Hector Martinez has made a career out of helping entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds start their businesses and make inroads into providing products or services to established companies. Both from the nonprofit side and now as a supplier diversity specialist for Xcel Energy, Martinez offers advice, support, and networking opportunities to create business prospects for minorities, women, and the economically disadvantaged.
Martinez graduated with a degree in marketing and business administration from Winona State University, then spent four years as a loan officer at the Neighborhood Development Center, which cultivates businesses in low-income areas. More recently, Martinez worked in business development at the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, a nonprofit that consults with emerging and established ethnic-minority entrepreneurs.
“I really enjoy working with people one-on-one and coaching them through the issues,” says Martinez, who was born in El Salvador and grew up in Los Angeles and the Twin Cities. “Working with entrepreneurial people who are always moving, running, doing, and looking for opportunities—that’s intriguing.”
A big part of Martinez’s job is networking and building relationships with diverse entrepreneurs through a variety of organizations so that he has a cadre of business people to call on when an opportunity arises at Xcel. Less than a year into the job Martinez still is learning a complicated new industry and methods for navigating a large corporation. He finds it fulfilling to share that new knowledge with potential suppliers, who can then try to get their foot in the door with Xcel.
Martinez makes time for volunteer work, serving as past president of the Riverview Economic Development Association. He is proud of helping the association’s large Cinco de Mayo event turn a profit in his first year as president by focusing on the business aspects of the festival. An avid golfer, Martinez also has coached youth basketball in St. Paul.
