After moving to Indianapolis from San Francisco in 1987, Charlie Garcia worked hard to start his own company, and now he’s working even harder to nurture the next generation of Latino leaders.
Garcia, founder of the Indiana Latino Expo and President and CEO of Garcia Construction Group, says his mission is to develop and mentor future Latino entrepreneurs and business leaders. When he moved to Indianapolis, he found a city that still offered very limited opportunities for his community. “There was no room for the Latino community.”
The lack of civic diversity spurred Garcia to establish an organization and program that funneled resources to the Latino community. He says he wanted to establish pathways for success for younger Latinos in Indianapolis. He focused on creating pathways in the city’s business, healthcare, and social sectors.
Today, Garcia says he is proud of the work being done, but there is more to do to achieve equity. He highlights the numerous Latino leaders in the civic and business communities across Indy to emphasize the importance of the work being done.
