- Gladys Gonzalez, a Colombian immigrant to Utah who spearheaded formation of the Suazo Business Center, died at the age of 79.
- Her supporters praised her and her efforts, focused on promoting entrepreneurship in the Latino community, and say the woman’s influence will continue.
- Suazo is a non-profit organization that provides business education to would-be business operators.
SALT LAKE CITY — As an immigrant to Utah from Colombia, Gladys Gonzalez put a focus on helping other Latino immigrants trying to gain a toehold in Utah.
She ran a newspaper geared to the Latino community, later launched a marketing agency and, perhaps most significantly, spearheaded the formation in 2002 of the Suazo Business Center, which has helped thousands of would-be business operators get their start. Gonzalez died last week at the age of 79, prompting an outpouring of grief from her many backers.
But Suazo leaders say her impact will keep reverberating. They held a ceremony last March to formally name the structure housing Suazo in her honor, the Gladys Gonzalez Building, and issued a statement this week to celebrate her achievements…