Linda Alvarado
Inductee Name
Linda Alvarado
Place of Birth
New Mexico
Date of Birth
1950
Year Inducted
2002
Category
Business
Sponsor
Juanita Chacon
Impact
Nationwide
Linda Alvarado, a Horatio Alger Award honoree, was raised in a family of six children. The family lived in an adobe home without indoor plumbing and only a wood stove for heat. During her college years Alvarado worked for a landscape contractor and thus began an amazing life journey. She overcame prejudice and significant social and economic challenges to become a leader in both the construction industry and business community and has become a role model and motivator of women. Today she is president and CEO of Alvarado Construction, a general contracting firm based in Denver. The firm has participated in major local projects including the Colorado Convention Center, Denver International Airport, and the new home of the Denver Broncos. Alvarado shattered the glass ceiling in both the private business and corporate worlds. Norwest Bank was the first to recognize her capabilities, inviting her to sit on their board at the unheard-of age of 27. Within a few years she became a director of a Fortune 500 company. Respected for her leadership abilities, Qwest Communications, The Pepsi Bottling Group, 3M, Pitney Bowes, and Lennox International also asked her to sit on their boards. At 39, Alvarado made history as the first woman to participate in a successful bid for ownership of a major league baseball franchise, the Colorado Rockies.
Her quiet philanthropy helps others achieve their dreams. As one of a handful of women designated as a Sara Lee Front Runner, she donated her $25,000 honorarium to the International Women’s Forum for scholarships for women. Alvarado has been voted one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in our nation and speaks nationally and internationally, inspiring others to achieve their goals.
In Her Words
HERE’S A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS LINDA DID FOR MAKERS.COM:
On being CEO of Alvarado Construction
It’s never impossible
Linda Alvarado: Never Impossible
On being thought of as the coffee girl
On Women in the front office
Linda Alvarado: Women In The Front Office
On what it takes to start a business
Linda Alvarado: The Spark To Start A Business
Books containing reference to Linda Alvarado:
U.X.L. Hispanic American Biography
The American Dreams Collection
History of Colorado’s Women for Young People
A to Z of American Women Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America
