Three decades ago, Luis Garcia, a poor Nicaraguan construction worker, bought a used concrete pump and a pickup truck, quit his job, and launched his own concrete business.
Today, Garcia is the owner of Adonel Concrete, one of the largest companies of its kind in Florida. He has streets named after his company, employs more than 300 people, and has become a pillar in the communities he has helped build, like Doral and Sweetwater. Concrete Pump Sudbury
In this episode of "Making it in America," a video series highlighting the impacts of immigrant entrepreneurs across Florida, we show viewers what Garcia has accomplished as a Nicaraguan in South Florida. His concrete plants are located everywhere from Sweetwater to Vero Beach to Haiti.
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Thousands of Nicaraguans, who have helped build South Florida, are now facing a threat of deportation because their temporary protected status (TPS), has been revoked by immigration authorities.
This documentary series is about showing what happens when immigrants are embraced instead of marginalized, encouraged instead of threatened. Luis Garcia shows that the immigrant spirit that helped build Florida is still thriving.
Residential Concrete Pumping Corral, a former newspaper reporter and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, is founder and CEO of Explica Media. He can be reached atocorral@explicamedia.com.