Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Garcia.
Hi Carmen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up in Houston, Texas, my father was an entrepreneur and had a well-established paint & body shop behind our home. One day, he asked me to come to his office, handed my a spiral notebook, and said, “You are going to be my accountant”! Well, at that time, it was simple – what jobs came in and the estimates, and when they were completed, and final payout. I did not know then that would be my path to entrepreneur later in life.
I did not have the opportunity to go to college, but after taking a position in Houston with ARCO Oil and Gas, they offered me a position in Dallas in Governmental Affairs. We were the lobbyists for the company. The person that hired me knew that I did not have a college degree and he basically encouraged me to go to community college and once I graduated with Honors, he encouraged me to continue my education to earn a Bachelor’s Degree from Dallas Baptist University. He was truly my mentor and saw something in me that I did not know I had – the willingness to earn a degree. I would not be where I am today if he had not been by my side going to classes on a part-time basis for 7 years! I truly admired his tenacity and belief that I could do this!
ABRAC, A business relations advisory company, opened for business 20 years ago. After 5 years as an established and successful consulting business, the State Fair of Texas offered me a permanent position as the Director of Community Affairs (position created with me in mind). Had the opportunity to be the spokesperson for the Fair with the Hispanic media. After 5 amazing years at the State Fair, DART offered me a position in the Diversity Department as a Director. This provided me an opportunity to learn about the transportation industry and to provide minority businesses an opportunity to do business with DART. My responsibilities included representing DART with all of the minority business organizations and chambers of commerce. This truly was my passion and after 12 years of making a difference for our minority businesses, DART offered an early retirement package to employees who has been with the Agency for over 10 years. The decision to take the package was difficult leaving as the Assistant Vice President of Diversity & Outreach. Thus, re-launched my business in January 2021 to provide that same service that I provided at DART, was the right thing to do. To build capacity for our minority businesses and to provide resources for my clients to grow. Today, I truly have that same passion and only see my business growing in a variety of services with private and public companies as my clients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As mentioned, it was a difficult road for me as a single mother. The struggles were obtaining a job that would provide a decent living in Dallas after leaving Houston, TX in the early ’80s. The struggles became challenges and with the help of my new Dallas friends and professional associates, my career began to flourish. It was my boss at ARCO, that made a difference in my life and that he saw something in me and taught me the inter-workings of public policy and governmental affairs. Met so many prominent elected officials from Governor Ann Richards to Ambassador Ron Kirk (back then he was the Secretary of State). Ron Kirk later ran for Mayor of Dallas and I moved from Austin back to Dallas to assist him with his campaign and ran the campaign office. This, I believe was the catalyst to open my own business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a certified minority and women-owned business in today’s challenging environment, the services that my company provides is to advocate for the growth and inclusion of minority business enterprises (MBEs) in the North Texas Region. ABRAC’s mission is to increase capacity building and partnerships for MBEs to strengthen the diversity and inclusion of MBEs in today’s environment.
Most proud of making a difference for companies that, at times, making those connections are difficult due to lack of exposure to the industries that they are pursuing. ABRAC has accomplished this with my current client and it is really making a difference as it has expanded his network and continues to build relationships. It is those relationships that when projects are sent out for bid, my client is a few steps ahead of others. Ultimately, my motto is, “building relationships is the key to success – use it”.
What sets me apart from others is my personality – I never meet strangers, but build relationships that are essential to building a better understanding of each other – trust, self-awareness, inclusion, and open communication.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Important lessons that I have learned is that there will always be bumps in the road, but when you hit that bump, just pick yourself up and make the encounter better than the first one. Everyone may not be on the same page, but if you simply work together as a team, and collaborate, then the outcomes are usually positive.
Contact Info:
- Email: cgarcia@abracllc.com
- Website: www.abracllc.com
