Gary Acosta is an entrepreneur, public policy advocate, investor, and thought leader passionate about advancing prosperity for Latinos and other underserved communities. As an industry leader, he protects and improves the business environment required to close the wealth gap, particularly via homeownership. Amongst other endeavors, he is Co-Founder & CEO of NAHREP, the country’s leading Hispanic business organization, and Co-Founder of L’ATTITUDE, the preeminent platform for Latino economic empowerment. Acosta is also a general partner of L’ATTITUDE Ventures, the nation’s largest venture capital fund exclusively focused on Latino-led start-ups. Join Gary as he dives into today’s issues through many creative formats.
While slowing the spread of COVID-19 should be everyone’s priority, the economic well-being of our communities is also vital. NAHREP sent a letter to the President, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that advocated for homeowners and renters in distress, small business owners and consumers struggling financially. The letter was also…
It’s disconcerting to see how politicized the coronavirus issue has become, though in the highly polarized environment we live in, I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise. Depending on the media source we choose, people are either excessively panicking or posting ignorance that suggests coronavirus is a non-issue or just another flu. Both are wrong.…
Like most organizations, NAHREP was forced to cancel its convention which was scheduled for this week. Over 1,100 people were registered and we had a great program in place so it was unfortunate that we had to cancel, but it was definitely the right decision. Our sponsors, chapters, members, boards, and partners have been supportive…
This week I was in New York for L’ATTITUDE meetings with CNBC and American Express. I also had the chance to meet up with Claudia Romo Edelman, a career diplomat with the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. Claudia is a force of nature and recently launched an organization and campaign called “We Are All…
My blog is brief today because I am working with the NAHREP research team to complete the annual State of Hispanic Homeownership Report. The report provides an overview on how Hispanics are faring in terms of homeownership, and reviews various metrics to predict what is likely to happen in the near future. For NAHREP, it is…
There was only one real story in the world news this week – coronavirus. I am not an expert of infectious diseases, but let me say up front that while I think the threat is real, I think the U.S. will avoid the worst of it. While the disease is less dangerous than previous strains…
The latest polls show Bernie Sanders opening us a double-digit lead over his democratic rivals and with his big win in Nevada, momentum seems to be building. Donald Trump and his supporters appear to be delighted by this. I assume because they think Sanders would be the easiest Democrat to beat in a general election. Sounds eerily familiar.
The Academy Awards has a long history of being a place where celebrities share their political views and this year was no exception. Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for Best Actor for his brilliant performance in Joker. He used his time on stage to make his case for the environment and the treatment of animals.…
For those that don’t follow the Academy Awards, Parasite, a film directed by Bong Joon-Ho, won the Oscar for Best Picture. The film was made in South Korea with English subtitles. It is the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I think it’s cool that the…
FORBES/KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES Several weeks ago, I mentioned that I had joined the board of the Latino Donor Collaborative – an organization started by Sol Trujillo that is focused on improving the narrative about Latinos in America. The board of the LDC looks like a “who’s who” of Latino executives and entrepreneurs including Linda Alvarado,…
In our current hyper-polarized political environment, I don’t think many people were surprised that Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate. Now that it’s over, and Trump is taking a victory lap, the question at this point is how does any of this affect the 2020 presidential election and…
I don’t have many heroes who are younger than me, but Kobe Bryant was one of my biggest heroes. On Sunday, January 26th at 11:44 AM PST, I was at a hotel gym in Colorado Springs doing a light work-out. I was getting dressed in the locker room when my friend, Raul Espinosa sent me…
Oscar Munoz, the CEO of United Airlines, and the only American-born Hispanic CEO of a major corporation, announced his retirement last month. He will step down as CEO in May and will take the position of board chairman. United is the largest U.S.-based airline and the 76th largest U.S. corporation according to Fortune Magazine. Under…
Photo Credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com For the first time in 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs will play in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs will square off against the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs were almost knocked out of the playoffs in the first round when they trailed the Houston Texans 24-0 in…
NAHREP is hosting its National Convention and Housing Policy Summit on March 16-18 in Washington DC. Almost everyone I speak to these days is talking about how technology is affecting the real estate industry, and especially how it is changing the way real estate agents prospect and conduct the sales process. For years, companies like…
I have been traveling quite a bit since the holidays. I’ve always traveled extensively for my work with NAHREP but this year I have supplemented that travel with a 20-city tour promoting L’ATTITUDE. The plan is to meet with Latino business leaders in twenty major markets throughout the country, creating awareness about L’ATTITUDE and getting…
The narrative in the sports world this week was dominated with the bruhaha around the Houston Astros cheating scandal. For those that don’t read the sports page, Major League Baseball suspended Astros Manager, A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow for orchestrating a sophisticated signal stealing scheme dating back to their 2017 championship team.
Former HUD Secretary, Julián Castro ended his presidential campaign last week with an announcement simply stating that it was clearly not his time. While Castro never polled beyond four percent, he ran an outstanding campaign – doing especially well in the debates he was able to participate in.
Under the direction of President Donald Trump, U.S. military forces killed the top military general of Iran. News of this has created a firestorm of speculation about what this means and whether it was the right decision. There is little debate that Qasem Soleimani was an enemy of the United States.
Lin-Manuel Miranda says he began writing the musical, In the Heights, when he as a nineteen-year-old college student. After a couple of friends from Wesleyan University offered to help produce the show, Miranda took his idea first to a regional theater in Connecticut, and ultimately to Broadway, where in 2008, it won four Tony Awards,…
