IF YOU'VE SPENT TIME lately walking the courthouse square in Prescott or grabbing a bite in Prescott Valley, you may have noticed something. The air feels more vibrant, the colors and flavors a bit bolder, and the storefronts are changing. It isn’t just growth; it’s the vibrant evolution of our social makeup.
As I write this I find myself looking at our community through several different lenses. I’ve lived in the area since 1989 and currently call Paulden home. Over the years I’ve been a writer, musician/singer, storyteller and a community organizer, but perhaps the role that most shapes my view of this place and people was my career as a ranger for our National Parks and US Forests. When you spend your days as a steward of the landscape and interpreter of cultures, you learn that every ecosystem and society thrives on diversity, with different elements working together to create a resilient, vibrant whole.
I’m also a second-generation immigrant. Like many of us in first and second generations, I’ve gone through my own journey of understanding what that ‘hyphenated identity’ means. It’s a process of reconciling two worlds to create a third, unique space. That is why I’m eager to write this and other articles to highlight the stories of our immigrant neighbors, brought to us through two incredible local resources: Alianza Spanish News (alianzaspanishnews.com) and recently The Podcast Camina (podcastcamina.com).
My goal here is simple: to move beyond politicized headlines and hear directly from the people who are building our here and now. As Podcast Camina co-host Susan Cooper explains, “In covering stories about immigrants, the media tends to make generalizations. We created this podcast so our community would have an opportunity to hear directly from their immigrant neighbors who are serving them meals, charting their medical histories, or providing legal counsel.”
In the December 18 episode “Entrepreneurship Isn’t Accidental,” we meet two such neighbors: Anabel Arteaga and Manuel “Manny” Lugo. Their stories are master classes in what I call “inherited grit.”
Anabel is currently working alongside her family to ensure their popular Frank’s Restaurant (formerly Maya’s) continues to thrive, acting as the steward of a legacy that offers both food and culture. For her, entrepreneurship isn’t a choice she stumbled into, it’s a continuation of a family’s courage. It isn’t just about the recipes, it’s about the inherited capital.
She describes the weight and the beauty of this self-reliant legacy: “My dad has a mentality of like, no one should have to beg or go without a meal, especially the way he was raised . . . he does it to stay in business, but also give back a little. There’s this huge “work-for-yourself ” mentality: create your own business and prosper from there so you can give to others as well. The importance of family is that we want to see each other be successful, so that’s why we put in the effort. We’re sacrificing our time and our everything else as well.”
When I hear Anabel talk about her work ethic, I think of the trails I used to patrol. A trail only stays clear if someone is willing to walk it and maintain it. Anabel is maintaining a cultural trail that her parents blazed, ensuring that our community doesn’t lose the richness they brought here.
Then there’s Manny Lugo, who’s building Manny’s Landscaping from the ground up. While Anabel steers a legacy, Manny is navigating the early, shaky stages of his own startup. He represents a rising trend: children of Mexican immigrants are disproportionately likely to start their own businesses.
For Manny the choice to build his own path felt like the only natural conclusion to his upbringing. He speaks specifically about the weight of his parents’ sacrifices and the drive he feels to pursue entrepreneurship as a native of Yavapai County. That grit is part of his inheritance.
"My father grew up poor . . ., he’s just been working nonstop, every day. I feel like that’s where my ambition comes from, too. My parents used to say, ‘You’re from here. You got every opportunity in the world to do whatever you want.’ Ever since I was a kid, I had ambitions to be an entrepreneur; I wanted to be something where I kind of controlled it. And I just really like helping people. A lot of it isn’t for the money, it’s just going out there and doing what I like doing and helping people.”
So, why does this matter to us here in the Central Highlands? It matters because when Anabel keeps a restaurant open or Manny launches a new venture, they are investing in the very ground we walk on. They aren’t just ‘buying local,’ they are providing the connective tissue that makes our community resilient. Their business styles, rooted in hospitality, community, and tireless work, bring value to our local economy that you simply can’t find in a corporate manual.
As a former ranger I know that ahealthy landscape is one where every part belongs. As a storyteller I know that a healthy community is one where every story is heard. By recognizing the vibrancy our immigrant neighbors bring, we aren’t just being welcoming, we are acknowledging the people who are helping us build a more durable future.
As we wrap up our first look into these local immigrant stories, let’s lean into the podcast’s signature closing. Here are this month’s “Two Facts and an Act”:
Fact 1: Immigrants are essential to the long-term health of our national infrastructure. In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrants contributed $25.7 billion to Social Security — paying into a system they cannot access themselves — and the Social Security trust-fund deficit actually decreases as immigration levels rise.
Fact 2: Within our own state the economic impact is profound. While immigrants make up roughly 13% of Arizona’s population, they are over 20% of our entrepreneurs, earning more than $2 billion in business income in 2023 alone.
The Act: Get to know your immigrant neighbors by supporting their ventures. You can connect with local businesses through the Hispanic Business Association affiliated with Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce (PVchamber.org), or explore the Visualizing Immigrant Phoenix page (vimphoenix.com) to read stories of entrepreneurs from around the world.
Entrepreneurship here is no accident. It’s a deliberate, courageous act of contribution. The next time you see a new business popping up or visit a longstanding family favorite, think about the journey that put it there. And if you’re curious about it, ask!
