The Palm Beach Post

Monday, July 28, 2014

palmbeachpost.com

Charles Garcia, the new CEO of the Latino professional organization ALPFA, ran a $2 billion financial firm that catered to the booming Hispanic market.
He is an Air Force Academy and Columbia Law School graduate. DAMON HIGGINS / Palm Beach Post

Latino groups new CEO eyes future workforce

Finance Professional takes
helm of ALPFA, aiming to
build Latino Leaders.
By Linda Santacruz

MONDAY
MEETING

First break in the business: My family and friends stepped up

to fund my first big business idea, starting a financial firm based
in Boca Raton to serve the booming Hispanic market in the
United States and Latin America. The firm grew to 60 offices
in eight countries with $2 billion in assets, and they all got their
loans paid off with interest.

A Q&A WITH ...

Best business book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Charles P. Garcia

Best piece of business advice you ever received: The world

is not coming at you, its coming from within you.

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Last month, ALPFA, one of the nations largest Latino professional organizations, selected Charles P. Garcia as its new chief
executive officer.

CEO of ALPFA

Garcia has served in the administrations of four presidents of

both parties. Most recently, he served as CEO of Garcia Trujillo
Holdings LLC, a merchant banking, private equity, and consulting firm.

About your organization: ALPFA (pronounced alpha) is a

national nonprofit with 23,000 members, 42 professional chapters and 128 student chapters (offices in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and now South Florida)

Last month, the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance

and Accounting, one of the nations largest Latino professional
organizations, selected Charles P. Garcia as its new chief executive officer.

How your business has changed: I became CEO of ALPFA

because our country is at a key inflection point. We have over
10,000 mostly older white baby boomers retiring every day for
the next 18 years. If they want to retire with their Social Security benefits, and that means we need young people to become
workers and pay taxes into the system.

Garcia has served in the administration of four presidents of both

parties. Most recently, he served as CEO of Garcia Trujillo Holdings LLC, a merchant banking, private equity, and consulting
firm.
Garcia is also a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and military
officer who was appointed to oversee all Air Force Academy
operations as chairman of the board of visitors. He is a Columbia Law School graduate, a former White House Fellow and the
author of two books on leadership.
After an extensive search, we are thrilled to welcome Charlie,
who is passionate about our mission of developing Latino business leaders and driving value to our constituency, said
ALPFAs National Chairwoman Yvonne Garcia in a statement.
Age: 53
Hometown: Panama City, Panama

One in four people under the age of 18 in America is Latino,

and more than 1 million Latinos turn 18 every year. The workforce in some of our larger states is 40 percent Latino. Our
country depends on this vibrant workforce for its future, and
ALPFAs mission is to empower and develop these Latino men
and women into leaders of character for our nation, in every
sector of the American economy.
First paying job and what you learned from it: I rode horses
competitively when I was young, and my first job was to cut
long grass, which I stacked in a wheelbarrow to feed up to 25
horses, along with mucking out their stalls every day.
It was hard work. It taught me the value of a full days work
and especially humility, because there are a lot of unglamorous
jobs someone just has to do, and their self-worth is so much
more than that.

What you tell young people about your business: I tell them
to master the language of business by studying accounting and
sales.
What do you see ahead for Palm Beach County? Im very
positive about our economic outlook. We have a great workforce and also a huge influx of businesses moving out of the
Northeast, especially hedge funds and other financial services
firms because theres no state income tax in Florida.
Compare that to New York, where the state and local governments took $14.71 of every $100 earned in 2010. It doesnt hurt
that it doesnt snow here, and we have 45 miles of pristine
coastline in Palm Beach. And our schools are graded based on
student achievement, and those in Palm Beach County are
among the highest-rated in the state.
Power lunch spot: Abe & Louies steakhouse in Boca Raton.
Favorite smartphone app: iBridgeBaron (I am an avid bridge
player)
What is the most important trait you look for when hiring?
As a CEO, Im hiring mostly senior leaders, and Im looking
for authenticity and self-awareness of their lifes calling.
Authentic leaders demonstrate a passion for their purpose, practice their values consistently, and lead with their hearts as well
as their heads. They establish long-term, meaningful relationships and have the self-discipline to get results. They know who
they are. And thats what is most important to me.