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Aguirre is affectionately known around his office as “the guy from Queens.” He grew up in Jackson Heights, NY, as the son of Colombian immigrants whose work ethic served as a template for Mr. I had that strong network of banks and just wanted to let people know the programs that were available to them.” “And after the credit crunch, standards were stricter. “A lot of people in South Florida had to rebuild their businesses, but maybe they didn’t have perfect credit,” Mr. Capital Source that helped to streamline the financing process for small and underrepresented companies impacted by disasters. Aguirre established ACT for Small Business, a public-private partnership under the umbrella of U.S. John’s, the company is a believer in community service and social responsibility. Consistent with the Vincentian heritage of St. The company provides financing to entrepreneurs eager to build a business or to established business owners looking to expand. Once those races concluded, he established U.S. Aguirre left the organization in 2007 to work on the presidential campaign of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and subsequent local races in Miami. Hired in October 2005, within seven months he was running the small business division, helping Main Street businesses grow across the nation. Aguirre built a network of commercial lenders while serving as a key executive at the US Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business advocacy organization. I thought, why not put together something from that network of lenders that I have to help local small businesses rebuild?” “Well, the number-one issue for entrepreneurs is always access to capital. “People ask me why I would start a commercial lending company during a recession and in a credit crunch,” Mr.
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN SERIES
Aguirre founded in the middle of the 2007–09 financial crisis and in the aftermath of a series of hurricanes in South Florida, where he now lives.
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Just look at the success he has enjoyed with U.S. Aguirre understands why some would-be small-business executives see entrepreneurship as a gamble.īut to those who believe it’s not worth the risk, he says entrepreneurship is the best route to financial independence. Gabb, who retired from the University in 2019: Be open-minded, see things broadly, and always be willing to have a conversation.īold enough to establish a commercial lending company during one of the nation’s greatest financial crises, Mr. Aguirre, 44, has never forgotten the lessons he learned from Dr. Tobin College of Business to the Executive Directorship of the small business division of the US Chamber of Commerce, and now as one of ’s “ Top 10 Finance Entrepreneurs to Watch” in 2022, Mr. Even if people hate capitalism-and that’s the essence of my business-I want to know why they hate capitalism.”įrom The Peter J. “To this day, that is still a philosophy that I use. “Anthony Gabb, Ph.D., was my industrial economics professor, and he made me see things more openly and from all perspectives,” Mr. Actually, in the classroom of one professor in particular, he said. Greg Aguirre ’03TCB began his journey to entrepreneurial success in the classrooms of St.