Board Member Spotlight: José Alvarez, Vice President, Prospera-North Carolina

It is the small gestures that can speak volumes to a person’s character. Mid sentence in explaining the complexities of his work, José Alvarez pauses to address a spider who has interrupted the conversation. “Hey, little spider!” he says jovially to the tiny speck of pure terror slowly descending from the ceiling as he cuts the silk rappel rope with his hand and gently relocates the offending arachnid.?

Born and raised in Venezuela, Alvarez came to the United States when he was 18 to attend college. For the past 15 years, he has worked with Prospera, first in their offices in Florida, and now as the vice president of Prospera-North Carolina. In this role, he runs statewide operations for the organization, which has offices in Charlotte and Raleigh.

José’s introduction to the Rural Center came early into the expansion into North Carolina. New to the state and the entrepreneurial landscape here, data from the Rural Center helped as Prospera-NC began programmatic work in several counties. He joined the board of directors in 2021, the same year Prospera’s Raleigh office opened - coincidentally, in our office building.?

Prospera focuses on bilingual technical assistance for Hispanic entrepreneurs. Over the course of the past 32 years, the organization has expanded from one location to several regional offices covering all of Florida, and is looking to address needs in other states, first with the launch in North Carolina, and more recently with adding an Atlanta-based operation.?

Prospera’s purpose is to help immigrant Latinos integrate into the American system through entrepreneurship. Because the majority of clients are foreign-born, they may not have a clear understanding of how to navigate the necessary systems to start or expand their businesses. Prospera supports its clients by conducting one-on-one assessments, providing resources for accessing capital, offering business seminars in Spanish, and awarding grants for subcontracted professional services to advance their businesses.

When looking to expand nationally, North Carolina was a very deliberate choice. Prospera conducted two national studies to identify target markets. North Carolina landed in the top five markets in both. With the growth of the Latino population in our state, and the lack of technical assistance opportunities for these entrepreneurs, North Carolina became the obvious choice for the first location outside of Florida.?

The Latino population here, José very quickly learned, has specific challenges compared to Florida. In North Carolina, one of the biggest issues is trust. As such, the onboarding process takes longer. “We had to really tweak our model,” he explains. “In North Carolina, we have to talk to them more. They are hesitant to share their personal information until they can talk to me three or four times. The fourth time, finally they fill out the application to work with us. We can have three conversations, it's okay. And leadership knows that. My boss knows that. They're fine with it because that's the way we make an impact.”

While the model has been tweaked to better serve North Carolina, the work remains the same. Prospera focuses on providing technical assistance for Latino entrepreneurs, not only through the delivery of their services, but through collaboration with partners across the state to ensure a holistic approach to meeting the needs of these communities.?

José Alvarez elevates this approach with his warm and welcoming nature. His attention to care is evident - from the compassion and patience he has working with Prospera’s clients, to his dedication to the work of our board of directors. To the kindness he extends to a spider.?