Newlywed Peter Guzman was desperate. Six months after saying “I do,” he and his bride were living with his parents. Something had to be done to save their sanity, and maybe even their marriage.
Guzman had never purchased a house, let alone negotiated for one. That didn’t stop him.
Two doors down, a neighbor was selling his house. With a little haggling, Guzman bought the home.
But two houses isn’t much separation from parents. Guzman’s folks would pop in and out of Guzman’s home whenever they pleased.
His solution? Buy another house.
“I love my parents,” Guzman said. “But it was driving us a little crazy.”
The experience of buying and selling homes thrilled Guzman. He had found his calling: real estate.
Today, Guzman is senior partner of the Guzman Group, a branch of Warley Real Estate. In January, he became president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce. VEGAS INC recently chatted with him.
Why did you become a member of the Latin Chamber?
I thought it was good for business. I wanted to capture some of the Hispanic market. I knew the chamber had the credibility to go after that opportunity.
What were your priorities when you became chamber president?
Because of the recession, dollars had to be shifted around internally and prioritized. Fortunately, we’re doing very well now. Our revenue is up. Our expenses are down. I was able to reach out and bring people in who have benefited from the chamber in the past. Now, we have a brand new sign outside, and we have new flooring, new logos and a new front desk. We’ve renovated this place so people can say, “Wow, this is pretty nice.”
What business trends have you noticed in the Hispanic community?
Entrepreneurship within the Hispanic culture is very important. Many members come from countries where you have to learn to be an entrepreneur. The government doesn’t offer the assistance that the United States does, so you have to figure it out.
What issues hold back the Hispanic business community?
Access to capital. Getting a loan is still a challenge. Banks aren’t taking risks like before. It’s a product of the recession but also some of the people who come from other countries don’t understand the importance of building credit.
However, that has been getting better. There are some organizations leading the effort to enable loans to happen.
I think construction-wise, getting contracts definitely is something we struggle with. There are construction companies in Las Vegas that have the capacity to take on projects, yet they’re still not getting contracts. For a while, the businesses didn’t have the capacity to do the big jobs. We understand that. But now, that’s no longer the excuse.
It’s a matter of highlighting businesses. Companies come from out of town, and they don’t know how to get a list of Nevada companies. We want to be a friendly liaison for that.
Is there concern among the Hispanic business community about politicians’ rhetoric regarding immigrants?
Certainly. Our culture is very political. Let’s face it, it’s getting to the point now where you really can’t win an election without getting the Hispanic vote. We need to understand that that’s powerful and learn how to use that in our favor a little bit more instead of just during election time. We shouldn’t be meeting with politicians only during election time. It should be an ongoing conversation.
We, the Latin Chamber, are letting people know that it’s important to be at the County Commission and City Council meetings. They affect your day-to-day life a lot more than a presidential election, actually.
What do you hope the chamber will look like in five years?
Five years from now, I hope membership will be 60 percent higher than it is now. I’d like to see our Clark County School District scholarship recipients becoming members of the chamber. I want the Latin Chamber of Commerce to have a greater impact on the Hispanic community. We want to be their resource center. We want to be more of their to-go place.
What are your hopes for the Hispanic community in general?
I hope the dialogue about kicking people out will be solved so that the millions who already are here, making a contribution, can come out of the darkness and do it with pride. It’s actually an economic boom that we’re missing right now. By making people work in the shadows, America is missing out on a lot. Causing fear is not good for any economy. When people are scared, they don’t spend. That affects everyone, whether you’re Hispanic or not.