Interviewer
Homero Galicia
Project
Hispanic Entrepreneurs Oral History Project
Summary of Interview
Moe Beltran describes his upbringing on the 3100 block of Alameda in El Paso, Texas and then his later business endeavors. He was eager to graduate from high school so he could enter the military during the Second World War. He graduated from El Paso Tech High but was too young to enroll in the military; Instead, he was offered a job at Bigsfield where he worked until 1945. Beltran went on to help with his father’s locksmith business, International Bike and Key Shop. Before he was seventeen years old, he married his sixteen-year-old wife. In 1951, Mr. Beltran purchased the El Paso Key Fitting Company. Along with servicing the local community, Beltran’s company was given contracts to work for federal agencies such as the DEA. He elaborates on his experiences in going to the banks to attain funding and loans. He also notes his extensive time working with the El Paso Chamber of Commerce. He worked in various groups such as the Better Business Bureau and Minority Business Council, which encouraged larger banks to do business with El Paso’s smaller Hispanic-owned firms. Beltran credits his successes to the values his father taught him. Mr. Beltran states that his involvement in these boards is his method of a paying back the city that has been good to him. Beltran went on to have ten children, six of whom still work for him. He thanks his wife for mostly raising his children since he had to work long hours to allow his business to succeed. Beltran encourages greater Hispanic involvement in the business sectors so that they may open opportunities to future entrepreneurs. He, however, had to stop his involvement so that he could spend more time with his family. Beltran concludes the interview by listing his various heroes and reflecting on his current health as an eighty-year old man that exercises and stays active.
Date of Interview
1-29-2009
Length of Interview
72 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1519
Transcript Number
No. 1519
Length of Transcript
58 pages
Transcriber
Daniel Santana
Interview Number
No. 1519
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Moe Beltran by Homero Galicia, 2009, "Interview no. 1519," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.
Comments
Transcript is a Draft copy