This past weekend, I had the privilege of speaking at the Latino Business Action Network (LBAN) as a subject matter expert in the construction industry. The discussion focused on sectors and geographic areas of opportunity across construction, highlighting emerging markets, workforce trends, and the tremendous demand for infrastructure and housing development throughout the country.
While there are many opportunities for growth in construction, I emphasized what I believe is the single greatest opportunity facing our industry today: leadership.
The construction industry has no shortage of projects, capital, or technical expertise. What it often lacks is a strong pipeline of leaders prepared to build organizations, mentor others, and create opportunities beyond themselves. Leadership is the multiplier that turns individual success into community-wide progress.
That is precisely why LBAN has become such an important force in Hispanic entrepreneurship.
LBAN, in collaboration with Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business through the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI), has spent more than a decade helping Latino business owners scale their companies and expand their impact. Through its education, research, and business scaling programs, more than 1,200 entrepreneurs have participated in Stanford-affiliated programs, collectively representing over $10 billion in annual revenue and tens of thousands of jobs across the United States.
Yet the program’s most significant impact may be psychological.
LBAN challenges entrepreneurs to think differently about what is possible. It encourages business owners to move beyond survival and embrace a vision of scale, influence, and long-term impact. Participants gain access not only to Stanford-level education and research, but also to an ecosystem of mentors, capital providers, and fellow entrepreneurs committed to helping one another grow.
In many ways, LBAN and the National Hispanic Construction Alliance (NHCA) share a common mission. Both organizations seek to change the current dynamics that have historically limited Hispanic participation in leadership positions, business ownership, and economic influence. Both recognize that creating lasting change requires more than technical skills; it requires a shift in mindset.
That shift begins with understanding that leadership is not simply about what we receive. It is about what we contribute.
Too often, we measure every investment by its immediate return. However, building stronger businesses, stronger communities, and stronger industries requires a different perspective. Giving is not always about getting, at least not immediately. Sometimes the greatest returns come from investing in relationships, mentoring emerging leaders, sharing knowledge, and creating opportunities for others to succeed.
This is where the concept of a Sphere of Influence (SOI) becomes critical.
If we are serious about accelerating Hispanic economic growth, we must exponentially expand our collective sphere of influence. That means building meaningful connections across industries, regions, and generations. It means supporting one another’s businesses, introducing people to new opportunities, and creating networks that generate value far beyond individual transactions.
That is why events like NHCA at AVANCE Global 2026 are so important. Taking place September 14–16 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, the conference brings together construction professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders from across the country to learn, connect, and lead.
For anyone serious about expanding their network, strengthening their leadership capacity, and investing in the future of Hispanic entrepreneurship, I encourage you to attend NHCA at AVANCE Global 2026 and become part of the movement shaping the future of our industries.
Learn more and register here: https://nhca.pro/events/nhca-at-avance/
The future of our industry will not be defined solely by the projects we build. It will be defined by the leaders we develop, the networks we strengthen, and the opportunities we create for those who follow.
The greatest opportunity in construction is leadership. The greatest investment is community. And the greatest growth comes when we intentionally expand our sphere of influence together.
Because when Hispanic leaders invest in one another, we do more than build companies; we build ecosystems of opportunity that create lasting prosperity for generations to come.