Slam Dunk: How Investing in Sports Boosts the Economy and the Future for Children in Tampico
Director of Operations, Grupo Garel, Founder Huracanes Tampico, LNBP
An increase in organized crime and poverty in Mexico has left many children without hope — the kind of inspiration that spurs young people to set goals for a productive and fulfilling life.
A native of Tampico, México, businessman José Angel García Elizondo had tasted success as a entrepreneur and wanted to ignite that same kind of passion in today’s youth. Combining his love of sports and business, José approached other business colleagues about investing in and creating a local basketball team.
Today, the Huracanes Tampico is a professional basketball team in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP), a league with more than 24 teams. Players are required to have a strong sense of social responsibility; the teams outreach efforts have touched the lives of more than 15,000 kids.
An executive with Grupo Garel, a fuel distribution and service station company, José earned a public accounting degree at Tecnológico de Monterrey, studied management at the Commerce Faculty at the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, and earned his MBA at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He is active in both community and industry organizations, including the National Petroleum Organization (ONEXPO), National Chamber of Commerce, National Chamber of the Transformation Industry and more. José is married and has one son.
Find José on Twitter @HuracanesTam or find more about the Huracanes Tampico at HuracanesTampico.com.
You can email Jose at JoseAngelGarEl@yahoo.com
Fun Fact:
José is known for his quick decisions: He proposed marriage to Zaira after less than 3 months of meeting her.
