Population of Spanish speakers up: Area businesses capitalize on growing market niche

Pres Montoya knows enough Spanish to order a beer and maybe ask where to find a restroom. As a businessman, there are times he wishes he knew more.

If anything, he said, the business community has long been the most prepared to handle the language barrier, a bit of foresight that the county, city and school districts have yet to fully understand.

As estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released Tuesday show, the number of Spanish speakers continues to rise, along with Greeley's foreign-born population.

Banks, insurance companies, such as State Farm, and real estate agents have all jumped on the market niche Spanish-speakers have presented in Greeley, Montoya said.

When Montoya first started in real estate 26 years ago, no one focused on Spanish speakers. Now, he said, that niche is worth it, given the number of Spanish-speakers in Greeley grew 26 percent in just the last five years, according to the Census estimates.

The number doesn't mean that the residents speak only Spanish. Montoya said most of them probably speak a little English, and Census numbers match his thinking. It also means they're more comfortable speaking their own language, even if they can manage enough English to hold a job.

"I think it opens up a whole new market to any Realtor," said Troy Garcia, assistant to Annabelle Canzona, owner of New Horizons and an agent for 27 years who has found success marketing herself to Spanish speakers.

Garcia added that knowing the language has helped clients feel more comfortable.

The motivation was there for businesses to adjust, Montoya said.

"Businesses are looking for profit," he said. "I think the school districts and city and county could learn quite a bit from that."

Montoya, who served on District 6's school board for eight years until 1991, said during his era, the district prepared for the influx of Spanish speakers, but somewhere along the way, those goals got lost.

"We fell asleep at the wheel, and now, 10 years later, the district has some problems," he said.

The city could make more of an effort to market to Spanish speakers, said Sylvia Martinez, leader of Latinos Unidos. She said a Latino resource center would help, a way for Spanish speakers to learn about the services the city has to offer.

"I'm not saying the city has to bend over backward," she said, "but if we want to integrate these people, I think we need to make more of an effort. The services are there, but I don't think there's any type of accountability as to how they are being provided or advertised."

Joe Tymkowych, spokesman for the Greeley Police Department, said the department has worked hard to increase the number of bilingual employees in every area, not just officers.

"We continue to try and stay up to that demand," he said.

Officers also receive a small booklet with common Spanish phrases, and some attend in-house classes put on by other officers. Greeley's had only two of what officers call "hate" crimes based on someone's race or ethnicity, Tymkowych said.

Martinez was encouraged by Sunday's People Building Community Forum sponsored by her group and the Greeley Human Relations Commission, a meeting that attempted to encourage residents to talk about ways to improve the city.

"Not knowing about culture creates fear and misunderstanding," Martinez said. "So what we were doing is trying to come together and bridge that gap."

GREELEY NUMBERS

The 2005 numbers are estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau and have a fairly wide margin of error. This is the first time numbers this specific are available from the U.S. Census; in the past, they were available only during the Census' official count every 10 years.

«Spanish speakers

2000 - 13,130

2005 - 16,578

«Of those, those who speak English very well ...

2000 - 7,874

2005 - 8,704

«And those who speak English less than very well ...

2000 - 5,614

2005 - 6,496

* Less than very well could mean they speak it well, not very well at all or not at all.

«Foreign-born residents of Greeley:

2000 - 7,421

Not a citizen -- 5,416

The population of Greeley was 76,818.

2005 - 7,971

Not a citizen - 6,922

The population of Greeley was 82,836.