Ramon Martinez, president and CEO of the social service agency Progreso Latino, recently announced his organization is boosting its efforts to promote immigrant entrepreneurship.
The federal government has provided the agency with a $182,000 grant that will be used by Progreso Latino and the R.I. Small Business Development Center to educate business owners.
For the past two years, the two agencies have run a 10-week course that teaches immigrants how to launch a business. The grant money will be used to add more sessions, and to launch a second 10-week course aimed at helping established business owners expand. In addition, the funding will be used to help Progreso Latino develop a strategy for becoming a national organization.
The agency is already the largest bilingual, multi-cultural social service agency in the state of Rhode Island whose goal is to help the immigrant community achieve greater self-sufficiency and self-determination.
Martinez recently spoke with Providence Business News about the organization’s plans and new direction.
PBN: We’ve heard there are plans to expand Progreso Latino into a national organization. Can you tell us something about that?
MARTINEZ: It’s part of our vision. We want to become the pre-eminent organization in Rhode Island and a national organization. The strategy is in development, so I can’t divulge too much information right now.
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PBN: What demands are pushing you in that direction?
MARTINEZ: First of all, there’s a burgeoning Latino population in the region, starting in New England and heading down the East Coast.
Secondly, Rhode Island is a small state, and in order to continue serving the community, we’ll have to go beyond state borders. There are 10,000 nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island, all trying to serve similar constituents. At the same time, state government is facing a budget deficit. They’re cutting back on many services, so we have to look for other revenue sources. We believe we have the type of organization that can do that.
We’re running innovative programs that could work well in areas beyond Rhode Island. Case in point – Progreso Latino is part of the Tri-Communities Coalition – that’s TriCom for short, which is crafting an economic plan for the communities of Cumberland, Central Falls and Pawtucket. We’re looking at how we can build resilient communities, communities that can survive an economic downtown. That’s something we can export outside of Rhode Island.
We’re looking at education. We have a bilingual preschool. And the Mayoral Academy – that’s the regional charter school the General Assembly just approved – that was a TriCom initiative. It will be open to all students in Cumberland, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Central Falls and Lincoln.
PBN: Tell us about your program to boost minority businesses.
MARTINEZ: It’s a partnership with the R.I. Small Business Development Center. It’s a twofold effort. The first stage – called Primer Paso – educates people who are interested in starting a business. The program involves just about every type of business. They learn how to develop a strategic plan, how to market, how to get financing.
The second step, which we are adding now, is for people who already have a small business and want to build on that, who want to expand their business. The program is open to all immigrants, by the way. Our constituency is Latino and immigrant.
PBN: Lately we’ve heard some people – including the governor of this state – voice concerns about immigration. There are claims that immigration is another cost laid on taxpayers. Any comment on that?
MARTINEZ: Immigrants are key to Rhode Island’s economic growth. The state is losing people, but at the same time we have immigrants coming in, and immigrant entrepreneurship can help kick-start our economy. We’re in a recession, we face a looming budget deficit, so it’s time to tap into the immigrant community. They can stimulate growth. They’re more entrepreneurial than the native-born, more likely to be self-employed. Just look at Broad Street in Providence. You’ll see an area that has been revitalized by immigrant business owners. •
