ST. GEORGE —A nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Latino entrepreneurs has expanded to Southern Utah.
Suazo Business Center has made a debut in St. George with its advising office at the Atwood Innovation Plaza on the Utah Tech University campus.
Silvia Castro, the president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization, said Sauzo focuses on economic empowerment and development for minority communities through business advising.
“Our nonprofit is minority led … by minorities for minorities and it takes on a different approach in that myself and my staff come from different countries,” Castro said, adding that all of her employees are either bilingual or trilingual.
Suazo Business Center helps its clients navigate the business world through mentoring, education and connecting them to resources.
Cristina Zavala, the Suazo advisor in St. George, said anyone with a business or an idea for a business is encouraged to see what Suazo has to offer.
“I love when they dream and they come with that drive, but they don’t know where to steer or where to go next,” Zavala said. “I love to connect them with the people they need to talk to and create their business.”
When a member of the community comes in with an idea, Suazo aims to take it and turn it into reality. They have the cultural expertise and diversity to help make their clients feel comfortable and empowered, Zavala said.
While success looks different to everyone, Suazo helps clients take their goals and create a unique plan, Castro said, adding that they want clients to feel like business owners and not someone just working on a job.
Both Zavala and Castro said they hope to see Sauzo become a permanent part of the St. George community.
Having the office at the Atwood Innovation Plaza allows clients to utilize resources such as the Business Resource Center, MakerSpace, Innovation Guidance and Solutions Center, and Startup Incubator as well as connect with all other business offices housed in the building.
Castro said the idea to expand to St. George originally came from Don Willie, the former president and chief executive officer of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce. Since then, they have worked with multiple individuals in the community and with Utah Tech University.
They are currently in the early stages of the expansion to St. George and plan to add more coordinators and a few interns. They also plan to offer workshops and classes for entrepreneurs.
Their first workshop will be held April 13 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Atwood Innovation Plaza. The workshop will be in Spanish, and Zavala encourages anyone with a business or an idea for a business to participate in the workshop.
“We’re excited about the expansion and look forward to learning from the community and becoming a part of the community,” Castro said.
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