The growing influence of Hispanics in Nevada's business community is clear.
Since 1990, the state's Latino population has more than doubled, from 10.4 percent to 26.6 percent. More than three-quarters of a million Latinos now live in Nevada.
The growth of the demographic has translated into more Latino business ownership. Hispanics own 8 percent of the state's companies, and their 18,000 businesses generate $3.2 billion in sales and receipts. They employ tens of thousands of workers.
VEGAS INC sat down to speak with 10 of the most influential Latinos in Las Vegas' business community. Influence comes in a lot of forms, and the people on our list have demonstrated it in various ways. Whether it is advancing an industry, training business leaders of the future or sponsoring community events, these 10 individuals affect how Nevadans live.
*
Norberto Madrigal, 34 -- Lunas Construction
Business, and philanthropy, is a family affair for the Madrigal clan.
In 1988, patriarch Manuel Madrigal started Lunas, a construction clean-up company, after working for a similar business in Southern California. His four children -- Norberto, Victor, Daniel and Diana -- now run the business out of a warehouse in North Las Vegas. Manuel and his wife, Rosa, are back in California expanding the company; Lunas opened a branch there in 2011.
When Manuel started his company, he had one truck and a handful of workers. By the boom years, the business had grown to include 120 trucks and 300 employees. Lunas had to scale back to just under 100 workers during the bust, but business has started to pick up and Lunas is hiring again.
The Madrigals used the recession to diversify their business model. They sought out new ways to recycle the materials they collect. A few years ago they started collecting tires, which they now ship around the world for various purposes, including making sandals in Mexico.
Norberto, along with twin brother Victor, is the oldest of the siblings and acts as the face of the company's community involvement. He is a board member for the Latin Chamber of Commerce.
Lunas recently teamed up with the Paiute community to turn wood pallets into mulch for crops on the reservation. When the Latin Chamber and Another Joy Foundation donated 162,000 books to Clark County Schools, Lunas stored and helped distribute the materials.
Norberto also brought Seminario Exito Personal Ahora, a California-based self-help seminar geared toward Hispanics, to Las Vegas.
The family said its philanthropy started with Manuel, who donated ambulances, fire trucks and a rehabilitation clinic to towns in his home state of Michoacan.
"My father always repeated a lesson with me where he would explain how a unified group is stronger than the individual," Norberto said. "I try to live by that and do what I can to support the community. We have been blessed with a lot of support from this community, and now it's our turn to help someone else succeed."
*
Tony Alamo, 48 -- Doctor, gaming commissioner
Tony Alamo was born in Reno to Cuban parents and, except for a few years away at school, has spent his entire life in the Silver State. He has shaped some of Nevada's most visible industries.
Alamo served on the Nevada State Athletic Commission for six years and was recently reappointed to the Nevada State Gaming Commission by Gov. Brian Sandoval for a second four-year term.
