Dr. Lizárraga is Chairman, President and CEO of TELACU, the largest Community Development Corporation (CDC) and 44th largest Hispanic-owned business in the United States.
Established in 1968 and utilizing one of the most successful approaches to community economic development, TELACU is a pioneering institution committed to service, empowerment, advancement and the creation of self-sufficiency. As the largest organization of its kind in the nation, TELACU focuses its more than $500 million in assets on improving the lives of individuals and families in the communities it serves.
Lizárraga created the innovative model on which TELACU is structured. The parent non-profit CDC delivers programs that serve the needs of communities' services for young people, veterans, families and senior citizens. However, TELACU differs from other CDCs in that its non-profit programs are primarily self-sustained by TELACU Industries, a family of businesses owned by TELACU. Through their own operations, these for-profit businesses also provide valuable products and services to the community, such as jobs, affordable homes, small business loans, and the creation of community assets. TELACU utilizes a significant portion of the earnings from these businesses to fund its non-profit programs. This cycle of community investment is the engine that sustains TELACU.
Lizárraga is responsible for the vision and overall direction for TELACU's implementation of positive change within communities through its subsidiaries, partnerships and activities. TELACU Industries is built upon four key business sectors' real estate development, financial services, construction and construction management. Lizárraga has proven that operating businesses in these profitable industries creates great economic and social impact.
Lizárraga believes that a new home and a good job provide the foundation for building the American Dream. In the field of real estate development, TELACU Development builds and sells thousands of quality homes for first-time home buyers. TELACU Development also builds communities for senior citizens and California's growing workforce throughout Southern California. And to spur job creation in inner-city communities, TELACU builds industrial, commercial and retail projects, having constructed more than 5 million square feet of space.
Lizárraga is committed to providing entrepreneurs and hard-working people access to capital to build a successful future. TELACU's financial services division owns and operates Community Commerce Bank, an FDIC-insured bank and one of the most successful small business lenders in the State of California. TELACU Community Capital provides important economic assistance to small businesses that do not meet the lending criteria of commercial banks through its operation of revolving loan funds in conjunction with private banks and the federal government. Both Community Commerce Bank and TELACU Community Capital are designated as Community Development Financial Institutions by the US Department of the Treasury.
Lizárraga believes that changing the physical landscape of communities is a vital part of their development. TELACU Construction and TELACU Construction Management build and oversee the construction of new community assets such as schools, transportation projects, government facilities, water transmission and distribution systems, public housing, and recreational centers.
Lizárraga has also established or acquired a number of other related businesses that fulfill TELACU's mission. In association with Edison and The Gas Company, TELACU Weatherization provides energy-saving measures and repairs to 10,000 low-income households each year at no cost to the homeowner. South Coast Shingle is a leader in the wholesale building materials business, complementing TELACU's development- and construction-related businesses. Tamayo Restaurant, a Los Angeles cultural landmark, is TELACU's contribution to celebrating the rich heritage of California’s Latino community through a blend of spicy cuisine, art and architecture.
Lizárraga ensures that these and the other significant businesses TELACU owns provide the necessary resources to fund TELACU's important community programs. In 1983, Lizárraga founded one of the most effective national institutions ever to impact the educational needs of the Latino community—the LINC TELACU Education Foundation. The Foundation was established in response to crisis-level dropout rates for Latino students in college, combining important financial assistance with highly effective programs that ensure college completion. Through his efforts, the Foundation annually supports 600 college students and serves 2,000 elementary, middle and high school students and Veterans. Recently, Lizárraga received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the California State University at Los Angeles.
Lizárraga shares his expertise, leadership, insight and time with many other civic, business, educational, governmental and community-based organizations. He has served as a governor's appointee to the State of California New Motor Vehicle Board, the California Arts Council and the California World Trade Commission.
To empower the agenda of small- and medium-size Latino-owned businesses nationwide, Lizárraga serves as Chair of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, advocating for more than 2 million Latino businesses. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Corporate America Task Force and as a member of the New America Alliance, he works to increase Latino representation in the top ranks of Corporate America and to provide greater access to institutional capital for growing Latino entrepreneurs. And as a member of the Bank of America National Community Advisory Council, he advises the bank in its efforts to implement lending practices and investments that better serve low- and moderate-income individuals and families.
To develop the next generation of Latino leaders in government, Lizárraga serves on the board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute with Latino Members of Congress, offering educational and leadership development programs to increase the participation of young Hispanics in the public and private sectors. By virtue of his success with the LINC TELACU Education Foundation, he has served on the boards of the California State University Foundation, the Independent Colleges of Southern California, and as a Trustee of Whittier College.
Lizárraga has also served on numerous other boards including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles County Music Center Operating Company, the Los Angeles City Club, Eastcoast Development Corporation and Faith Community Church.
