When Tania Marquez started her small public relations agency four years ago, she had no idea that in a few short years it would be among the top 500 Hispanic businesses nationwide.
“I feel like the entrepreneurial spirit is something that is a part of my DNA,” Marquez said. “As I embarked on my career 15 years ago, I always knew that I wanted to be self employed.”
Marquez, President and CEO of Torres Marquez Communications, was born in Mexico and migrated to the states with her family as an infant. She grew up in Phoenix and started her company in 2009 with an all-Latina staff in the peak of the recession.
“I like to call Latinas the new triple threat: we’re making milestones in our homes, we’re making milestones in our careers and businesses, and we’re making milestones in our families,” Marquez said.
Now, Marquez has 10 male and female staff members all of Hispanic descent. This year Torres Marquez Communications made Hispanic Business Magazine‘s Top 500 list, a national achievement.
Hispanic Business, an online magazine, ranks the country’s top 500 Hispanic-owned businesses based on growth and revenue. Torres Marquez Communications, at spot 471, joined four other Phoenix companies on the list, with a 2012 revenue reported at $1 million.
Marquez believes that her generation is setting a precedent for the Hispanic community.
“Now what you’re seeing is that second generation really become activated,” Marquez said. “We’re seeing Hispanics who have higher education levels and have higher income levels than their parents ever dreamed of.”
James Garcia, director of communications for Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said he believes that immigrants, like Marquez, who make up one-third of Hispanic business owners fuel entrepreneurship.
“Immigrants are entrepreneurial by nature. That is to say, moving from one country to another, to a fresh start, requires the spirit… of entrepreneurs,” Garcia said in an email interview.
Marquez said that with the combination of the Downtown Phoenix campus and an emerging arts scene, she believes downtown Phoenix complements diversity.
Carlos Rivas, an in-house artist at the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center, believes that the art community is an important link to Phoenix’s growing diversity. Rivas said that the community is accepting of all cultures, and is focused on the quality of the art.
“Phoenix is happening now,” Rivas said.
Recent reports show that Phoenix is just one area where Hispanic businesses are thriving. According to the Datos 2013 report, released by the AZHCC, 67,300 Hispanic businesses operate in Arizona, nearly twice the number reported in 2003.
The increasing Hispanic population is a contributing factor to business growth, but some officials also point to other influences.
“Education gaps remain, sure, and too many young Latinos still quit school or are pushed out in numbers disproportionate to the population, but the uptick in education achievement overall… is better preparing more Latinos to start news businesses in more diverse fields,” Garcia said.
Nationally, Hispanic businesses are growing at a rate 2.5 times that of non-Hispanic businesses. For Latinas, this number is 3 times the national rate.
The report also released that 62 percent of Hispanic business owners say that they plan on expanding their ventures, promoting even more growth in the Phoenix community.
“Today, we’re a third of the population and spending more than $43 billion on goods and services,” Garcia said. “Nationally, we account for $1 trillion in consumer spending. That’s the equivalent to the gross domestic product of Spain.”
For Marquez, being a part of the growth is something she values personally.
“One thing I’m very proud of is being able to contribute to the economic improvement of our state,” Marquez said.
Contact the reporter at clongbon@asu.edu
