity and confidence, supported by a best-in-class banking experience. Strengthening the broader business ecosystem requires a multifaceted approach.
In addition to financial guidance, we help expand clients’ networks, connect them to community partners, and increase their access to advisory resources. By combining advocacy, education, and relationship-driven support, we work to create an environment where Latino-owned businesses can grow, scale, and thrive. One-on-one conversations empower entrepreneurs to navigate financial decisions with clarity and confidence, supported by personalized advice, deep local expertise, and a relationship-driven banking experience designed around their goals.
CARLOS ECHEVERRY
Managing Director, Treasury & Payments, Florida
How is BMO supporting the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
CE: BMO supports the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses by partnering with trusted organizations such as chambers of commerce and economic development councils to strengthen local business ecosystems. These partnerships help connect Latino entrepreneurs with broader regional and national networks, enabling peer learning, benchmarking, and collaboration across industries. By facilitating access beyond the traditional Latino marketplace, BMO helps business owners diversify customer bases, expand into new markets, and scale more sustainably.
Through these community-anchored relationships, we also gain deeper insight into the evolving needs of Latino business owners, allowing us to connect them to the right resources at the right time. This network-driven approach supports stronger businesses, more stable employment, and inclusive economic growth.
In addition, BMO leverages Treasury & Payments expertise to help companies modernize operations. By streamlining cash flow, automating payments, and improving financial visibility, we help Latino-owned businesses strengthen efficiency and free up capacity to focus on strategic growth. Together, these efforts create a supportive environment that empowers Latino entrepreneurs to scale confidently and build long-term success for their teams and communities.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
CE: BMO expands access to capital for Latino entrepreneurs by combining financing with financial education and workforce-focused banking solutions. We recognize that business performance is closely tied to employee financial stability. By supporting financial education initiatives that help reduce personal financial stress, we enable stronger productivity, payroll stability, and job continuity— key factors that reinforce business resilience.
For employers, these tools strengthen talent attraction and retention, while creating a more stable operational foundation. By investing in both the entrepreneur and their workforce, BMO helps build a healthier business environment where teams feel supported and empowered.
This approach extends beyond access to capital. By working alongside community partners, we help connect Latino businesses with additional resources when they are not yet ready for traditional financing.
Through financial education, community partnerships, and workforce-focused solutions, BMO contributes to a stronger, more resilient Latino business ecosystem and advances long-term economic mobility and wealth creation in Latino communities.
CLAUDIA GAMBOA
Director, Global Transaction Banking | Investment & Corporate Banking
How is BMO supporting the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
CG: BMO supports the long-term success of Latino owned businesses by helping them operate more efficiently and manage their cash flow with greater precision. Our Global Transaction Banking team improves how money moves through a business—accelerating receivables, simplifying, and integrating payments, and giving owners clearer visibility into liquidity for more informed decision-making.
We build this foundation through Capital Markets, aligning financing, risk management solutions, and market insights with each company’s long-term strategy.
Through our BMO One model, we connect these capabilities under a unified relationship structure, offering seamless access to treasury services, lending, capital markets expertise, and employee financial wellness solutions. Together, these resources help Latino-owned businesses strengthen resilience, optimize operations, and position themselves for sustainable growth.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
CG: BMO expands opportunities for Latino entrepreneurs by strengthening the ecosystem that fuels their success. Our Global Transaction Banking team creates meaningful opportunities for business leaders to connect, share experiences, and learn from one another through industry events, peer networking, and strategic partnerships designed to increase visibility and support business development.
These efforts are reinforced by our more than US $40 billion community benefits plan focused on providing access to capital and resources for the communities we serve. By combining community investment, targeted financial tools, and relationship building opportunities, we help elevate Latino leadership and support long-term business growth.
ED SUAREZ
US Head, Premier Banking and Bank At Work (BAW)
How is BMO supporting the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
ES: BMO supports the long-term success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees by offering dedicated expertise and programs designed to meet the unique needs of business owners at every stage of their journey. First, we have specialized teams across BMO who help entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of starting, growing, and eventually transitioning or selling a business. By combining strategic planning with a full suite of financial solutions, we provide Latino business owners with guidance that is both comprehensive and culturally attuned—making BMO a trusted partner for those seeking informed, long-term advice.
We offer programs, including our Bank at Work program, to extend this support to employees of our business clients. Through these programs, we offer financial education, retirement planning, and access to essential banking services directly through their employer. By improving
financial confidence and stability at the employee level, we help strengthen the businesses and communities they support. Together, these efforts reflect BMO’s commitment to advancing economic mobility and building multigenerational success within Latino communities.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
ES: BMO plays an active role in strengthening the broader business ecosystem through community engagement and networking opportunities. A standout example is the BMO Index500, where we recognize and celebrate the top 500 Latino owned businesses in the United States. This event not only honors business excellence but also brings entrepreneurs together to connect, collaborate, and build valuable relationships. Through these combined efforts—capital access, education, and community convening—BMO supports a more inclusive, resilient, and thriving Latino business landscape.
LETTICIA FLORES-POOLE
Market President, Small Business Officers, Chicagoland
How is BMO supporting the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
LFP: BMO is committed to supporting the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses by providing education, resources, and personalized guidance through dedicated bilingual bankers who are truly on the ground in our communities. These teams offer one-on-one coaching and support, helping entrepreneurs navigate the complexity of business growth while making essential information accessible in Spanish.
We also equip business owners with practical tools designed to help them scale sustainably. Resources such as the Grow Your Business Checklist, Business Plan templates, and the Profit Improvement Calculator provide structure and insight to strengthen operations, improve performance, and plan for future success. Through culturally relevant education and bilingual expertise, BMO helps to ensure Latino business owners and their
employees have the knowledge and confidence to build resilient businesses for generations to come.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
LFP: BMO expands access to capital for Latino entrepreneurs by meeting them where they are and equipping them with the financial knowledge and preparation needed to qualify for funding. Our teams collaborate closely with community organizations to host financial literacy workshops focused on the fundamentals of accessing capital—covering cash flow, capacity, credit readiness, and what lenders look for. During these sessions, we take deep dives into the business financials to help owners strengthen their ability to qualify for capital and become loan-ready. Through education, partnership, and a commitment to readiness, BMO strengthens the Latino business ecosystem and expands access to capital in meaningful, sustainable ways.
MICHAEL BECERRA
Managing Director, Market Executive – Greater Los Angeles Area
How is BMO supporting the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
MB: At BMO, we remain focused on empowering Latino business owners and their employees by providing the education, tools, and resources they need to scale with confidence. We prioritize building financial knowledge, expanding access to guidance, and equipping entrepreneurs with practical support that helps them navigate growth opportunities with clarity. Through coaching, tailored programs, and ongoing relationship support, we work to remove barriers that often limit Latino-led organizations. This includes strengthening operational capacity, improving financial readiness, and offering resources that help business owners make informed decisions during key moments of expansion. We also invest in meaningful community partnerships and networks that uplift Latino entrepreneurs and their workforces. By creating direct pathways to expertise,
mentorship, and opportunity, BMO helps to ensure Latino-owned businesses—and the people they employ—are positioned for long-term stability, resilience, and success.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
MB: We work closely with business owners to secure the funding, knowledge, and financial tools needed to grow sustainably. Beyond lending, we provide bilingual resources, financial education, and advisory support that strengthen overall business readiness. We also connect entrepreneurs to community partners, networks, and initiatives that broaden access to opportunity and reinforce the surrounding business ecosystem. By addressing persistent challenges and creating clear pathways to capital and expertise, BMO is fostering a more inclusive and resilient economic landscape for Latino business owners and the communities they support.
NICK
MOSAQUITES
Director, Wealth Advisor, Los Angeles
How is BMO supporting the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
NM: BMO supports the long-term success of Latino-owned businesses by investing in the overall strength of the communities where these businesses operate. A core part of that commitment is advancing workforce development— particularly in neighborhoods where increased access to education, skills, and career pathways can meaningfully expand economic mobility.
In Los Angeles, I serve on the Board of the Adventist Health White Memorial Foundation, a hospital deeply rooted in the Latino community. Through this work, I have seen firsthand how essential a skilled and prepared workforce is to both healthcare systems and the broader regional economy. Recently, BMO provided significant support to the hospital’s Workforce Development Program, which equips community members with the training and credentials needed to pursue stable and meaningful careers.
By strengthening this program, BMO is helping to ensure current hospital employees have access to high-quality upskilling opportunities, while also creating pathways for community members who are new to healthcare to become work-ready. These individuals go
on to support local businesses, strengthen families, and contribute to a more resilient and vibrant local economy. This approach reflects BMO’s broader philosophy: we don’t just serve Latino-owned businesses — we help build the ecosystem that enables them to thrive. When communities have access to training, opportunity, and mobility, business owners benefit from a stronger talent pipeline, a healthier customer base, and the foundation needed for long-term, sustainable growth.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
NM: BMO is expanding access to capital for Latino entrepreneurs by combining relationship-based banking with tailored financial solutions that meet businesses at every stage of growth. Through personalized advisory support, lending and credit options, and financial education, we help entrepreneurs navigate complexity, build long-term resilience, and scale with confidence. By investing not only in individual businesses but also in the networks and communities around them, BMO is helping strengthen a broader Latino business ecosystem that drives economic growth and generational opportunity.
LIZZY DIAZ-ORTIZ
Vice President – Director, Acquisition Segments (Hispanic/Latino, Student & Best of BMO)
How is BMO supporting the growth and long-term success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
LDO: As BMO’s Director of Acquisition Segments, I had the privilege of launching our Hispanic/Latino customer segment within Retail Banking—an effort built on meeting customers where they are, in their language, and with cultural understanding. We designated more than 150 retail branches with bilingual bankers and Spanish-language resources so families and business owners can build financial confidence in environments that reflect their community.
Partnership is at the heart of our work. Across key markets—including Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, and Phoenix—we collaborate with Hispanic Chambers of Commerce to better understand the needs of Latino-owned businesses and their communities. We are strengthening the Spanish-language customer experience through culturally relevant marketing, Spanish-language branch screens, and deeper engagement with community partners. By connecting Retail Banking with Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Wealth, we create a seamless pathway for Latino entrepreneurs to grow, scale, and create jobs. Our commitment is simple: help customers make real financial progress while strengthening the long-term economic mobility of Latino communities.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
LDO: Expanding access to capital for Latino entrepreneurs begins with trust—and trust begins with presence. Through the launch of BMO’s Hispanic/Latino customer segment, we established a foundation of bilingual, culturally competent support across more than 150 designated branches, enabling business owners to receive guidance from teams who understand their values and experiences.
Strengthening the broader business ecosystem requires a unified approach. My work focuses on connecting Retail Banking with Business Banking, Commercial Banking, and Wealth so Latino-owned businesses can seamlessly access capital, advisory expertise, and growth tools at every stage—from startup to scale. This One Client model provides continuity and confidence for long-term success.
Community organizations are essential partners in this effort. Our collaborations with Hispanic Chambers of Commerce in Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, and Phoenix create pathways for entrepreneurs to engage with BMO bankers, attend financial education workshops, and prepare for or obtain capital. These partnerships were central to our Premier Banking pilot, which offered businesses and employees tailored financial resources to strengthen financial resilience. By centering community, connection, and culturally relevant support, BMO is helping Latino entrepreneurs access the capital and resources they need to thrive for generations.
How is BMO supporting the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
MJ: BMO supports the long-term success of Latino-owned businesses by taking a relationship-driven, One Bank approach that goes far beyond transactional banking. We partner closely with entrepreneurs to understand their vision, challenges, and long-term goals, then align the right teams and solutions to support each stage of growth.
By helping business owners’ step back and view the broader picture of their operations, BMO encourages thoughtful planning, responsible expansion, and long-term sustainability. This includes strengthening financial foundations, preparing future opportunities, and building stability that benefits not only the business, but also its employees and their families.
Additionally, BMO invests in financial education and trusted community partnerships that reduce barriers and build confidence. Through this holistic and culturally informed approach, we help businesses grow in ways that create jobs, strengthen families, and contribute to the long-term economic vitality of Latino communities.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
MJ: BMO expands access to capital by meeting Latino entrepreneurs where they are and helping them become fully prepared to leverage financial resources effectively. We believe access is most impactful when paired with education, guidance, and long-term partnership. Through hands-on support, BMO works with business owners to improve financial practices, strengthen operational readiness, and build a clear growth strategy—positioning them to confidently navigate lending and investment opportunities.
We also collaborate with community development organizations and Latino-led partners to extend trusted networks and resources to businesses that have historically been underserved. These partnerships amplify opportunities, increase visibility, and foster community connections that help strengthen business resilience. By focusing on readiness, collaboration, and ecosystem building, BMO helps create pathways to capital that fuel sustainable growth, job creation, and inclusive economic progress.
OSCAR OROZCO
Managing Director, Region Executive, LA & Central Coast
How is BMO supporting the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
OO: BMO supports Latino-owned middle market businesses by serving as a longterm commercial banking partner focused on scale, continuity, and resilience. Across Los Angeles and the Central Coast, many Latino entrepreneurs are leading businesses that are growing in complexity— expanding operations, professionalizing leadership teams, and preparing for future phases of growth. Our role is to bring experienced relationship leadership and deep local insight to help owners navigate these changes confidently.
Through our dedicated middle market banking teams, we work closely with business owners to strengthen operational efficiency, reinforce cash flow management, and support reinvestment in facilities, equipment, and workforce growth. This focus is especially important for industries that anchor the region, including manufacturing, logistics, distribution, and professional services.
Because many of these companies are founders or family-led, we also support long-term planning around succession, governance, and business continuity. Beyond direct client work, BMO partners with regional chambers, nonprofit organizations, and business networks to support Latino leadership development across Southern California. By combining in-
dustry-specific expertise with community-focused engagement, we help businesses grow responsibly while creating lasting economic opportunity.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
OO: For Latino middle market entrepreneurs, access to capital is built on preparation, financial transparency, and trusted commercial banking relationships. BMO focuses on helping businesses across Los Angeles and the Central Coast strengthen their financial readiness by aligning reporting, reinforcing cashflow discipline, and developing longterm strategic and investment plans.
Our commercial banking teams often partner with clients early—before acquisitions, expansions, or ownership transitions—to determine the right capital structure, liquidity strategy, and risk approach. To strengthen the broader ecosystem, BMO collaborates with chambers of commerce, industry associations, and Latino-led community organizations to expand access to financial education, mentorship, and professional networks.
Our commitment is consistent and long-term: providing Latino-owned middle market businesses access to the capital, advisory expertise, and connections needed to grow enterprise value, create jobs, and drive inclusive economic progress.
KARINA ROSADO Senior Manager, U.S. Corporate Communications
How is BMO supporting the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses and their employees?
KR: BMO supports the growth and longterm success of Latino-owned businesses by providing entrepreneurs and their employees clear visibility into the resources, tools, and financial solutions designed to help them thrive. Through culturally grounded outreach and bilingual communications, we help business owners access critical information with confidence and feel supported in their financial journey.
A key part of this work is elevating programs that address common barriers Latino entrepreneurs face—from accessing capital to building long-term financial stability. We also amplify tools, workshops, and educational resources that support small business readiness and workforce development. By connecting entrepreneurs to bilingual advisors, financial education, and community partners, we strengthen the ecosystem that sustains Latino businesses and their employees. Through consistent storytelling and visibility into these resources—BMO helps ensure Latino-owned businesses have the knowledge, pathways, and stability needed to grow and succeed across generations.
How is BMO expanding access to capital and financial resources for Latino entrepreneurs and strengthening their broader business ecosystem?
KR: Expanding access to capital for Latino entrepreneurs begins with helping to ensure they understand what resources exist and feel confident navigating them.
Beyond capital, we strengthen the broader business ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs to workshops, chambers of commerce, regional collaborations, and community partners offering education, mentorship, and operational guidance. As Co-Chair of Communications for BMO’s National Latino Alliance, I help ensure our messaging reflects lived experiences and highlights programs driving economic mobility. This includes elevating initiatives like the Latino Leaders Index500, which celebrates top Latino-owned businesses nationwide and reinforces a vibrant ecosystem of entrepreneurship and representation.
Through bilingual resources, access-driven communications, and programs that reduce financial barriers, BMO is helping Latino entrepreneurs secure the capital, knowledge, and networks needed to strengthen their businesses—and the communities they power.
UP & COMING: THE NEXT WAVE OF LATINO-OWNED GROWTH COMPANIES
Every year, our Index 500 recognizes the largest Latino-owned companies in the United States. But scale tells only part of the story.
This new feature highlights a different tier of leadership — companies generating between $10 and $25 million in annual revenue in 2025. These are businesses that have moved beyond startup risk and into disciplined execution. They have proven product-market fit. They are creating jobs. They are building systems. And they are positioning themselves for scale.
This short ranking recognizes Latino-owned companies operating in what may be the most decisive growth stage of their trajectory — the moment where founder vision begins to institutionalize into enterprise value.
This is where the next generation of Latino corporate leadership is taking shape.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA’S ECONOMIC FUTURE THROUGH HISPANIC BUSINESS LEADERSHIP
America’s economic might has been unrivaled for generations. Even during periods of global economic downturn, the American economy has demonstrated exceptional resilience. This strength is due in no small part to the innovation and business acumen of America’s Hispanic community, supported by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) and a powerful network of state and local Hispanic Chambers nationwide.
MORE THAN 5 million Hispanic-owned American businesses contribute over $800 billion to the U.S. economy each year, and they have the potential to contribute even more.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found that Hispanic-owned businesses have grown at an annual rate of nearly 8% — far outpacing the 0.46% growth rate of all other employer businesses. The same study concluded that if the share of Hispanic-owned businesses matched the share of America’s Hispanic population, there would be 812,440 more businesses generating a combined $1.1 trillion in revenue and $250 billion in payroll.
The USHCC is helping drive this extraordinary economic growth by leveraging increased capital, strengthening capacity-building efforts, and expanding connections through ongoing collaboration with, and support for, state and local Hispanic Chambers across the United States.
Like when we brought together leaders from the Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and executives from Bank of America, leading to a new partnership between the two organizations that added long-term value to the local business community.
Likewise, the USHCC connected the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana with JPMorgan Chase, leading to enhanced programming, deeper community engagement, and new opportunities for Louisiana businesses.
Liliam M. Lopez, President and CEO of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, credits the USHCC’s support with helping her organization se-
cure an Open for Business grant from Wells Fargo. Beyond connecting state and local Chambers with corporate partners, the USHCC also strengthens connections among Chambers themselves.
Joe Aldaz, Jr., President and CEO of the Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, shared that through the USHCC he developed a collaborative relationship with Ernie C’deBaca, President and CEO of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, resulting in an ongoing exchange of ideas and strategies that benefits both organizations.
Similarly, Michel Zajur, founder and CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, describes how the USHCC opened doors to relationships that strengthened his Chamber’s influence at both the state and national levels.
By connecting Chambers with corporate partners and with one another, the USHCC cultivates strong business networks that generate new growth opportunities for the Chambers and the businesses they serve. The USHCC is proud to serve as America’s largest Latino business advocacy organization, and we are equally proud of all we have accomplished on behalf of our members and the broader Hispanic business community. We look forward to continuing to build on this legacy of Hispanic excellence well into the future.
RAMIRO CAVAZOS
CEO AND PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
THE LEADING HISPANIC CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IN THE UNITED STATES
Hispanic chambers of commerce across the United States play a pivotal role in advancing economic opportunities, fostering entrepreneurship, and amplifying the voice of Latino business leaders in local and national markets.
From regional powerhouses to national institutions, the following Hispanic chambers are shaping the landscape of commerce by empowering Hispanic-owned enterprises and strengthening the economic fabric of the nation.
USHCC
United States & Puerto Rico (national network)
Foundation: 1979 • Membership: NA
Ramiro A. Cavazos, President & CEO
Cross-industry business advocacy, corporate partnerships, and public policy
California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce
State of California
Foundation: 1978 • Membership: 130
Julian Cañete, President & CEO
All emerging businesses regardless of industry
South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Miami- Dade, Broward and Florida Keys
Foundation: 1994 • Membership: 1459
Liliam M. Lopez, President & CEO
Small businesses; Healthcare; Food & Beverages; Real Estate; Investment; Non-profit Organizations, Finance; Law Firms
Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Florida statewide
Foundation: 2000 • Membership: NA
Julio A. Fuentes, President & CEO
Cross-industry statewide advocacy for all business owners
Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Georgia statewide
Foundation: 1993 • Membership: 1,000
Verónica Maldonado-Torres, President & CEO
Cross-industry entrepreneurship support
Hispanic Chamber - Metro Orlando
Central Florida (Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties)
Foundation: 1993 • Membership: 2,600
Pedro Turushina, President & CEO
Logistics; Construction; Wellness; Legal Services and beyond
NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
New York City
Foundation: 2005 • Membership: NA
Nick Lugo, President & CEO
Cross-industry small and medium businesses
Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Illinois with an emphasis in Chicagoland and surrounding suburbs
Foundation: 1990 • Membership: 3,000
Jaime di Paulo, President & CEO
Construction; Hospitality; Finance; Professional Services
Alburquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce
New Mexico, United States, Mexico
Foundation: 1975 • Membership: 1,400
Ernie C'deBaca, President & CEO
Small, medium and large businesses of all industries
Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Dallas County
Foundation: 1939 • Membership: 1,200
Amanda Moreno-Lake, Interim President & CEO
Construction; Manufacturing; Food Services, Wholesale Trade; Transportatiom; Administrative Support
Greater North Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
North Texas, with a concentration in Collin, Denton, Wise, Dallas, and Grayson Counties.
Foundation: 2019 • Membership: 200
Acela Gómez-Garrett, Founder & Board President Acting Executive Director
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE SOUTH FLORIDA HISPANIC CHAMBER
LILIAM M. LOPEZ PRESIDENT/CEO, SOUTH FLORIDA HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Liliam M. Lopez does not romanticize her story. She tells it plainly, sometimes with a laugh, sometimes returning to a detail that still matters decades later. What becomes clear, quickly, is that the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was not born from a grand plan or a polished strategy deck. It began because life demanded flexibility, and because a young woman refused to stop moving forward.
WHEN LILY graduated from St Thomas University with a degree in political science, she intended to go to law school. That plan changed when her mother became ill. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease reshaped their lives, forcing Lily to rethink everything, from career ambitions to daily routines. The nonprofit world gave her something essential. It gave her time. Time to care for her mother, time to stay present, and time to keep building a future without abandoning what mattered most at home. At the time, Lily was working as Executive Director of the Spanish American League Against Discrimination. It was there that she learned the me-
chanics of nonprofit leadership, and it was there that she worked alongside influential figures, including Dr Osvaldo Soto and Dr Eduardo Padron. The experience did more than teach her how organizations function. It showed her what leadership looks like when it is anchored in community and built through relationships.
Then came the idea that would change everything. Friends began nudging her toward something that felt obvious once it was said out loud. South Florida was already deeply Hispanic, but there was no Hispanic chamber designed to represent young professionals and emerging business owners in a meaningful way. The suggestion landed at exactly the right time. Lily needed a path that could coexist with caregiving. The community needed a forum for connection, mentorship, and support. What neither could have predicted was that a practical solution, born in a season of personal responsibility, would grow into one of the most influential chambers in the country.
“I did not start this thinking it would become what it is today,” Lily says. “It was a big dream, but it started very simply.”
The early years were not easy, and Lily does not pretend they were. She was young. She was a woman. She was Hispanic. And she was asking established leaders, many of them men, to support an organization that did not yet have a long track record, only a clear mission and a founder who meant what she said.
“There was discrimination,” she says, without drama. “Against Hispanics. Against women. And I was both.”
That reality shaped her leadership style early. Lily learned that the first no was rarely the final answer, and she learned how to keep moving without becoming bitter. She focused on the people who did believe, the ones willing to take a meeting, make an introduction, or show up to an event. Over time, those people became momentum, and momentum became credibility.
“I do not take no for an answer,” she says. “If one person says no, I find another who says yes. You do not give up. You wait. You come back. Perseverance is everything.”
It is not just a mantra. It is a method. Lily speaks about persistence the way a builder speaks about tools. You use it daily, and you keep using it, especially when the work gets heavy.
Today, the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce represents more than 1,600 members across a wide range of industries. Airlines, banks, cruise lines, government entities, and large corporations sit alongside beauty salons, local service providers, and small family businesses that are still finding their footing. That mix is not accidental. It reflects Lily’s view of what a chamber should be. Not a club for the already connected, but a bridge for those trying to grow.
Lily is especially clear about one point. Small businesses often need the most support, but they are the quickest to be priced out of professional networks.
“If you charge a small business seven hundred or a thousand dollars, they will not join,” she explains. “And those are the people who need the help the most.”
That belief shapes one of the Chamber’s defining choices. Keeping small business membership at three hundred dollars a year, while larger organi-
zations pay more. It is a model built on access, and it is a philosophy that shows up in the Chamber’s programming. Events are frequent, consistent, and designed to be useful, not ceremonial. Each month includes major gatherings, including signature luncheons that draw hundreds of people, and the calendar is filled with networking receptions, panels, and educational sessions.
For Lily, the point of a chamber is not to create noise. It is to create traction. Not just contacts, but real connections, especially for those who do not have a natural entry point.
Mentorship sits at the center of that effort. Lily describes it in simple terms, with the clarity of someone who has watched the same pattern play out again and again.
“SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS NEED A MENTOR THE SAME WAY CHILDREN NEED A PARENT AND A TEACHER,” SHE SAYS. “SOMEONE TO GUIDE THEM, TO INTRODUCE THEM, AND TO SHOW THEM THE STEPS.”
HISPANIC CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
The Chamber’s mentorship approach is practical. It is not a slogan. It is people meeting people, leaders making introductions, and experienced operators helping newer entrepreneurs avoid common mistakes. Lily’s emphasis is always on the handoff, the transfer of knowledge, and the idea that success should not isolate you from the people still climbing.
Two years after founding the Chamber, Lily extended the mission further by launching the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The purpose was straightforward and ambitious at the same time. Invest in students early, especially those with talent but limited resources, and give them exposure to pathways they might not otherwise see. Over time, that work has added up to more than one point two million dollars in scholarships and programs, including paid internships and educational enrichment opportunities.
“I see them now,” Lily says, and you can hear the pride. “Presidents, executives, leaders. And I think: You were just a student with us. That is legacy.”
The Foundation’s work has also evolved with community needs, including health and nutrition initiatives focused on preventing childhood obesity. Lily talks about these additions the same way she talks about business support. You pay attention, you respond, and you build what helps.
Operating in South Florida also means navigating a complex political and cultural environment. Lily is deliberate about keeping the Chamber nonpartisan. In a time when so many organizations are pulled into ideological identity, she insists on something simpler. The mission comes first. People from all sides are welcome, because business owners and community builders do not benefit from division.
“We are nonpolitical,” she says. “Everyone is invited. That balance is hard, but it is necessary.”
She is also candid about what business owners are facing right now. Miami is thriving, but it is also straining. Growth has made the region more expensive, and that pressure lands hardest on small businesses and working families.
“Everything is expensive,” Lily says. “Rent, food, labor. It is a beautiful city, but it is a difficult one.”
Her concern is practical. A city cannot function without the people who keep it running. Small businesses provide services, jobs, and stability. If costs rise faster than opportunity, the system begins to crack. That is why, when Lily talks about the next three to five years, she talks about steady growth, consistent programming, and deeper connections between established leaders and those still building. She wants top executives to remember that they were once small, too, and she wants the Chamber to remain a place where that remembering turns into action.
When Lily talks about legacy, she does not lead with awards or titles. She talks about continuity. She talks about building something that holds, something that grows, and something that outlasts one person.
“I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THAT IF I WAS ABLE TO DO THIS AS A YOUNG HISPANIC WOMAN, THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY,” SHE SAYS.
Her advice, after all these years, is simple and unwavering. Think positively. Do not freeze in fear. And never accept the first no as the final answer.
Lily did not just build an institution. She built momentum, and she taught an entire community how to keep moving forward.
Courtesy of USHCC Linda Costa Communications Group.
LEADING WITH INTENT FOR NORTH TEXAS
ACELA GÓMEZ-GARRET
The Greater North Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GNTHCC)
Founder & Madam Chair
Courtesy of Acela Gomez-Garrett & GNTHCC
What gap in North Texas made launching this Chamber necessary?
AGG: North Texas has experienced incredible economic growth, yet Hispanic-owned businesses in many of the counties north of Dallas and Tarrant Counties often remained fragmented or underrepresented. While well-established organizations exist in Dallas and Tarrant Counties that serve our Hispanic business communities, many entrepreneurs in surrounding counties did not have the same level of access, representation, or culturally aligned support. In many cases, they were present in broader business spaces but did not always feel fully welcomed or connected. This Chamber was created to bridge that gap—to extend our reach into areas where no organization was consistently addressing the needs of Hispanic entrepreneurs and the community at large. Our focus has been on building a multicounty ecosystem where Hispanic business owners are not just participants, but leaders, decision-makers, and collaborators. We didn’t set out to create just another chamber, we set out to build a movement rooted in culture, commerce, and community, and to ensure that opportunity reaches every corner of North Texas.
THIS CHAMBER WAS CREATED TO BRIDGE THAT GAP—TO EXTEND OUR REACH INTO AREAS WHERE NO ORGANIZATION WAS CONSISTENTLY ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF HISPANIC ENTREPRENEURS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
How do you personally measure success for the Chamber today?
AGG: Success isn’t just the number of members or events: it’s momentum. I measure success by seeing members doing business with each other, gaining confidence, showing up consistently, and stepping into leadership roles. When someone tells me, “I finally feel like I belong somewhere,” or “This connection changed my business,” that’s success.
We are deeply committed to bringing educational programs that strengthen both the confidence and the practical knowledge business owners need to successfully run and grow their businesses. Through strong partnerships and meaningful collaborations, our workshops have become highly successful and consistently well attended, reflecting the real value they provide for our community.
If the Chamber is creating opportunity, visibility, trust, and equipping our members with the tools to succeed—then we’re doing our job.
Where do Hispanic-owned businesses still face the biggest barriers in this region?
AGG: Access and visibility remain the biggest challenges: access to capital, contracts, decisionmakers, and information, and visibility beyond cultural silos.
Many Hispanic entrepreneurs are resourceful and resilient, but they’re often navigating systems that weren’t designed with them in mind. Language, generational gaps, and lack of mentorship can compound those challenges. Our role is to open doors, translate systems, and build bridges so talent and effort can meet opportunity.
How has your leadership style changed since founding the Chamber?
AGG: In the beginning, I led with urgency, doing a lot myself to make sure the Chamber survived. Today, I lead with trust, structure, and intention.
I’ve learned that strong leadership isn’t about control—it’s about building teams, creating systems, and empowering others to lead. I’m more focused on sustainability now: governance, policy, and long-term impact. The mission is bigger than me—and that’s exactly how it should be.
What do you want the Chamber to represent five years from now?
AGG: I want this Chamber to be known as a credible, influential regional voice for Hispanic business in North Texas.
A place where policymakers listen, corporations partner intentionally, and entrepreneurs at every stage—startup to legacy—find support. I want it to represent business with purpose, culture with pride, and community with impact.
Most importantly, I want it to be a model that can be replicated—not just sustained.
What moment confirmed for you that building this Chamber was worth it?
AGG: The confirmation came quietly. It came when people started saying “we” instead of “you.” When members took ownership, stepped up, and protected the mission as their own. When I saw relationships form that had nothing to do with me. That’s when I knew this Chamber had become bigger than my vision—it had become a shared purpose.
LAURA MURILLO
PRESIDENT AND CEO, HOUSTON HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SCALING FOR SUCCESS
When Laura Murillo accepted the role of President and CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2007, the organization was at a crossroads. Membership had declined. Revenue was unstable. There was internal uncertainty about whether the chamber would continue operating.
She did not see a struggling institution. She saw scale.“I saw the chamber for what it could be, not for what it was,” she says.
Nearly two decades later, the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce stands as one of the most visible and structurally disciplined business organizations in the region. Murillo, along with the support of the Chamber Board & Staff, did not reposition it as a cultural association. They built it as a business platform. Houston’s demographics provide context, but not the strategy. The city is approximately 45 percent Latino. Seventy percent of Latinos in Houston are between 18 and 44 years old. That represents workforce density, consumer growth, and entrepreneurial expansion. Murillo understood that demographic relevance alone would not create influence. Institutional credibility would.
“We’re not your typical Chamber of Commerce,” she says. “We don’t host networking cocktails. We don’t host golf tournaments.”
Instead, the chamber focused on measurable convening power. Today it hosts the largest business luncheon and expo in Houston, drawing approximately 2,000 attendees. Not the largest Hispanic luncheon — the largest business luncheon in the city. Its CEO Breakfast convenes more than 60 chief executives in a structured environment designed for policy dialogue and capital alignment.
Murillo diversified the board across sectors, industries, and decision-makers. She also diversified revenue streams, reducing dependency on any single sponsor or corporate block. She rejects operating “in a silo of just Latinos.” Her model integrates corporate America, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, and public officials into one platform.
The chamber’s media presence is another structural differentiator. It produces a weekly CBS-affiliated television segment in English and maintains partnerships with six English-language radio stations. The reported reach is 3.3 million. The purpose is not promotion; it is narrative positioning. Entrepreneurs are introduced to broader markets. Sponsors receive exposure beyond event banners. The chamber inserts Latino business leadership into mainstream economic conversations.
Murillo understands that access is not accidental. It must be engineered. Under her leadership, the chamber also strengthened its foundation. A single donor contributed $1 million — the largest gift in the organization’s history. That capital expanded scholarship and leadership programming, reinforcing the chamber’s long-term pipeline strategy.
One of its most structured initiatives is the Young Leaders program, designed for professionals under 40. More than 600 graduates have completed the program. The intent is not mentorship for optics, it is training and business readiness.
Murillo’s leadership framework is simple. “People, passion and persistence.” The simplicity masks discipline. When she arrived in 2007, she was hired as what she describes as a change agent. The board was evaluating whether to close operations. She restructured operations, redefined programming, and professionalized internal systems. Events were redesigned around measurable attendance and sponsor return. Strategic partnerships were negotiated with media outlets and major corporations. The chamber’s reputation shifted from community networking to economic influence.
Her approach also reframed how Hispanic chambers interact with broader business ecosystems. Rather than advocating from the margins, she positioned the organization as a convening authority.
Houston’s growth reinforces that positioning. The region remains one of the most dynamic energy, healthcare, and trade markets in the country. Latino entrepreneurs are increasingly represented in construction, logistics, professional services, and technology. Murillo emphasizes that these founders require access to capital, contracts, and decision-making rooms — not just recognition.
The chamber’s role is to shorten that distance. “We were at a crossroads,” she recalls of her early tenure. “Whether we were going to close our doors.” That moment still informs her operational posture. Stability cannot be assumed. Institutional relevance must be earned annually.
Murillo does not present the chamber as finished. She describes it as infrastructure — an ongoing build. Board diversification continues. Corporate partnerships evolve. Media exposure expands. Programming is recalibrated based on market demand rather than tradition.
Her work also challenges assumptions about Hispanic chambers as niche or secondary institutions. By claiming the largest business luncheon in Houston, she reframed the scale. By securing a seven-figure foundation gift, she reframed philanthropy. By embedding media strategy into chamber operations, she reframed visibility.
Murillo often returns to the idea of integration. Houston’s Latino population is not separate from the city’s economic engine. It is central to it. The chamber’s function is to make that reality visible to corporate boards, procurement teams, and policy makers.
After nearly twenty years, the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is no longer evaluated on survival. It is evaluated on reach, convening authority, and leadership development. The organization has become a platform where executives, entrepreneurs, and institutions intersect with measurable purpose.
“People, passion and persistence.” The phrase repeats not as branding, but as operating discipline. Institutions rarely transform through inspiration alone. They transform through structure.
In Houston, that structure now includes 2,000-person convenings, CEO roundtables, national media exposure, governance pipelines, and diversified capital support. What was once at risk of closure has become a central node in one of America’s largest Latino business markets.
Murillo saw the chamber for what it could be. She, along with the support of the Chamber Board & Staff, built it accordingly.
BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR LATINOS 2026
Each year, Latino Leaders Magazine recognizes the organizations that are not only hiring Latino talent, but intentionally investing in its growth, leadership development, and long-term success. The companies featured in this edition have demonstrated a deep and measurable commitment to creating environments where Latino professionals can thrive, lead, and influence the future of their industries.
They have embedded opportunity into their corporate DNA, opening pathways to advancement, strengthening mentorship pipelines, supporting employee resource groups, and ensuring that representation extends beyond entry-level roles into executive leadership and boardrooms.
The 2026 honorees represent diverse industries and business models, yet they share a common conviction: investing in Latino talent strengthens organizations, communities, and the broader economy.
BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR LATINOS
Carnival Cruise Line
Cruise Travel
Employees: 160,00
Diversity: 25.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
General Motors
Automotive Manufacturing
Employees: 162,00
Diversity: 6.7 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
NVIDIA Technology
Employees: 19,902
Diversity: 61.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Southwest Airlines
Passenger Airline
Employees: 72,00
Diversity: 35.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Wesco International Inc
Supply Chain and Distribution
Employees: 20,000
Diversity: 36.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurants
Employees: 130,000
Diversity: 60.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Kemper
Insurance
Employees: 7,500
Diversity: 63.5 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Culture+ Group
Strategy, Marketing, Advertising
Employees: 80
Diversity: 93.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
King & George, LLC
Government
Employees: 1,200
Diversity: 80.0 %
Pan-American Life Insurance Group Insurance
Employees: 2,200
Diversity:
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Sprouts Farmers Market
Retail
Employees: 31,000
Diversity: 50.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Vision y Compromiso
Non-Profit Organization
Employees: 190
Diversity: 90.00 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board: Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Latinx in Csuite Or Board:
Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Progressive Insurance Insurance
Employees: 70,053
Diversity: 44.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board: Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
WEC Energy Group
Energy
Employees: 7,159
Diversity: 41.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board: Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
Zocalo Health
Healthcare Technology
Employees: 150
Diversity: 70.0 %
Latinx in Csuite Or Board: Latino Talent Acquisition: ERG in place:
WHERE PURPOSE MEETS PROSPERITY THE STORY OF ENRIQUE PEREX, ROE CAPITAL
ENRIQUE PEREX ROE CAPITAL
Some leaders rise through structured plans and carefully designed career paths. Others, like Enrique Perex, are shaped by the unpredictable rhythm of life — by resilience built in silence, by crises that become teachers, and by the quiet force of purpose. His story begins not in boardrooms or financial models, but in two small towns in Yucatán whose spirit shaped his parents long before he existed. His mother, born in Colonia Yucatán in 1952, taught first grade for twenty-five years and believed that “teaching a child to write their name was teaching them to claim their destiny.” His father, raised in the artisan town of Ticul, inherited rhythm from a saxophone-playing father and courage from a grandmother who ran her own lending business at a time when few women managed money.
FROM THEM, Perex inherited two complementary visions of the world: the transformative power of education and the entrepreneurial instinct to build from scratch. Those early lessons traveled with him to Chetumal, where he spent his childhood observing, thinking, and learning. Asthma kept him away from sports for years, but it sharpened another part of him: patience, empathy, and a love for numbers. “Mathematics became my refuge. Numbers were safe — they made sense when the body didn’t,” he recalls. Later, when his health improved, music filled the space that illness had once taken. He played piano from the age of five, eventually forming a rock band where he was both guitarist and singer. In those years, he didn’t dream of entrepreneurship; he dreamed of becoming an engineer or a musician. But creativity, structure, and curiosity were already pointing him toward a different future. The journey to the Tecnológico de Monterrey — a lifelong dream for his parents — marked a new chapter. Monterrey felt like another universe compared to small, coastal Chetumal. The financial pressure was real, and the academic environment was intense. But what shaped him most wasn’t the engineering degree itself — it was the discipline of survival, the maturity that comes from carrying a family’s hope, and the strength it takes to rebuild yourself at nineteen. “Even after losing almost everything in the 1994 crisis, my parents prioritized education above all,” he says. Their sacrifice became his compass.
Entrepreneurship entered his life almost by accident, born not out of ambition but out of necessity. In 2003, his family’s finances collapsed again. He failed three subjects — one due to a grading mistake — and his father told him he couldn’t afford to send him back to Monterrey. Perex returned to Chetumal, helping in the family’s nearly bankrupt auto-parts store. “Some days we barely sold 200 pesos when we needed 5,000 just to survive,” he recalls. The days were “slow and sorrowful,” like the Erik Satie piece that became the soundtrack of that chapter. When his father sold one of his last assets — a small piece of land in Bacalar — Perex received one last chance to return and finish his studies.
That return sparked the moment that changed everything. Seeing a gap in the market for European soccer jerseys, he invested the 1,000 pesos his mother had given him for clothes and bought ten jerseys to resell outside the ITESM stadium. He sold everything the same day. “That afternoon changed my life,” he says. “I discovered that entrepreneurship isn’t about ambition — it’s about creativity under pressure.” From that point on, he financed his final year — and even his future experiences in Washington D.C. and France — through that small but powerful idea. He didn’t choose entrepreneurship; adversity chose it for him.
Today, Perex leads ROE Capital, but he describes his work in terms far deeper than investment strategy. For him, linking capital with consciousness is not just a business philosophy — it’s a personal calling. “Prosperity must serve evolution,” he says. Whether developing projects in Mahahual or Bacalar, his goal is to create value that “heals places, empowers people, and leaves a spiritual footprint as real as the economic one.” His daily motivation comes from resilience — from his parents, his team, and from anyone who decides to rise again after hardship. “Leadership today must be more than efficiency — it must be consciousness in motion.”
“HIS LIFE PROVES THAT VISION IS NOT BORN FROM COMFORT, BUT FROM THE UNWAVERING BELIEF THAT EVEN IN ADVERSITY, ONE CAN BUILD SOMETHING MEANINGFUL, CONSCIOUS, AND ENDURING.”
The lessons he carries from his journey are a blend of philosophy, pragmatism, and spirituality. He believes firmly that “we fall in order to rise,” and that crises carry both danger and opportunity — a duality that has guided him through every turning point. Quotes from Einstein, the U.S. national anthem, por Carl Jung’s philosophy, and Steve Jobs shape his worldview. He sees life as a pattern of dots that connect only in hindsight, each moment — even the hardest — part of a larger design.
Looking ahead, Perex is focused on building bridges that align local roots with global opportunity. He has consolidated strategic land positions in Mahahual and Bacalar, regions that sit at the center of what he calls “the new growth corridor of the Mexican Caribbean.” With a major Royal Caribbean development underway, he sees a decade of transformation coming to the area. Through ROE Capital, he intends to connect North American investors with purpose-driven real estate, blending financial sophistication with natural capital. His vision is bold but grounded: sustainable prosperity where economic growth, environmental respect, and human development coexist.
When asked about legacy, Perex doesn’t speak in metrics or accomplishments. He speaks in values, in spirit, in continuity. “More than being remembered, I would simply like to have been a spirit of my time,” he says. His true legacy, he insists, is not material — it is emotional and ethical, something his sons Emilio, Sergio, and Quique will carry forward. For him, legacy is “the affirmation of life itself,” the thread that connects past, present, and future through purpose and love.
Enrique Perex’s story is a reminder that resilience is not built in the spotlight. It is forged in silence — in the slow, sorrowful days, in the courage to start again with almost nothing, and in the decision to walk forward with purpose when everything around you asks you to give up. His life proves that vision is not born from comfort, but from the unwavering belief that even in adversity, one can build something meaningful, conscious, and enduring.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT LEGACY, PEREX DOESN’T SPEAK IN METRICS OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. HE SPEAKS IN VALUES, IN SPIRIT, IN CONTINUITY.
BY FRANCISCO ARIAS
A WHISKY & CIGAR PAIRING YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH
You want to gift a bottle of whisky to a friend who smokes cigars, but you have no idea where to begin. The shelves are full, opinions are loud, and the fear of getting it wrong is real. So let me give you a simple tip: if you want a whisky that almost never fails with cigars, look for balance, approachability, and a touch of sweetness rather than extremes.
FRANCISCO ARIAS
CERTIFIED CIGAR SOMMELIER
Three Bottles, Zero Guesswork
Three bottles consistently deliver exactly that: The Macallan 12 Year Sherry Oak, Glenfiddich 12 Year Sherry Cask, and The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year. These are not experimental releases or trend-driven bottles. They come from top-shelf, heritage brands with decades—if not centuries—of credibility behind them. Simply put, you never go wrong with these names on the label.
“When balance leads the pairing, both the cigar and
the whisky
win.”
Why These Whiskies Work
The Macallan 12 Sherry Oak, typically retailing in the $100–$110 range, sits firmly in the premium category. It delivers rich notes of dried fruit, baking spice, and polished oak—flavors that mirror the cocoa, leather, and cedar found in many medium-bodied cigars. It feels intentional and refined, making it ideal when the gift itself needs to carry weight and presence.
The Glenfiddich 12 Sherry Cask, usually priced around $65–$70, offers a lighter, brighter profile with notes of pear, apple, soft spice, and gentle sherry sweetness. This is one of the safest pairing bottles in the category, working across a wide range of cigars and palates.
The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year, commonly found between $90–$95, is finished in rum casks and introduces vanilla, brown sugar, and subtle tropical notes that pair beautifully with creamy, rounded cigars. It often becomes the bottle that sparks conversation.
The Confidence Factor
What truly makes these whiskies dependable is restraint. None are overly peated, aggressively oaked, or high-proof. They complement the cigar instead of competing with it. When you choose a top-shelf brand that understands balance, you’re choosing confidence.
If your goal is to give a bottle that feels thoughtful, elevated, and universally appreciated, start here. These whiskies have earned their place on the top shelf—and at the cigar table.
Glenfiddich 12 Year Sherry Cask
The Macallan 12 Sherry Oak
The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year
STEPPING INTO 2026 WITH GREAT PAIRINGS
Jorge Ferráez @ JFerraez_Latino @ferraez.wine Luis E. González
CLARENDON HILLS CABERNET
SAUVIGNON, HICKINBOTHAM, 2008
• Delicious notes of ripe red fruit, chocolate, plum and licorice wrapped in a medium to full-bodied structure. The wine is round and intense, very tannic but delicious. Muscular and at the same time Complex. It opens in layers and gradually with a long aftertaste. I would drink it with grilled steak, lamb chops or roast beef.
MARITA'S VINEYARD CABERNET
SAUVIGNON, COOMBSVILLE NAPA VALLEY
2016
• Concentrated and very aromatic notes of blueberry and blackberry jam. Sophisticated, complex and scented with loads of blueberries, licorice, blackberries and blueberry jam as well. Full-bodied, elegant and full of structure, flavor and grace. It evolves over time and becomes a delicious wine for a great juicy steak or roast leg of lamb. A great wine, without a doubt.
VIÑA
VALDIVIESO "CABALLO LOCO" GRAND CRU, CURICÓ,
2022
• This is one of my favorites from Chile. Fresh, powerful and fruity notes will give way to a classic Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. Well-built and very expressive of its terroir; Blueberries, raspberries and licorice with full body structure and a long finish! A great wine for a steak with grilled onions or chorizos, sausages or empanadas with chimichurri sauce.
DOMAINE JAEGER-DEFAIX RULLY PREMIER CRU, LES CLOUX, 2023
• Absolutely incredible! As are the good white Burgundies, with perfumes of chamomile tea, white pear and green apple. Medium to full body on a sophisticated and complex structure. Spicy, creamy and rich. Delicious wine to drink with smoked salmon, cheeses of all kinds, or chicken enchiladas with salsa verde!
CHÂTEAU GLORIA ST. JULIEN, 2003
• This is a Bordeaux that is still more or less accessible and consistent with quality, a great virtue for this region. Smooth and rounded with ripe red fruit such as blackberries and dried cherries. It opens with spicy notes, roasted cappuccino coffee and black pepper. It evolves with more sophisticated notes of fig, date and chocolate. Medium, balanced and mature body! A good aged Bordeaux that will pair with baked or roasted duck, grilled steak or roast chicken.
CHÂTEAU DE BEAUCASTEL, CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE, 2022
• This is one of the best and most reliable Chateneuf-du-Papes out there. It's not cheap, but this house has been making it for years. Deep, complex and intense, with a good load of ripe red fruit, blueberries, plum on a full bodied structure. The wine is tasty, mature and expressive, although it is too young to show all its beauty. A great CDP. A pork chop, or pork ribs would go wonderfully.
