Jeremy Lundin is either one of the youngest millennials or one of the elders of Gen Z, depending on what year you consider the transition between the two.
Either way, the 28-year-old San Antonio native keeps himself busy.
In 2021, at age 25, he ran for City Council District 5, tying for third place out of 11 candidates. Two years later, he ran for the San Antonio Independent School District Board of Trustees. He lost to another candidate, even though outgoing board member Patty Radle said she would vote for him.
Since earning his master’s in public history from Saint Mary’s University in 2018, he has held a wide variety of positions, often short-lived, at the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bexar County Commissioner Rebecca Clay Flores’ office and the H.E. Butt Foundation.
He is currently approaching his one year anniversary as director of the Maestro Entrepreneur Center, a business development organization headquartered in the West Side neighborhood that serves small businesses throughout Bexar County. Over the past year, the nonprofit has grown, raised more funds and served more businesses.
“It’s always bustling with activity,” says Jacqueline Hernandez, a therapist and small business advocate who moved her private practice into Maestro’s offices in April 2023. Hernandez now serves as Maestro’s director. “Jeremy is always figuring out how to best utilize the space, time and resources.”
In a recent LinkedIn post, Lundin reflected on the past year and used Oprah’s “What I Know For Sure” teachings as a template to explain what she’s learned.
“Leading a nonprofit has tested me in ways I never expected,” he wrote. “Dealing with staff turnover, navigating difficult relationships, securing city funding and community support is a constant balancing act that requires a 24/7/365 effort.”
“We have to make it ourselves.”
Founded in 2016 by Julissa Carriello of DreamOn Group, Willie Vasquez-Ng of Blue Armor Security Services and others, and with the backing of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and then-CEO Ramiro Cavazos, the Maestro Entrepreneur Center became an independent, private, nonprofit organization in 2018.
Maestro was conceived as a place where we could provide customized support, including: To help San Antonio small businesses grow beyond the startup stage, Cariello said, she had been “trying and failing” for 10 years, including looking for resources that didn’t exist at the time. “We needed that next level of support, and we were going all over the place looking for it, and finally we were like, ‘Okay, we need to build it ourselves.'”
Cariello recently stepped down from the board but remains on as an adviser. DreamOn Group’s offices are across from Maestro Courtyard on Laredo Street, a former SAISD school testing center. Vasquez-Ng, also now an adviser to the board, interviewed Lundin and advocated for his hire.
Lundin’s tenure “exceeded my expectations,” Vasquez-Ng said, adding that his “only concern” was the candidate’s age, but “from managing staff and programs to securing financial support … he’s done a great job.”
“Phase 2” companies
After stepping down from the board, Vasquez-Ng applied to Maestro’s second-stage cohort, known as “Accelerate For Growth,” one of two major programs aimed at helping for-profit companies that meet a range of requirements, including $1 million to $5 million in revenue, grow more quickly.
Blue Armor has been in business since 2003, but Vasquez-Ng says even longtime business owners can benefit from the support of meeting other business owners and sharing challenges. “I’ve learned from people who’ve been in business for a year,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in business for two years or 20 years. [in business]you will benefit from these programs.”
Maestro’s other flagship program is a 12-week accelerator for small and medium-sized businesses.
The two-hour in-person classes will include topics such as business development, cost accounting, project management, insurance and legal issues, and technology. The next round will begin on July 18, and Lundin said this time companies who want to attend individual classes will also be able to participate.
Other programs and classes will be offered based on need and funding. Lundin said current board chair Janelle Davila wants to focus this year on access to capital, the top challenge small business owners cite as an obstacle to growth.
But when the nonprofit helped business owners apply for loans, many were rejected even under the loose standards of community development financial institutions, he said. So the organization pivoted to more foundational help, helping businesses get the foundation they needed to get loans.
Approaching small and medium-sized enterprises
Maestro isn’t the only company helping San Antonio’s small businesses grow.
The group is one of several business development organizations that have tried to help local businesses hit by the pandemic, inflation and struggling construction industries over the past few years and often face leadership challenges of their own.
All said getting the word out to small businesses and connecting them with available resources is one of the most difficult parts of the job. Lundin, an employee who hopes to soon hire an events manager and communications coordinator, recently walked the corridors eligible for San Antonio’s latest construction grants, letting businesses know they can get help applying.
“I love technology, but it doesn’t always work,” he said, citing a recent encounter with the owner of a watch repair shop on South Presa Street as an example. “I asked her for her email address and she said, ‘No, I don’t have one.’ So you can send out mass emails to companies encouraging people to apply, but they never see it.”
Even business owners who consider themselves more informed are often unaware of the breadth of services that exist: Hernandez, who started his career in economic development and was invited by Maestro to speak to other small businesses, didn’t know the facility offered office space until he toured it.
Lundin uses technology to track the organization’s metrics, allowing her to show board members and donors how the organization is growing and what the needs of small businesses are.
He also recently uploaded the nonprofit’s financial information to GuideStar, which posts it in the interest of transparency, which earned Maestro a “gold” seal given to organizations that provide comprehensive information on finances, leadership and demographics.
Westside Community Space
Lundin also opened Maestro’s space to neighborhood groups, and he said he’ll never forget meeting with some neighborhood leaders after his loss in the 5th District.
“They grilled me, asking, ‘What is your purpose here?'” Lundin recalled. Lundin has pledged not to run against City Councilwoman Teri Castillo and has vowed to stay involved in the community.
Last month, the maestro screened a documentary Remembering Gus Garcia They also hosted a vaccination clinic for the Westwood Square Neighborhood Association.
He acknowledged that these types of events aren’t directly related to small business development, but they help strengthen the organization and spread the word about what resources exist.
They would also help Castillo build deeper relationships with politically active lawmakers on the West Side if he chooses to run again in the 5th District after his term ends.
But that won’t happen until 2029, so Lundin has a long road ahead of him as he continues to grow Maestro. Lundin said the initiative is personal to him because he watched his parents struggle with their own small businesses. “This isn’t some abstract idea that you read about in a book,” he said.
Lundin acknowledged that he still feels imposter syndrome at times, but said he gets satisfaction from the small business owners that Maestro has helped. “That’s what’s important to me.”
