Abilene businessman calls Business Mercado a networking opportunity for all

Ricardo Gutierrez sometimes refers potential customers to his competitors. It's his way of networking to secure more clients in the long run.

When people are in the market for insurance, they may spend all day shopping around, said Gutierrez, owner of RGF Insurance Agency. His is an independent office in Abilene that serves clients throughout West Texas and as far as Houston.

For example, if he is unable to provide a health insurance policy that meets their specific needs, he recommends another agency. He sometimes contacts the other agent first to ensure the product is available.

In saving people time, Gutierrez said, he builds a connection.

"The next time you need home insurance, you'll call me again," Gutierrez said. "So the value of networking for me is that I'm always keeping that client in front of me at all times."

Networking at Business Mercado

Other networking links come with his involvement in the Hispanic Business Council of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce and its Business Mercado.

The event is in its 13th year after being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. It is scheduled form 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Abilene Convention Center, and is open to all.

Gutierrez described Mercado as family-friendly with entertainment, festivities and businesses showcasing their services and "a great way for businesses to network."

The event also demonstrates the Hispanic buying power, he said.

The Mercado is not just for Hispanic-owned businesses or visitors, Gutierrez said, but rather a way to support the community.

Challenging childhood

Born into servitude in Oxaca, Mexico, Gutierrez values the freedom that comes with being a business owner, despite the challenges, he said.

His grandmother, a servant of a wealthy family, became pregnant by the master, Gutierrez said. After his mother was born, she was adopted by another wealthy family that owned a hotel.

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"She was adopted as a daughter, but she became a servant, a slave, just like my grandmother," he said.

Gutierrez and his siblings were expected to work at the hotel and entertain by singing and acting, he said.

"They treated us bad. They would whip us, put us in dark rooms," Gutierrez said about the adoptive family. "We couldn't call the kids that were our age by their names. We had to call them by kind of like a title, like lord so-and-so."

His mother eventually broke ties with the family and moved her children to a small, dirt-floor room that already was home to fleas.

"We eventually got rid of the fleas," Gutierrez said.

Finding his father

His father had not been a part of his early life, but that changed after his mother died in April 1988.

"My oldest brother made it his mission to find my dad," Gutierrez said.

After calling family members, the brother located the father in San Angelo.

"I was about 12 or 13 years old when I first met my dad," said Gutierrez, who came to San Angelo a few months after his mother died.

"When we were crossing the border, I would see the billboards and was like, 'Dad, what's that say?' He would tell us, and I was, 'Wow, my dad knows English,'" Gutierrez said with a pause before finishing the story. "Well, he didn't."

What Gregorio Gutierrez did know, his son said, was to instill in him and his brother the importance of learning English and of community service.

"My Dad used to tell me work smarter, not harder. Use your brain and your talent of speaking two languages," Gutierrez said.

The father and son grew to develop a close bond.

"We would talk every day – talk about things that I can and should do for the community," Gutierrez said.

After his father died in December 2020 from COVID-19, the San Angelo City Council designated Jan. 23 "Gregorio Gutierrez Day." Speakers at a memorial that day included the mayor and the city's U.S. congressman.

Fueled in part by his father's example, the younger Gutierrez forged a career path that led to Abilene.

Business aspirations

After becoming a licensed agent in May 1998, Gutierrez worked for American National Insurance. A management position prompted a move to Abilene in 2001.

"In 2003 I decided to open my own insurance company. That's one way that my dad was leading me," Gutierrez said.

From a home office in an area of the living room, Gutierrez Insurance Agency started. It grew and moved to three more locations before its current address at 2102 Ambler Ave.

Today, he employees three people and is a broker as well with agents in Lubbock, San Angelo and San Antonio.

"About five years ago I changed it to RGF Insurance. My business has grown from Hispanics to whites, Blacks, Asians. We write business all the way to Houston. It has brought us abroad in different ways, just by changing the name," Gutierrez said.

Clients include individuals and businesses.

"My No. 1 goal in the community is to be a bridge between Hispanics and non-Hispanics, but also to be an advocate for minorities, whether it's an individual or Hispanic businesses," Gutierrez said.

At the chamber's Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Celebration Sept. 23, Gutierrez was honored as Redcoat of the Year and his business as Hispanic Business Council Champion.

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In addition to devoting time to the chamber and sponsoring some events, Gutierrez also has been supportive of events organized by the Hispanic Leadership Council, such as the 16 de Septiembre Parade, Cinco de Mayo Parade and a Día de los Muertos event.

"We're not telling people we're Mexicans, we should have everything. What we're telling people is this is something that is our cultural heritage, our tradition," Gutierrez said. "We just want exposure for everybody to see what we do," Gutierrez said.

Community support can come in ways beyond large financial donations, Gutierrez said, with investments of time and expertise also impactful.

"if I can do this, anybody can," Gutierrez said about his volunteerism while owning a business. "And so, people start seeing that our time and effort are valuable. It's just as much as money, right? We can change things," Gutierrez said.

Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

What to know about Mercado

The 2021 Business Mercado is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Abilene Convention Center. The event is planned by the Hispanic Business Council of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce.

This year's event will feature exhibitors, the Hispanic Heritage of Abilene display, family fun, food and entertainment, according to a chamber news release.

Entertainment includes a local mariachi band, Ballet Folkloric of the Big Country and a Selena look-alike contest at noon.

The event is free to the public, and safety protocols have been put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the release said.

Those protocols include encouraging the use of face masks, fewer booths to accommodate social distancing, signage to encourage one-way traffic and technology to disinfect the air.