But Lucio, a Hispanic business owner who came from Mexico at age 16 in 1983, said some Hispanics, no matter how good they are at what they do, face obstacles that serve to limit their business.

"As for my business, it is good; I have excellent customers around the community," Lucio said. "But I think perhaps for other businesses just beginning, (the business owners) don't understand some things, and I think probably there is just a small barrier on how to go on about growing their business."

Lucio agreed these people are good at what they do, but they need more information on how to operate a business.

A group of Hispanic professionals in Tyler wants to see things change for the future of Hispanic business owners. And that includes opening the doors for major companies to be their customers.

"Our vision is economic prosperity for all," Tom San Miguel, secretary of the East Texas Hispanic Business Forum, said.

"Tyler is very fortunate that there is quite a bit of economic prosperity for a number of reasons, but when you spend a number of years here, you don't really see a lot of Hispanics enjoying much of that prosperity, as opposed to when you go to Houston or Dallas or San Antonio," said San Miguel, director of operations for the Midwest Division of HardHatBid Inc., a software company.

He said the group wants to open opportunities for Hispanic-owned companies to conduct business with each other and with any other business in the Tyler area, and to communicate with "Fortune 1000" companies about contracting opportunities for Hispanic businesses in East Texas.

Dan Arguijo, forum president and Cox Communications media relations manager, said the group wants to see more Hispanics in corporate boardrooms in the area, not just involved in civic functions.

"We need to go to places that are non-traditional Hispanic areas, and we've got to make Tyler at least on the top five places for Hispanics to think of to raise their families and to get professional jobs," Arguijo said.

Eleno Licea, forum treasurer and a Southside Bank mortgage loan officer, said about 35 million Hispanics lived in the United States in 2000 and their purchasing power was about $475. In 2004, about 40 Hispanics were living in this country, and their purchasing power was about $600 billion.

Arguijo said the group has looked at several Hispanic-owned businesses and the cash flow was staggering. And it is just starting its research into the Hispanic business market.

"We're talking millions of dollars that go into this economy," he said, referring to the initial businesses. "What it represents for Cox is that we need to get on top of that and get with an organization that understands the nuances and let them navigate us through that whole system."

But in checking for other groups to identify this economic impact, he could find none. Arguijo said an entity was needed to collect this information and assist Hispanic business owners.

The beginnings of the group trace to January, when Arguijo asked Gus Ramirez to assemble a luncheon group of the Hispanic leadership in Tyler. About 45 people attended the luncheon.

"It was funny because some of them had not even met each other, and they had been here for 15, 20 or 30 years," Arguijo said. "They did not know that there was this type of Hispanic professional in Tyler."

Arguijo told the group he wanted to meet the next week to start a steering committee. Since then, about 100 people attended an event to which the group was host, the Hispanic Business After Hours.

"There was a mixture there from doctors to lawyers to shoemakers who were Hispanic," he said.

The group performed a survey of about 100 individuals and organizations - Hispanic and non-Hispanic.

"It gave us a clear indication that what Tyler really needs is a Hispanic business organization to empower the wealth that they currently have and build wealth," Arguijo said.

Since then, the group has received questions of what it would do - organized as a business group - about educational disparity, voting disparity, inequalities and racism.

"I said we're not going to tackle any of those issues, but those issues will be taken care of through a business model," Arguijo said.

On May 18, a group ranging from professionals to craftsmen elected officers. Aside from Arguijo, San Miguel and Licea, those assembled elected Raul Rendon, a University of Texas Health Center at Tyler perfusionist, vice president.

Arguijo said the forum's short-term goal is to identify the purchasing power and economic impact Hispanics have in East Texas.

The group is in the process of obtaining its 501C3 charitable status, and officers will assume their offices as soon as the status becomes final. Future plans include international trade missions, procurement opportunities for Hispanic businesses with local government incorporations, networking events, a business mentoring and partnership program between Hispanic-owned businesses and mainstream companies, scholarship and business awards programs and Small Business Administration seminars for Hispanic-owned businesses. It is also in the process of developing a bilingual Web page.

Arguijo said the group hopes businesses will contribute operating monies for the forum.

Flor Navas-Jones, an interpreter and translator who owns Connections in Tyler, develops marketing strategies to reach the Hispanic community.

She said she started the business about five months ago to help businesses and nonprofit organizations in the English-speaking community communicate with the Spanish-speaking community to sell their products or offer their services.

She said she does not believe she or anyone she knows have been treated differently in Tyler because they were Hispanic business owners, and she has not encountered any stories of Hispanic business owner discrimination from non-Hispanics in the area.

"Tyler is a very open community," Mrs. Navas-Jones said. "I don't think the citizens of Tyler make any distinction. It's just like any other market - they want the service, they want it done well when they're paying for it."

Carlos Larrañaga, owner of Pico de Gallo restaurant on Spur 364 west of Tyler, said he and his family came to Tyler to provide for his family.

"We were looking for a good foundation for our family - spiritually first, because we're Christians, we love the Lord," Larrañaga said. "We researched different cities in Texas and in different states. ... We noticed right away the Hispanic community was growing, the businesses among the Mexican or Hispanic owners were wonderful. We sensed that Tyler was a place to fulfill our goals and dreams concerning our restaurant."

A chef who grew up in a Jewish area of Mexico City and began working in a restaurant at age 12. French chef Albert Musca invited him to the United States. Larrañaga worked at restaurants with the Stouffer's Hotel chain and at La Fonda San Miguel in Austin. He also met Rebecca, his wife, in Austin, and she encouraged him to start his own restaurant.

Larrañaga opened Pico de Gallo nine weeks ago.

"We have to do the best we can, not only for our families, but to give a good representation of who Hispanics really are," Larrañaga said.

Ms. Navas-Jones said many non-Hispanics misunderstand what the term "Hispanic" means, thinking it means Mexican. But Hispanics include Cubans, Guatemalans, Venezuelans and Puerto Ricans, and many subcultures exist within the Hispanic culture.

"The food is different, the accent is different even though we can talk to each other," Ms. Navas-Jones said. "There are many cultures within our culture, and that's what makes is so beautiful."