A Liftime of Experience Makes the Difference

Businessman helps Hispanics with real estate, life

Servicios Hispana owner tires to educate immigrants on how to make their way in America the right way.

As our nation's Hispanic population continues to grow, politicians and private citizens find themselves unable to agree on what to do about the illegal immigration issue. One Madison resident, who has built a successful business providing services to Hispanics while trying to honor his American heritage, is now finding himself in the role of educator as much as businessman.

Luis Del Mazo, Sr., owner of Servicios Hispana (Hispanic Services), has provided the Hispanic community with real estate services, document translation, insurance services and more since 1999. But these days, with the increased attention being paid to the immigration issue, and the decline in the real estate market, Del Mazo has found himself facing changes in his business.

"Since I can't solve the immigration problem, I feel it's my job to help educate illegals, " his said. "Many of them don't understand why Americans are upset with them. I ask them, 'Who do they think is paying for the schools their kids are going to? Who do they think paid for the roads they're driving on?' I tell them I paid for those things through my taxes, and if they want to stay in this country, they need to pay taxes to."

Del Mazo is of Cuban descent but was born in Florida. English and Spanish were spoken in his home, and he is fluent in both languages, which has made him one of the most successful registered translators and interpreters in the Nashville are.

"My father brought our family here from Cuba in 1939 before I was born, and he followed the rules of this country," he said. "He taught me to do the same. One of the rules is that you pay taxes to live here, and I tell my clients there are ways to do that even without citizenship, because there are. They just aren't aware of it."

Housing market causes concern

As the housing market has suffered, so has Del Mazo's real estate business since he was profiled in Davidson A.M. in April 2004. Not only is the market in decline, but may Hispanic buyers, legal and otherwise, are hesitant to make the commitment of buying a house.

"Many Hispanic families save their money and can make good down payments on houses," he said. "But now they're afraid of family members being deported and losing everything. So, instead of spending that money for a house here, they send it back to their country of origin."

Del Mazo believes there may be a solution that would keep some of the money in the U.S. "Maybe we need some kind of guest worker permit like the president has suggested, some kind of per-person free to stay here and work," he said. "Illegal's I've talked to have said they would pay it gladly. And my Americans friends who don't believe they have the money could be in for a big surprise. Many illegal's will find a way to pay for the privilege of being in this country."

'Many are glad to pay'

Del Mazo said he doesn't believe illegal immigrants are after a free ride, but that they simply need to be taught about how America operates. "There are great organizations in Nashville like Conxion Americas, the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and others who are trying to help educate these people," he said. "Once they have it explained to them, many are glad to pay what they owe for taxes, medical care, whatever. But they need to be educated."

"I don't know the answer, and I don't know anyone who dies," he said. "As the child of immigrants, and someone who illegal's trust that speaks their language, I empathize with them. But my first obligation is to the United States of America. I want to know who is in my country, and I want to pay their own way."

Language is no barrier to Madison business's services

As the middle Tennessee Hispanic population continues to grow, many Hispanic residents find themselves in need of someone to translate Spanish-language documents into English, and vice versa, to function in American society.

A Madison company is providing this service, and more.

Servicios Hispana, owned by Luis Del Mazo Sr., has made life easier for Hispanic immigrants who are unable to speak and write English and who don't have the necessary English documentation to do such things as apply for loans or marriage licenses.

"We translate birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, adoption papers and other documents," Del Mazo said. His business offers much more than just document-translation services, however.

Del Mazo also is a licensed real estate agent and an insurance agent, and his full-service business offers assistance to immigrants who are buying or selling homes and looking for auto insurance.

"We accompany a lot of people to traffic court," Del Mazo said, "when they have a traffic ticket and when they don't know how to plead. I also will go in there as their insurance agent to show that they do have proof of insurance, and I also translate for them in court."

"We also do a lot of real estate closings," he said. "We go to different title companies and close the loans for them in Spanish."

Del Mazo was born in this country. The son of Cuban immigrants, he was taught English and Spanish as a child.

"I speak fluent Spanish because my dad wanted us to remember our Cuban heritage and our roots," Del Mazo said. "But he was just as fanatical about us speaking English. He taught us that this is America and that we should speak English."

Del Mazo moved to Nashville from Miami in 1976, partly to pursue a career in music.

"I studied at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and I used to come through here," he said. "I remember when I came over Monteagle Mountain for the first time, and it took my breath away. I thought Tennessee was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. And I love Nashville, it's got everything I ever possibly want."

After operating a Nashville coffee-wholesaling business for years, Del Mazo began to recognize the need for services for Nashville's burgeoning Hispanic population.

"To be honest, I really wasn't aware at the time of how large the Hispanic community is here," he said.

His son persuaded him to go back into real estate, which he had practiced in Miami, and the rest of Servicios Hispana's business grew from there. Del Mazo's wife, Cathy G. Clark, is an executive at a Nashville chemical company.

Del Mazo feels that Hispanic immigrants who come to America to find a better life fill a vital need within the community through the type of work many of them perform until they become established.

"That level of work is needed, it's the backbone of the country, and we need those kinds of workers," he said. "They appreciate the jobs, and they don't criticize and bad-mouth the jobs. Like any first-generation immigrants, they're thinking about the futures of their children, their educations."

"The appeal of Tennessee is multifaceted for them," he said. "They're well-received here, they're appreciated here and they appreciate the fact that there's opportunity to work here."

Even though he's an American by birth, Del Mazo said he is glad to be of help to anyone who sincerely wants a better life and is willing to work for it.

"My father taught me never to underestimate or disrespect anyone," he said. "He taught me never to look down my nose at anyone or think I was better than anybody."

Luis Del Mazo Sr. owns Servicios Hispana, which caters to the needs of the growing Hispanic population in Nashville. His company sells real estate, auto insurance and translates documents.

Getting there

Servicios Hispana is at 4605 Gallatin Pike in Madison. For more information, contact Luis Del Mazo Sr. at 227-5300.

Del Mazo also is a licensed real estate agent and an insurance agent, and his full-service business offers assistance to immigrants who are buying or selling homes and looking for auto insurance.

Nuestra Gente

Experiencia a favor de los Hispanos

Los hispanos han sido considerados como una raza de lucha incasable, y la muestra de que esta es una realidad es Luis del Mazo, Sr. quien con más de 20 años de experiencia en el mercado de las bienes raíces en este país, a logrado no solo la confianza del mercado hispano, sino también el agradecimiento de cientos de familias que se han visto beneficiadas con su labor. En una agradable charla, muy al estilo cubano, este hombre de gran presencia y personalidad nos hablo de su vida y sus aspiraciones.

"Yo me inicie en este negocio en el ano de 1971 con me papa, quien era corredor de bienes en Miami, mis padres llegaron a este país en el año de 1939, procedentes de cuba. La verdad para mi navegar entre dos culturas fue un poco confuso, ya que cuando Fidel Castro toma las riendas de Cuba, mis amigos que eran americanos ya no me veían como un igual sino como un cubano y para aquellos que estaban llegando de la isla a este país no era un cubano sino un americano, así paso mi niñez y mi juventud, tratando de discernir quien soy."

A pesar de no vivir en Miami, el Sr. del Mazo radicado en Nashville desde 1976, disfruta esta ciudad que cada día da más muestras de crecimiento hispano, y eso para un hombre que ayuda a esta cultura a conseguir su sueño de poseer una casa es una satisfacción.

"Yo llegue a esta ciudad cuando el termino hispano no se conocía, a partir de ahí, esta ha crecido, yo me inicie en el negocio de café aquí en Nashville y tiempo después me di cuenta que existían muchos hermanos hispanos que tenían necesidad de una casa, así que regrese a mis trabajo en las bienes raíces y aquí estamos marcando la diferencia, porque nosotros creemos en la palabra de aquellos que legan a esta ciudad con el deseo de superarse. Para mí el sueño americano es tener su propia casa y un plato de comida en la mesa, yo tengo mucho agradecimiento con la vida, lo que yo tengo en estos momentos se lo puedo dar directamente a la comunidad hispana, los últimos 20 años he trabajado muy duro como todos, y estoy muy agradecido por lo que tengo, solo la satisfacción de entregarle a una familia las llaves de su casa, ayudarlas a conseguir su meta, eso es lo que me hace seguir adelante."

Los imposibles no existen en la vida de Luis del Mazo, acostumbrado a escalar montañas y a desafiar las alturas y las profundidades, la lucha diaria es solo un paso más para lograr lo que quiere, es por eso que mira los retos no como una cumbre imposible sino como un cumulo de posibilidades de explorar.

"Soy un hombre que le gusta la aventura, y cada día que me veo en el espejo me digo, hombre que dichoso eres, tienes un buen negocio, una bonita familia, tienes vida, y es ahí donde se que puedo compartir esa felicidad ayudando a los demás. Es cierto que me veo en mi futuro viejo y haciendo otro tipo de inversiones que nada tienen que ver con las ganancias económicas, por ejemplo, tengo el plan de en un futuro formar una fundación que de becas a los hispanos, no sé, 3 o 4 becas, para que puedan continuar sus estudios, esa son las inversiones que me interesan. "

Esta es la imagen de un hombre que demuestra su edad solo en la madurez de sus acciones, que se siente feliz, y los trasmite a las personas que están a su alrededor, que busca crecer en la forma en la que ayuda a crecer a los demás y que está dispuesto a mantenerse vigente porque su vida es el trabajo que da la felicidad, el trabajo que ayuda. Es quizás la fuerza de su espíritu la que lo ha llevado a dirigir una de las compañías más prestigiosas de bienes raíces que sigue desarrollándose y buscando los médicos para apoyar a mas personas, este el Luis del Mazo, Sr., un hombre que se define a sí mismo como feliz y dichoso, y que enmarca su esencia en una frase.

"UNA VIDA DE EXPERIENCIA MARCA LA DIFERENCIA"