(Photo by Christina Estes - KJZZ)

Linda Alvarado, co-owner of the Colorado Rockies, shares her business story at an Arizona Hispanic Chamber event.

Before Linda Alvarado became part of the Colorado Rockies ownership group, she built her own construction company. Alvarado was the keynote speaker at the Arizona Hispanic Chamber's Power of the Purse luncheon in Phoenix.

It was something Linda Alvarado heard a lot growing up.

“I didn’t — quote — look the Hispanic part," she said.

Alvarado often attributed that to her piercing blue eyes, but that comment continued as she entered the male-dominated construction industry in the 1970s.

“What does that part look like?" she asked a packed room at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. "We’re not monolithic.”  

Alvarado said she made a point of following her mother’s advice to not break rules, but to break stereotypes.

“Are we there yet?" she said. "No, but we’re getting there.”

According to the Arizona Hispanic Chamber’s research, the number of Latina-owned businesses in Arizona tripled between 2007 and 2015.

“It’s about utilizing the underutilized talent to create not just one company, but to create jobs and economic well-being for the future of America," she said.