Gary Acosta is an entrepreneur, investor, and advocate for the Latino business community. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), the largest Latino business organization in the nation with more than 58,000 members and 100 local chapters. He is also the Co-Founder of AVANCE Global, an event platform created with media entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, Nely Galán.
Gary also founded AVANCE Sports, a non-profit dedicated to expanding Latino leadership and influence in the sports industry. He is a founding partner of L’ATTITUDE Ventures, the largest venture capital fund that invests exclusively in Latino-led startups. He is the creator of the Hispanic Wealth Project, a non-profit with a mission to advance economic mobility and generational wealth in the Latino community. His video series, “The Latino Brand,” shares his take on business, leadership, and the image of Latinos in America.
Gary attended the University of California in San Diego and Pomona College, where he played varsity basketball for Hall of Fame coach, Gregg Popovich. He lives with his family in San Diego.
After the El Paso tragedy, I became as angry and distraught as anyone. We now know the shooter in El Paso was from Dallas, and drove to El Paso specifically to kill Hispanics and immigrants. Unbelievable! Prior to the attack, the killer posted a manifesto on social media where he essentially expressed that the demise…
Last week I was in Miami for NAHREP’s Entre Familia event. It was a big success and after a full day of real estate skills training, I had the chance to talk about the upcoming NAHREP at L’ATTITUDE event. I expressed to the group that some people come to NAHREP to acquire new skills and…
Of all the things wrong with our political system, the worst might be that our system rewards short term success at the expense of the long-term health of the country. Our growing deficit is one primary example of this phenomenon. America’s fiscal deficit is expected to reach over a trillion dollars per year over the…
This week my son showed me some videos of AAU highlights and I was stunned. Eighth graders doing tomahawk and 360 dunks…eighth graders! Makes you wonder what is happening and whether it is physically good for the kids. Researchers are starting to look at the injuries of todays young NBA stars, and whether they are…
Because of electoral college and gerrymandering, you probably live in a state that will play no material role in the 2020 presidential election. The large majority of the states are firmly red or blue, and they will likely stay that way in 2020. In fact, the election will likely come down to four states: Michigan,…
NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard decided a while back that he wanted to finish his career in SoCal where he grew up. Rather than being a part of a super team by joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers, Leonard surprised many by instead choosing the LA Clippers. However, this should not have…
Before Donald Trump denigrated Mexican immigrants in his speech where he announced his candidacy for President, the thought of a businessman like Trump running for president would have been interesting to me. Like a lot of people, I believe we need new blood in Washington with new ideas and free of the cesspool of special…
Although I was disappointed, I wasn’t surprised when HUD announced last week that FHA would not back loans made to DACA recipients. DACA was a designation made by the Obama Administration that provides temporary legal status for a select group of people who were brought to the U.S. when they were small children and have…
This is the time of year when social media is flooded with photos and stories of our friends enjoying exotic vacations from around the world. I enjoy travel, but I have found that vacations can also be stressful and exhausting. Exactly the opposite of what they are supposed to be. My advice is to use…
It’s no secret that smart phones, the internet, and social media having been constantly eating into in our lives, and the number of people who regularly carve out time to think and work distraction-free has become fairly miniscule. Not surprisingly, the scarcity of deep thinkers will make them the biggest winners in our economy in…
As I was writing this blog, my beloved LA Lakers closed a huge trade. Anthony Davis, arguably the best center in the NBA will join LeBron James on the Lakers roster next season. The trade immediately makes the Lakers a contender for the 2020 NBA Championship. Good news for Lakers fans…but to be honest, I…
I recently read that 40% of real estate agents and loan officers will change companies in the next twelve months. This tends to happen when the market shifts dramatically. Real estate is a cyclical business and after one of the longest bull markets in modern history, it’s not a surprise that things are starting to…
I’m of the belief that our political system is broken. Until we get rid of gerrymandering and big money in politics, we won’t have a government that truly reflects the will of the people. I think this opinion has support from all political persuasions. That said, we can stick our heads in the sand or…
I might be a bit premature in celebrating, but my prediction about Kawhi Leonard is proving to be correct – in a big way. The Raptor forward is about to bring the musician Drake and about a million rapid fans from Toronto, Canada their very first NBA Championship. Leonard is my kind of superstar: talented,…
About ten or twelve years ago, I was at my local driving range hitting some golf balls on a Sunday afternoon. The driving range in Del Mar has The Golf Mart next to it. On this particular day, the driving range was packed and The Golf Mart was hopping. The guy who ran the shop…
I have been reading a book called Factfulness, with a subtitle that says Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think’. Bill Gates supposedly called it one of the most important books he has ever read. The book begins by asking the reader to answer a few…
I wrote the words above almost three years ago when I first drafted the NAHREP 10. It was not a part of the original list, but a friend urged me to include something about health and fitness on the list and I thought it was a good idea. However, regardless of what I wrote, like…
Image credit: Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press Mark my words, at the end of this season, the basketball gurus will declare Kawhi Leonard as the best all-around player in the world. Besides being the best defender in the league and a top 5 offensive player, Leonard is a winner. Everything he does on…
Julián Castro is a former HUD Secretary and a Democratic candidate for president of the United States. He also happens to be Latino, so of course I should support him—and I do. The truth is that Julián is a long shot. The Texas native comes from humble beginnings, but he and his twin brother Joaquín…
Late Friday the world received news that the Robert Mueller report was completed and sent to the Attorney General for review. Before anyone other than the justice department has seen any of the report or its primary conclusions, the speculation has been all over the place. Fox News is saying the report has vindicated the…
