Very quickly after meeting Luiz Martinez, my hubby, declared, “That guy will be president one day!” At that time Luis was eighteen and an inspiration to speak with; so young, yet somehow worldly. He cared deeply about people, and children especially.

In 2008, Luis came to teach at the Escuela San Quintin about 10 minutes outside of La Cruz in a tiny ‘Ranchito’ when a local advocate for the school, Edd Bissell, asked the Mexican Rural School System called CONAFE to please send a teacher who spoke English. Edd didn’t speak Spanish and needed someone he could communicate to continue to do his volunteer work with the kids. Then, as Edd told me “Voila – up showed Luis to start the school year off.”

With nowhere to stay, Luis was willing to sleep on the floor of the school but when Edd met him he was immediately impressed with Luis’ English skills, his intellect, and his caring for the children and brought him to his home in La Cruz to live.

I asked Luis about his credentials to teach, he explained; “It wasn’t really a teaching degree, the State gave us a 4-week intensive training for teaching in rural schools.” He learned English in the USA when he moved there for a stint. During the early days of my knowing Luis not only was he teaching at the school and helping Edd navigate living in Mexico he commenced his entrepreneurial ventures. At first, he was cleaning, maintaining, and all-around helping ex-pats, including me, look after their computers, specifically Mac’s.

Through mentor Edd, Luis helped many ex-pats deal with other issues from paying bills, to signing up for bank accounts, to untangling legal issues, interpreting for them, and more… then Edd suggested “Forget teaching, you need to get into law and make money for all you do for so many!” Luis agreed and Edd beams with pride, “The past 10 years have been a very positive adventure for me ever since meeting Luis; the school and kids improved, my cousins and I supported Luis through Law School and Luis learned how to take care of Canadians and Americans thru his very positive ventures!”

Luis decided La Cruz was where he wanted to call home as he loved the area and already had a friend and customer base there. Luis explained to me, “I‘m now a lawyer having graduated from Universidad del Valle. I consider my specialty is fixing hard cases where many people would back out. I like to find solutions. I have always considered myself an entrepreneur and have started many businesses and now have six full-time employees and six part-time employees.

Luis’ businesses include Sharecar, which he started before Uber came into the area. “I thought taxies were too expensive and I specialized in affordable rentals. Thru Sharecar I offer long and short-term rentals, airport transfers, day-trips, and private driver services. I’ve launched a new service call “Rent-as-you-go”; with this service, I’m able to let people buy thirty days of rental car service, at a good discount to use over 6 months. Customers can use two days at a minimum and any days as maximum. We pick up and drop off the vehicle at their home, always having a reliable, clean vehicle. For now, this service is available in La Cruz and Bucerias and will be expanding soon. One of the highlights of this service is the ability to upgrade to a bigger vehicle if it is available at no extra cost. When a customer needs a pick-up truck I have it, a 7-seater -no problem, a small car- it’s ready. People don’t have to keep their little rental cars, if they need something bigger we can accommodate, for example when family comes.”

PCE Mantenimiento basically does everything within a home. This business is run by my employees; I have been delegating it to them as I move forward to my other enterprises and philanthropic endeavors. Our services include plumbing, electrical, solar, air conditioning, painting, and minor concrete work. No landscaping or pools. I’m proud to say they’re doing well!”

Contact Luis at pce.consultant@gmail.com or on his website www.pcegroup.com.mx/