The Wave of Latino Entrepreneurship in North Carolina and the New Hanover Region

The New Hanover region has become a significantly diverse and important economy in the state. The Latino community is a key component of this success and resources being dedicated to support the region's entrepreneurs. The main takeaway of this talk is simple: To provide a cultural and economic overview of this particular demographic and raise awareness about the importance of helping them in their journey to reach integration and economic independence through entrepreneurship. It is in our best interest to create the conditions for immigrants to effectively become fully functioning, economically independent, law-abiding and tax-paying members of the region.

Speaker Bio:
Jose Alvarez is the vice president of Prospera North Carolina, a nonprofit focused on providing bilingual support and assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their business. Propsera North Carolina is providing the state’s Latino community with culturally focused and in-language business support to help increase economic opportunities through entrepreneurship. Alvarez’s current responsibilities include running the organization’s statewide operations, including fundraising, designing programming, and handling community and government relations. A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Alvarez’s professional experience and passion during the last two decades have been focused on the marketing and multicultural small business support fields.