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Driving NAHREP’s 2026 Regional Vision: A Conversation with Alex Garza
When Regional Connect Events Work, Here’s What They Do Best…
NAHREP’s Regional Connects are evolving into powerful wealth-building engines, and Alex Garza, Director of Regional Operations, is helping lead that shift by focusing on deeper connections, global opportunities, and intentional leadership development.
Alex isn’t new to this. He’s been part of NAHREP for more than 20 years as a volunteer before stepping into the role that now has him supporting six regions, their leadership, and the events that knit them together. 2026 is one of those years where the structure he’s building is going to matter even more.
Movements don’t live in mission statements. They live in rooms. Rooms where people have skipped closings, rescheduled clients, and hopped on planes because they believe that what happens there can change the trajectory of their families and their communities. For NAHREP, those rooms have a name: Regional Connect—the regional gatherings where members come together to learn, strategize, and bring a little more order, intention, and cultura to a chaotic market.
Leadership with Purpose: Linking the Daily Grind to a Greater Wealth Story—Together as Comunidad
On the calendar, Regional Connect shows up as a series of regional events across the country. On the ground, those gatherings focus on meaningful action, emphasizing true wealth-building rather than just production.
Regional events bring chapter leaders, brokers, and rising voices into the same room with national leadership and top producers. The conversations focus on what’s really happening in our markets—what’s working, what’s breaking, and what must evolve so our community isn’t the last to know or the first to lose. Sessions center on the HWP pillars of NAHREP’s work : real estate, business ownership, financial assets, and protecting what our families build. The professionals in the room aren’t speaking in theory—they’re guiding families through down payments, new businesses, and first investments at the kitchen table every day.
Regional Connect is where business and cultura meet. It’s not a sterile conference that asks people to leave their identity at the door, but a space where language, stories, and lived experience shape how learning happens. When leadership, substance, and cultura come together, the result isn’t just another event—it’s momentum.
Why 2026 Matters for NAHREP Regions
Every organization hits a point where growth stops being about adding more events and starts being about tightening the architecture. For NAHREP, 2026 feels like that kind of year for the regions. The network is national. The membership base is deep.
The question isn’t whether Regional Connect is “a good idea.” The question is: Are the regions built to carry the next phase of this wealth agenda, or do they need to be resourced, reimagined, and stretched to match the moment?
That’s where Alex’s work moves from logistics to design. Regional operations, at this stage, is about building the scaffolding that lets chapters grow, leaders emerge, and members plug into something bigger than their own production numbers.
So instead of pretending the playbook is finished, it makes sense to treat 2026 as a year of intentional questions—especially for the person charged with making the regions run.
Big Shifts in 2026
What is the biggest shift NAHREP members can expect from regional events in 2026?
Alex Garza: In 2025 there was a deliberate push to study how regional events could deliver more value to both regional partners and the national partners who sit on the Regional Corporate Board of Governors and help drive attendance. A key change was systematically inviting local chapter presidents into both virtual and in-person regional board meetings, which immediately strengthened relationships and created more referrals among lenders, realtors, insurance professionals, and other partners.
How is the Regional Corporate Board itself changing?
Alex Garza: Historically, those boards were heavily lender-focused, but the mix is broadening to include real estate firms and a growing list of international partners. Developers from markets such as Mexico and Spain are now engaging at the regional level and opening new revenue-generating opportunities that help members grow income beyond their local markets.
Global Ecosystem and New Partners
You mentioned international partners. What does “going heavy on global” look like?
Alex Garza: For 2026, there is a clear strategy to lean into global partnerships, with new developer relationships expected to activate early in the year, especially from Mexico and Europe. These partners are not just sponsors, they are bringing tangible projects that can create new income streams for NAHREP members who want to operate and invest globally.
How will this affect the overall ecosystem?
Alex Garza: The regional connects are becoming the hub that brings together brands across the NAHREP ecosystem, including real estate, construction, and sports and entertainment platforms. The vision is for regional events to function as cross-industry networking engines where members can tap into a unified ecosystem instead of isolated silos.
Regional Support and NAHREP Chapter Growth
What role do the regions play in supporting NAHREP Chapter Growth and leadership?
Alex Garza: The Regional Corporate Board of Governors is viewed as the most important and active board in real estate because it oversees all chapters in each region and interacts with them consistently. There is a strong emphasis on using these boards and the Regional Connects to build mentorship pipelines between regional board members and local chapter presidents and directors.
How fast is the chapter footprint expanding?
Alex Garza: NAHREP went from operating in about 30 states at the start of 2025 to roughly 35 by year’s end, with a goal of reaching around 40 states next year. There are approximately 26 markets being actively evaluated for new chapter development, which is expected to attract more regional partners and expand the organization’s influence nationwide.
Leadership Pipelines and Training
What happens to leaders after they finish a Chapter presidency?
Alex Garza: A big priority is not losing that leadership talent once a president becomes a past president, since involvement in the organization becomes part of many members’ identity. Past presidents are being integrated into working groups within the Regional Corporate Board of Governors to mentor chapter leaders and help cultivate new regional partnerships.
What formal training or certifications are available?
Alex Garza: The NAHREP 10 Certified Trainer Program guided by the Hispanic Wealth Project is expanding and offers members a structured path to grow as educators and thought leaders. In addition, platforms such as the National Hispanic Construction Alliance and other ecosystem brands plan to use local ambassadors who will sit on chapter boards and serve as liaisons, creating multiple ongoing leadership opportunities.
Value Proposition for Members
When members attend a Regional Connect, what should they walk away with besides contacts and photos?
Alex Garza: The message is that NAHREP can be whatever members choose to make of it, but they need to decide early if they are there just to socialize or to build their net worth. The real goal is to leave with intentional, deep connections that translate into measurable outcomes—more transactions, higher volume, better profitability, or more efficient operations.
How should members think about return on investment?
Alex Garza: Members are encouraged to treat event costs like a business investment and expect at least to break even or better through the business they generate from the relationships formed. That mindset pushes attendees to be purposeful about whom they meet and how they follow up, aligning every connection with concrete business objectives.
Defining Wealth and Legacy
How do you personally define wealth?
Alex Garza: Wealth is seen as an all-encompassing balance rather than just money—having enough to provide for family while maintaining spiritual, mental, and physical health. Reaching a point where one can meaningfully pour back into the community and help others succeed is, in his view, the real marker of being wealthy.
What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
Alex Garza: Over time, the focus has shifted from building a large personal empire to being remembered as someone who helped others succeed and brought positivity into a world that often feels negative. Health challenges have also reinforced the desire to be known as a catalyst for healthier lifestyles and a source of encouragement who left people just a bit better after every interaction.
Regional Connect is where this work stops being theory and turns into rooms, relationships, and real strategy. If you want to be part of that, start by finding the next Regional Connect in your area. Let’s continue to build together.
NAHREP’s Regional Connects are evolving into powerful wealth-building engines, and Alex Garza, Director of Regional Operations, is helping lead that shift by focusing on deeper connections, global opportunities, and intentional leadership development.
Alex isn’t new to this. He’s been part of NAHREP for more than 20 years as a volunteer before stepping into the role that now has him supporting six regions, their leadership, and the events that knit them together. 2026 is one of those years where the structure he’s building is going to matter even more.
Movements don’t live in mission statements. They live in rooms. Rooms where people have skipped closings, rescheduled clients, and hopped on planes because they believe that what happens there can change the trajectory of their families and their communities. For NAHREP, those rooms have a name: Regional Connect—the regional gatherings where members come together to learn, strategize, and bring a little more order, intention, and cultura to a chaotic market.
Leadership with Purpose: Linking the Daily Grind to a Greater Wealth Story—Together as Comunidad
On the calendar, Regional Connect shows up as a series of regional events across the country. On the ground, those gatherings focus on meaningful action, emphasizing true wealth-building rather than just production.
Regional events bring chapter leaders, brokers, and rising voices into the same room with national leadership and top producers. The conversations focus on what’s really happening in our markets—what’s working, what’s breaking, and what must evolve so our community isn’t the last to know or the first to lose. Sessions center on the HWP pillars of NAHREP’s work : real estate, business ownership, financial assets, and protecting what our families build. The professionals in the room aren’t speaking in theory—they’re guiding families through down payments, new businesses, and first investments at the kitchen table every day.
Regional Connect is where business and cultura meet. It’s not a sterile conference that asks people to leave their identity at the door, but a space where language, stories, and lived experience shape how learning happens. When leadership, substance, and cultura come together, the result isn’t just another event—it’s momentum.
Why 2026 Matters for NAHREP Regions
Every organization hits a point where growth stops being about adding more events and starts being about tightening the architecture. For NAHREP, 2026 feels like that kind of year for the regions. The network is national. The membership base is deep.
The question isn’t whether Regional Connect is “a good idea.” The question is: Are the regions built to carry the next phase of this wealth agenda, or do they need to be resourced, reimagined, and stretched to match the moment?
That’s where Alex’s work moves from logistics to design. Regional operations, at this stage, is about building the scaffolding that lets chapters grow, leaders emerge, and members plug into something bigger than their own production numbers.
So instead of pretending the playbook is finished, it makes sense to treat 2026 as a year of intentional questions—especially for the person charged with making the regions run.
A Conversation with Alex Garza
Big Shifts in 2026
What is the biggest shift NAHREP members can expect from regional events in 2026?
Alex Garza: In 2025 there was a deliberate push to study how regional events could deliver more value to both regional partners and the national partners who sit on the Regional Corporate Board of Governors and help drive attendance. A key change was systematically inviting local chapter presidents into both virtual and in-person regional board meetings, which immediately strengthened relationships and created more referrals among lenders, realtors, insurance professionals, and other partners.
How is the Regional Corporate Board itself changing?
Alex Garza: Historically, those boards were heavily lender-focused, but the mix is broadening to include real estate firms and a growing list of international partners. Developers from markets such as Mexico and Spain are now engaging at the regional level and opening new revenue-generating opportunities that help members grow income beyond their local markets.
Global Ecosystem and New Partners
You mentioned international partners. What does “going heavy on global” look like?
Alex Garza: For 2026, there is a clear strategy to lean into global partnerships, with new developer relationships expected to activate early in the year, especially from Mexico and Europe. These partners are not just sponsors, they are bringing tangible projects that can create new income streams for NAHREP members who want to operate and invest globally.
How will this affect the overall ecosystem?
Alex Garza: The regional connects are becoming the hub that brings together brands across the NAHREP ecosystem, including real estate, construction, and sports and entertainment platforms. The vision is for regional events to function as cross-industry networking engines where members can tap into a unified ecosystem instead of isolated silos.
Regional Support and NAHREP Chapter Growth
What role do the regions play in supporting NAHREP Chapter Growth and leadership?
Alex Garza: The Regional Corporate Board of Governors is viewed as the most important and active board in real estate because it oversees all chapters in each region and interacts with them consistently. There is a strong emphasis on using these boards and the Regional Connects to build mentorship pipelines between regional board members and local chapter presidents and directors.
How fast is the chapter footprint expanding?
Alex Garza: NAHREP went from operating in about 30 states at the start of 2025 to roughly 35 by year’s end, with a goal of reaching around 40 states next year. There are approximately 26 markets being actively evaluated for new chapter development, which is expected to attract more regional partners and expand the organization’s influence nationwide.
Leadership Pipelines and Training
What happens to leaders after they finish a Chapter presidency?
Alex Garza: A big priority is not losing that leadership talent once a president becomes a past president, since involvement in the organization becomes part of many members’ identity. Past presidents are being integrated into working groups within the Regional Corporate Board of Governors to mentor chapter leaders and help cultivate new regional partnerships.
What formal training or certifications are available?
Alex Garza: The NAHREP 10 Certified Trainer Program guided by the Hispanic Wealth Project is expanding and offers members a structured path to grow as educators and thought leaders. In addition, platforms such as the National Hispanic Construction Alliance and other ecosystem brands plan to use local ambassadors who will sit on chapter boards and serve as liaisons, creating multiple ongoing leadership opportunities.
Value Proposition for Members
When members attend a Regional Connect, what should they walk away with besides contacts and photos?
Alex Garza: The message is that NAHREP can be whatever members choose to make of it, but they need to decide early if they are there just to socialize or to build their net worth. The real goal is to leave with intentional, deep connections that translate into measurable outcomes—more transactions, higher volume, better profitability, or more efficient operations.
How should members think about return on investment?
Alex Garza: Members are encouraged to treat event costs like a business investment and expect at least to break even or better through the business they generate from the relationships formed. That mindset pushes attendees to be purposeful about whom they meet and how they follow up, aligning every connection with concrete business objectives.
Defining Wealth and Legacy
How do you personally define wealth?
Alex Garza: Wealth is seen as an all-encompassing balance rather than just money—having enough to provide for family while maintaining spiritual, mental, and physical health. Reaching a point where one can meaningfully pour back into the community and help others succeed is, in his view, the real marker of being wealthy.
What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
Alex Garza: Over time, the focus has shifted from building a large personal empire to being remembered as someone who helped others succeed and brought positivity into a world that often feels negative. Health challenges have also reinforced the desire to be known as a catalyst for healthier lifestyles and a source of encouragement who left people just a bit better after every interaction.
Regional Connect is where this work stops being theory and turns into rooms, relationships, and real strategy. If you want to be part of that, start by finding the next Regional Connect in your area. Let’s continue to build together.
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