Barney Santos: “There are no words to describe how honored & extremely humbled I am to have been selected as one of Los Angeles County’s 100 social change agents for our work launching @gentefy @blvdmrkt & @alchemycraft.”
Barney Santos was a very restless and observant child. At an early age, he saw his mother going to Downtown LA to buy clothes to later sell them, and his father took him to the Santa Monica pier to sell beads that they made themselves.
“At school, I was bored; I think from a young age I assimilated the spirit of entrepreneurship, of business. I remember that while walking on a street I always liked to say what kind of business could succeed in a specific location; I think I was born to be an entrepreneur,” says Santos, a businessman, and founder of numerous companies over the years, among them BLVD MRKT stands out, a space he defines as “A Food Hall that utilizes entrepreneurship, creative placemaking, and artisan food as a catalyst for economic development and community revitalization. Good food, good vibes, good times.”
“I also had a normal childhood. I was a troublemaker, and sociable, but I have always had that adaptability side. If I was with the students with good grades, I adapted to them; if I was with the most mischievous, I adapted too. Even today, I can meet with my high school classmates and have a good time. Later, I can meet with investors and discuss million-dollar projects without a problem,” he adds.
Barney’s parents are of Salvadoran origin, his mother arrived first in the seventies, and his father, years later. In that country, they lived through tough times including the civil war.
He recognizes that, although the business world has absorbed him, it is important to take time for himself. He loves practicing Muay Thai and fixing cars.
Santos grew up in a Latino environment, first in Maywood and then in Lynwood.
“It was strange; I was Salvadoran, but all my friends were Mexican. Even today, I speak Spanish like a Mexican,” he says.
Since he was a child, he has liked reading; he has a passion for books and the stories they tell.
“I liked horror stories, serial killers, biographies, the Bible, history. I like history, telling it; perhaps that’s why my focus is so much on the branding and marketing of businesses,” he says.
His mother didn’t pigeonhole him; she tried to expose him to other cultures, to make the assimilation process easier. He traveled a lot with her, which allowed him to expirience other places and imagine future projects.
He soon discovered that having a business was better than working for others.
“I have many opinions; that can be a problem if you work for someone else,” he says.
For Barney, the concept of creativity is very important. Starting a business has to do with that challenge; it’s one of the layers that is very exciting for him.
“There’s a concept I use, build the architecture of culture. Permitting ourselves to do new things where they are oriented to our culture. That’s very important, permitting ourselves to do it,” he adds.
“I liked horror stories, serial killers, biographies, the Bible, history. I like history, telling it; perhaps that’s why my focus is so much on the branding and marketing of businesses,” he says.
His business spirit has put him up and down in his life. In his 20s, he had already founded a mortgage company that allowed him to have a penthouse in downtown L.A. and a great car. But then the economic crash of 2008 came, and he lost everything. However, he didn’t give up; a few months later, he focused on another business that became a success.
During the pandemic, just as it was beginning, he and his partners had acquired some commercial buildings; when the lockdown came, it was the perfect opportunity to build and have them ready when COVID ended.
“The road is hard; there are many ups and downs; the important thing is to persevere, not to give up,” he says.
He recognizes that, although the business world has absorbed him, it is important to take time for himself. He loves practicing Muay Thai and fixing cars.
“I travel a lot; my wife loves to travel. It’s a good reset to start over again. When I travel, I see places, other concepts that I will probably apply to my projects later,” he adds.
“I always explored the ‘Why’ of things. That needs to be instilled in children; we don’t see it enough,” he says.
His philosophy is not very complicated. First, just be a good person, whatever he tries must be community-oriented; has to be creative plus culturally relevant.
“I always try to create spaces for Latinos. There aren’t many products; I want to define myself by that idea. I see a lot of potential in our community; Latinos are extremely hard workers and creative. Where they fail is that sometimes they are one-dimensional, they seek to define themselves with a piñata, a skull; they don’t seek other ways to express themselves. That’s where we need to push ourselves and create other things, ask ourselves, ‘how can we create something relevant, we must give ourselves permission to explore being Latinos,” he adds.
For example, he comments that he always grew up questioning everything.
“I always explored the ‘Why’ of things. That needs to be instilled in children; we don’t see it enough,” he says.
Despite being a successful businessman, he is not someone who is thinking about money. Rather, he thinks about his projects and the impact they will have on society.
“We live very modestly; we don’t spend much. I learned that in 2008 when I was living above my means. Now I seek to be more realistic and build things for other reasons beside money and projects that will have importance in the future. I want my businesses to transcend and be remembered,” he says.
Barney holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship from Cal State LA, a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from USC, and a Doctoral Degree from the School of Hard Knocks.
Barney has spent the past 16 years launching for-profit, nonprofit, academic, and corporate new ventures. Previously, Barney was in charge of Exploratory New Business Models for Unilever North America and ran the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at California State University, Los Angeles. Today Barney is the CEO of Gentefy and is currently building a Food Hall Business Incubator in the City of Montebello for local food entrepreneurs called BLVD MRKT, according to its website.
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