Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com Diciembre 2020 25 By David Steinkraus A year ago, Santiago Garcia knew he had to expand his busi- ness in order to get more work. He had started his first business, GSG Material Tes- ting, in 1995 as an environ- mental sampling company. Later he expanded it to offer other material testing services. But his big move came a few months before the pandemic began when he finalized the purchase of HOH Group, a well-known Chicago architectural and engineering firm. It was a big step for someone who grew up in Pilsen and Skokie. "When I was growing up, when we went to down- town, it was like another country," Garcia said. To that younger self, having an office downtown was a symbol of success. Now he has an office on LaSalle Street, a few blocks from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Chica- go Board of Trade, and Willis Tower, right in the heart of the city's business center. He credits his parents' advocacy of education as a key to his success. Growing up in Skokie, when it was largely Jewish, taught him how to deal with people of other views. "My parents showed me a lot of times you just have to work hard at it and don't take everything as perso- nal," he said. He was the first to go to college among his cousins and brothers, and eventua- lly earned a master's degree from the University of Wis- consin-Whitewater in 1985. He still lives in Skokie with his wife Rosaelia. One of their two sons, Gabriel, is a civil engineer who graduated in 2019, and their other son, Santiago Garcia II, is studying information technology. Gar- cia says his career would not have been possible without their support. As he worked, he met Harry Hefter, who had star- ted HOH Group in 1959. Hef- ter became a mentor, Gar- cia said, and gave him work. That relationship brought Garcia the opportunity to buy HOH. "He agreed to sell it to me because he liked me, and we worked together well," he said. Now, in the middle of the pandemic, business isn't easy, but Garcia said his company is hanging in there. HOH is part of the first project mana- gement oversight contract for Metra and part of the general engineering contract for the Illinois Tollway. What has been harmed is his ability to nurture the relationships that bring his company work. "I'm the type of person who will go out and meet with people, go out for lunch, and meet after work to talk business and socialize. And hopefully they'll provide me with some opportunities. But with the pandemic, basically it's just Zoom," he said. "You're communicating with them, but it's not the same as when you see them one on one." What he's doing now is wor- king as hard as possible to have work ready for the end of the pandemic. Many agen- cies—Illinois Tollway, Illinois Department of Transporta- tion, Chicago Transit Authori- ty, Metra — are looking at pro- jects, and Garcia said he has been submitting proposals. As a disadvantaged busi- ness enterprise and minori- ty business enterprise, HOH could bring those qualifica- tions to a partner who needs them for a job and needs the services HOH offers, he said. So another part of his search is looking for such partner companies. Another advantage is HOH itself, he said. Some compa- nies offer only architecture or only one or two types of engi- neering services, but because HOH offers everything, Gar- cia said, he has more ways to attract clients. Right now he has about 30 employees. In the next five years he hopes to increase that to about 100. "Only in Illinois, with a governor like Pritzker and a mayor like Lori Lightfoot, could a minority-owned busi- ness acquire a 60-year-old, majority-owned company and think they have a chan- ce of succeeding," he said. "I think I have a chance." Minority owner gains a majority company La noticia no es que un perro muerda a un hombre, sino que un hombre muerda a un perro. Esta regla ele- mental del periodismo vino a colación con la buena noticia que nos trajo el empresario Santiago García. El dueño de GSG Material Testing, una empresa que fun- dó en 1995, anunció la adqui- sición de HOH Group, una reconocida firma de arquitec- tura e ingeniería de Chicago. "Que una empresa de minoría compre una compa- ñía mayoritaria es un hecho digno de celebración. Por lo general ocurre lo contrario. Es una muestra del poder de los empresarios latinos que aportan más de 700 mil millones a la economía nacional", dijo Jaime di Pau- lo, Director Ejecutivo de la Cámara Hispana de Comer- cio de Illinois. En el caso de García, hijo de inmigrantes que creció en Pilsen y Skokie, la compra de HOH representa un paso de ensueño. "Cuando era niño e iba al centro de la ciudad, era como visitar otro país. Tener una oficina allí era un sím- bolo de éxito", dijo. Ahora su oficina está en LaSalle Street, a pocas cua- dras del Banco de la Reserva Federal de Chicago, el Chi- cago Board of Trade y Willis Tower, justo en el corazón de los negocios de la ciudad. La adquisición de esta firma no es el final sino el inicio de un nuevo desafío empresarial que García lleva adelante con el espíritu de sacrificio y de trabajo duro inculcados por sus padres. Porque si bien tiene una maestría de la Universidad de Wisconsin-Whitewater, Garcia tiene un agudo olfa- to para los negocios. Ahora mismo trabaja "lo más duro posible" en propuestas para Illinois Tollway, Metra y CTA. (Versión del artículo en inglés). El poder de los negocios latinos en el nombre de Santiago García

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