STRATEGIC PARTNERS
McDonald's Owner/Operator Richard Castro of El Paso, TX, has been named 2005 Hispanic Business Man of the Year by the USHCC at its recent Convention and Expo in Milwaukee, WI. The USHCC convention is the country's largest networking venue for Hispanic businesses and Fortune 1000 corporations.
September 19, 2005
"We congratulate Richard on this prestigious award that recognizes not only his business acumen, but also his unprecedented commitment to giving back to the communities we serve," said Ralph Alvarez, President, McDonald's North America. "We thank him for his partnership and the dedication and energy that he brings to the McDonald's system," added Alvarez.
Castro joined McDonald's in 1983 and is the company's largest Hispanic owner/operator with 22 restaurants in Texas and more than 1,000 employees. He has received numerous internal and external awards for his focus on McDonald's core guiding principles of quality, service value, and cleanliness. Earlier this year he received the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC) Chairman's Community Support Award during the annual state convention held in Houston, TX.
Besides his accomplishments as an entrepreneur, Castro has been an active community leader. In 1985, he initiated creation of the Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources (HACER(R)) Scholarship Program as a partnership of McDonald's owner/operators, Ronald McDonald House Charities(R) (RMHC(R)) and McDonald's Corporation. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, HACER has grown to become the largest scholarship program in the country for graduating Hispanic high school students. Since its inception, the HACER scholarship program has awarded more than $14 million dollars in grants to Hispanic students pursuing their college education. Castro is also involved with the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to area high school students who face adversity. In addition, he served as former president of the McDonald's Hispanic Owner/Operator Association (MHOA).
