Adelante! Hispanic business growing by leaps and bounds - includes related article

New Mexico Business Journal, Dec, 1992 by Arlene Cinelli Odenwald

A cross-section of those would also include McBride and Associates, L&M Technologies and Advanced Sciences Inc., all listed among the top 100 private Hispanic businesses in the United States.

Albuquerque, for instance, has 4,579 Hispanic-owned firms as far back as 1987 with sales and receipts of $229 million, including service industries, retail trade, construction and high tech.

McBride and Associates, owned by Theresa McBride, garnered the Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year Award in October at the national convention of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.

Orion International Technologies, owned by Maria Es De Rios, is another growing enterprise, grossing $5 million a year; Advanced Sciences, owned by Ed Romero, has 420 employees and grossed $47 million in 1991.

Bradley Construction Company of Albuquerque, run by David and Don Bradley, grosses $20 million a year.

Other small businessmen are also gaining steam, including Albuquerque Printing Company, owned by Tony Fernandez; Interstate Glass Distributors, owned by Roberto Ruiz; La Mexicana Tortilla Co., run by Tony and Margy Hernandez of Albuquerque.

Larry Perea, sole proprietor of his Albuquerque insurance office and affiliated with Massachusetts Mutual, is an excellent TABULAR DATA OMITTED example of Hispanics in finance, insurance and real estate.

Carretas, manufacturers of mall shopping carts and kiosks in Albuquerque with Beverly Duran at the helm, has garnered national attention.

Robert Estrada of Las Cruces owns three businesses, including La Bonita, Roberto's Mexican Foods and New Mexico Mexican Foods.

Leo Garcia, owner and president of Office Concepts Inc., in Las Cruces, says his company is growing at an average of 15 percent a year.

Pacheco, the executive director of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber, says Hispanic contributions to the economy of New Mexico and nationwide are moving steadily into the spotlight.

In Albuquerque, 10 of the nation's top 500 Hispanic-owned businesses are continuing to grow; five others of the nation's top 10 are in other New Mexico cities, he says.

Arlene Cinelli Odenwald is a free lance writer based in Albuquerque.

Hispano chamber turns ideas to dollars

THE ALBUQUERQUE Hispano Chamber of Commerce, recognized among the strongest in the nation, is bringing millions of dollars to the Land of Enchantment by attracting major conventions to the region.

The chamber, for instance, hosted one of the largest conventions ever held in New Mexico last January -- the National Association for Bilingual Education with 6,000 attending.

The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce has been lauded as the National Hispano Chamber of the Year three times, competing with 250 other similar organizations across the U.S.

Leroy Pacheco, the chamber's executive director, says the organization's convention promotions are one way to show the Hispano contributions to the economy.

Other conventions that the Hispano chamber has attracted to Albuquerque include the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Chicano Student Association, the Mid-West Association of Farm Workers Organization and National Image.