Episode 179 - Lynette Montoya

Speaker A: Hello and welcome to another episode of Tuesday's. Thanks. I'm excited to be joined today by Lynette Montoya, president and CEO of the Latino Hotel association, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Latino Hotel association is dedicated to serving people with a passion for the hospitality industry. They are committed to expanding the community of Latino and Hispanic hotel owners and operators, in addition to to providing educational and networking opportunities for the up and coming hotel entrepreneurs. Lynette, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me today. I really appreciate it.

Speaker B: Of course. Thank you so much for having me and, um, for your patience to get this scheduled.

Speaker A: You're a very busy young lady, so I totally understand that. So, listen, I'm going to dive in here like I always do, because we've got a lot to cover over the next little bit. And. And I always love to understand how you were a young girl growing up in New Mexico, and it looks like you chose New Mexico State University, where you got your BA in Government and economics. How did that school and that degree come into play for you?

Speaker B: The school kind of chose me in that, uh, they sent the letter, and also I could have gone to unm, which is what we call university near Mom. And I thought, let me just step a little further away. I was. I think young girls often are just so ready to take on the world. They want a job, they want to get their education, they want the new car, all the things. And meanwhile, I went to college with no car, and I had to ride my bike everywhere. But, yeah, I ended up at New Mexico State. My father also went to New Mexico State, and he's one of the first in his generation in town that actually graduated from college. He ended up graduating from the College of Santa Fe. But he was very encouraging to get to college.

Speaker A: Yeah, well, that education, as families start getting their kids into universities, it's so important and it's so proud to see that family tradition continues. So, all right, so you got your BA in Government and economics. What was your first venture out into the real world once you graduated?

Speaker B: I have to be honest, it took a while for me to get through college. And part of that is because I don't think I was quite ready. So I got an associate's degree in two years, and then I worked for a while for the Secretary of Corrections. I worked for the Governor of New Mexico, Tony Anaya, back in the day. And then he hired Michael Franke to be his Secretary of Corrections. And I knew Michael Franke because his. His wife's sister lived next door. To us. And so I got a job with him and that group. And I learned so much about government, about prisons, about the consent decrees, about riots. It was crazy time. And I. I had a. I guess a mentor who was on the board, the Corrections Commission. His name was Andrew Wa. And he has since passed. And he's the one. He worked at New Mexico State, and he says, you got to go back. You got to get finished. You're great as an administrative person here, but you got to get your degree. So I went back, I got my degree, and I started working as a marketing director for an architecture firm, and that's where I kind of all started.

Speaker A: Wow. Uh, so was there always, uh, a desire early on for the government, the service for you, or how did you fall into that? Is that something like your family was into it, or does it just interest you?

Speaker B: I always liked politics, even as in high school, I, uh, was working for campaigns. You're asking a question that I don't really ever talk about. But still to this day, I stay very involved in what's happening, the political environment, who's running for office, what makes the most sense, and also just really caring that people are being taken care of. There's food on the table. I served as a board member for youth shelters and family services. So homelessness, all of those things have always been of great concern to me and something that I always work towards and hope that I can make a difference.

Speaker A: Did I understand you correctly? So you went back to school, you got the degree, and then your first job outside of school after that was marketing, not government?

Speaker B: No. Yeah, you're right. That was an odd thing. But it's a small state. And a friend of mine said, lynette, you should take this job. And I knew him politically. He said, I really think this would be a great opportunity for you, because what you're doing is you're applying for contracts with government entities to build a. Renovate a convention center, to build, uh, a state office building, to build a school. So it all weaves in. So who do you know politically? And so that's where I landed. And then I ended up getting a job after that. See, this long story. You're asking me all the questions. I ended up working for a, uh, period of time for an organization called Said Jobs for Progress, and they were based out of Dallas. And what they did is they provided. They got most of their contract from the US Department of Labor. So, see, I'm back in it. And with that money, they would help provide English as a second language. Classes on how to build your resume, classes on how to prepare yourself for the workforce. And so I worked at the local level, went to work at the national level, and I was in charge of the government piece, making sure we had all the right meetings in D.C. during Hispanic heritage Month, making sure we were in the White House. This was in President Bush time. Making sure we were. That, uh, we were seen, we were heard. And so I did that for a period of time, and it was really important to me.

Speaker A: Did that have you move to D.C. or were you able to do it out of New Mexico?

Speaker B: Uh, I Never lived in D.C. i was always based in Dallas at that time. And, um. And then what happened after that? Lots of things happened after that, but that's the path I was on. Our U.S. congressman did offer me a job in D.C. and part of me really wanted to take it, but the other part of me was still on that fast track. I'm not going to make enough money. I'm going to have to live with a bunch of people. I still won't get my car. That was the thing. I want my car. And so working in Dallas gave me the segue there, but not quite the job. My life would be totally different if I would have moved to dc. It would have been. I don't know where I would be today. I guess we'll never know. We all have those scenarios where we woulda, coulda, shoulda, uh, or it worked out the way it was supposed to work out.

Speaker A: I know eventually you were back to Santa Fe. Right. Where I think with the city, you were the director of the economic development. Were there a lot of stops between Dallas and that?

Speaker B: Basically what happened is I got married and I had two children. Uh, and then I moved home. And that was a result of a divorce and let's get out of here and go home.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: So it wasn't what I had in mind at all. But one of the first things that I did when I got home is in that time period of the marriage and all, ah, there was an attempt to break my spirit. And I still had this big spirit about me. I still do. And so I ran for office. And that's not on my resume either. And I thought, what could I do that would be, like, really doable? And so I ran for county clerk. And meanwhile, as I was running, I just reconnected with my community and the people in that really matter to me today. And I ended up not winning, which was absolutely perfect, because I didn't see it that way at first because I thought oh, good. I'll have a good job. I'll be able to take care of my kids. And, um, my dad would be so proud because he was a land surveyor and a real estate broker. And he always, he always did work at the county clerk's office all over New Mexico, looking at maps and trying to figure out water rights. And my dad, definitely my hero. And so when I didn't win, I was pretty sad. But meanwhile, I had my real estate license that my dad made sure I got when I was like 19 years old. And I never gave it up. In fact, I was in Dallas, he'd call me up and say, lynette, you got to get home. You got to take all these classes. You got to make sure you don't lose that license. So I did as instructed, came home early for Thanksgiving, took my classes. And it's kind of funny, but that's when somebody really cares for you and really wants to make sure that you have that backup.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And, uh, anyway, I ended up when I was back, it's like I have to go through the whole timeline and how I ended up here and there. I worked for a Sotheby's affiliate as a real estate broker, and I had the great opportunity to just sell high end homes and really see some beautiful properties in Santa Fe. And I started working with somebody that called me just out of the blue. And I met them and ended up, I knew one of the partners in the group. I went to high school with him. And so I went all over town showing them high end homes. Carol Burnett's home, Amy Irving's home. Anybody that was. Had the most beautiful home in Santa Fe. And believe me, there's quite a few.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's a gorgeous city.

Speaker B: It is really nice. So we went through the, through the list of all the potential homes, and they just were based out of Albuquerque. So they, it wasn't difficult. They set up the time and we would go. And finally, after all of the effort and putting my eggs all in one basket, which you really shouldn't do in real estate if you want to eat. They decided that they needed to stay based in Albuquerque because of how their business was growing. And their business was. I was hearing about it in the car. Yeah, we're going, we're managing this hotel where, yeah, we're going to take down this hotel. And then they'd be calling people out of New York, uh, Apollo Real Estate. And all this was happening in my car while I was showing them homes. And so I was just gathering information, asking a few Questions. And when they decided not to buy the house, I went to their office and like a cold call, but a warm call because they knew me. And I said, hey, guys, I know that you guys are selling hotel or buying hotels. What can I do? How can I be a part of it? Can I sell you a hotel? And sure enough, they sat down, they pulled a map of the United States, and they told me where they wanted to be. And they pointed to San Antonio and Seattle and Colorado and different areas. So I got on a plane, I started off in San Antonio and I literally knocked on doors. And this is going to age me. But remember the big book From H&LA or H&LA he used to all the hotels, what management company, what they owned. And I thought, I'm going to go through this book and I'm going to find the people. And sure enough, I went to the St Anthony Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, and I got the name of the management company. They told me what to do, they told me what to say. Really funny when I think about it now. And so I got a hold of the St. Anthony people, and next thing you know, his name was Bill Morton. Next thing you know, attorneys are talking and we're under contract. And at the time it was a, uh, $42 million property. And then I had to negotiate with Sotheby's because of course they wanted to take so much of it. And when I was selling something out of state, but the rules weren't as crazy as they are today. There you go. I sold my first hotel.

Speaker A: So that was your first foray to do with anything, with hospitality, then.

Speaker B: Anything. Although I loved hotels. Who doesn't, right? Who doesn't love a lobby? Who doesn't love. And so then I just went to the school of. I guess that sounded like easy knocks, but after that it was hard.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And along the way I went to Houston and, um, I went to Westmont Hospitality and called Doraine Leilani and asked if I could meet with her. And sure enough, I went into her office. And traveling alone is not for the faint of heart, especially if you don't know anyone. But ironically, my son doesn't know. So I asked her, are you considering a disposition of any properties in your portfolio at this time? Just trying to use the. All the words.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And, um, she's maybe the Emily Morgan. And she was giving me some ideas there in San Antonio. And meanwhile she says, but you know what? Based on everything you've told me and done, you need to start going to the conferences, need to Go to the time ucla. You need to go to nyu. You need to. You need to get out there. And, um, so I started going to the conferences, and it was definitely a sea of white men in gray suits. There were very few women, and all the women were designers. And then there's Durain. And then we just. I just was, like, holding on to her the whole way because it was kind of scary. And then I started just getting bold again. And I saw John Q. Hemmons coming. I heard him m. Spoke, followed him. So I'm coming down the escalator, introduced myself, and then I was able to transact some of his properties. So I just. It was just really stepping out of my comfort zone and shaking people's hands and making things happen.

Speaker A: Um, was there anyone other than your father, who. He was a land surveyor, lifelong realtor. Was there anyone other than him that was guiding you through all this, or were you just pulling up your bootstraps and saying, I'm going to go do this?

Speaker B: I would say the people that I sold the St. Anthony to, Jim Long and Michael Gallegos, really had a lot to do with it. And Jim Long loves to tell the story how I was, uh, this opportunity, how it came together, and definitely Deraine Leilani, who got me to the conferences. And then I met Harry Javer from Lodging, and at the time, he was kind of half owner of lodging, and he said, you should come to our conference. And when. He was very kind to me and still is. Jim Burba lives in Santa Fe sometimes, too now. So I see him a lot. So him and I connect as often as we can. But, yeah, so I would say in that group, John Q. Hammond's, of course, giving me the opportunity as well. And Rennie Goldstein over at Apollo at the time. I spoke with him quite a bit. And through the process, I met Sabina Arora, who was doing the analysis of the Saint, uh, Anthony. And I don't know who she was working with at the time. I would say HVs, I think. And so her and I really connected, and these are. Become lifelong friends, everyone. Doraine and I had dinner in New York. So it's like, I feel like we're. We're all growing up together, if you will.

Speaker A: Yeah. A great group of mentors, though, to help you along.

Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I couldn't ask for anything better. And I'm sure I've forgotten somebody in that mix because it was. There was a lot happening.

Speaker A: How long were you doing this real estate brokerage stuff for hotels? How long? How many years?

Speaker B: Um, I would say from about 98 till about like 2015. But it became a little less towards the end of the years because, uh, when 2008 happened, I really had to be more locally, regionally, and there were a lot less transactions and I remarried and was raising teenage boys and so I was. And then you'll see those other jobs came into play.

Speaker A: That's when you were. But you've always had Global Hotel Partners as your, as your base Since I think, 98 or something like that.

Speaker B: Yeah, I still have it today. I still take those classes per my dad and he passed in 2017. So. Yeah, keeps me on my toes.

Speaker A: The fact that you could do that from Santa Fe over all of those different years and there's a lot of people who don't even know there was a John Q. Hammonds as a real human being. They heard, they know the company. A lot of us older folks know the name of the company, but maybe had not even have known that there was a John Q. Hammonds.

Speaker B: Yes, he was something else. I met him, met up with him in Albuquerque one afternoon and he loved his, his projects. He loved those atrium hotels. He loved the grandeur of the public spaces, for sure. He loved Embassy Suites or. Oh, he loved them.

Speaker A: Yes, he did. So throughout this time with Global Hotel Partners, there was times when you were then drawn back to Santa Fe to your roots, right, Because I think you worked with the Santa Fe Hispanic chamber of commerce, St. Michael's High School, the city of Santa Fe, and this is all at the same time that you were doing the Global Hotel Partners.

Speaker B: It's true, I wasn't as active. Part of it was we had the, that recession again, raising boys and I wanted to bring in a, bring in some money to the, to the household that was a little more consistent. So let's see what happened first.

Speaker A: Can I ask you a question though? In all this time with Global Hotel Partners and you're acting as a broker development type person, was there ever a desire on your part to, to join one of the big Starwoods, Marriott's, Hilton's, in their development teams, in their real estate teams?

Speaker B: Now that you say that, yes, I would say yes. I think what I did pursue, did not pursue me. Uh, for example, all of the CBRE scenarios, I would reach out to them, I would try to set up calls with them because I really wanted to grow and I felt being on my own, I wasn't really going to grow. I was also concerned about being managed, if you will, so there was that scenario and they wouldn't have me, they just were like, oh, we already have that area filled. Or we just. They weren't really receptive. And I think it's because I was a woman. I don't know, maybe it's just because I. I don't know. But then I.

Speaker A: Would you have been willing to move to say, D.C. for Hilton or Bethesda for Marriott, uh, or New York for Starwood? Would you leave?

Speaker B: No, probably at that point, no, because I am married. My husband worked for the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Speaker A: Oh, okay.

Speaker B: He had a pretty significant position. I don't know. I wasn't offered, so I can't say. Did I even apply? No, I didn't even. I don't think I really thought of it so much and now I'm like, darn, I didn't think of that.

Speaker A: Yeah. With all the names you were saying and all the companies that you worked with and worked as a broker and things of that nature, I was just thinking, wow, I wonder, maybe you just liked being a single entrepreneur. You're running your own shop, you're not answering to a lot of different people and you're got your hands in everything. But you didn't have to be part of that corporate setting.

Speaker B: I think if I could have been in a corporate setting such as a Marriott or Hilton, that might have been. That would have given me something to consider. But I would say I was, um, I guess a little bit of a. I like to do things my way. And if I want to work at 10 o' clock at night, and if I want to work really early in the morning, go work out. It's the structure that's always concerned me. Even though I took these little blips of jobs that we're, I'm sure gonna chat about. I don't know if I was designed to work in an office.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Full time.

Speaker A: Yeah. And there's nothing wrong with that. I was, I was just wondering with all the interactions you'd had. So in that time frame again, I think you, you gave back to the city of Santa Fe in a variety of different ways. It's your home and you did take on some of these other roles. Of the roles in and of the area, was there one that was your favorite out of all of these or were they just kind of, hey, I need to help them out for this time period and then I'm getting back into the brokerage thing.

Speaker B: Yeah. I'll start with the city. I would have never considered working at the city of Santa Fe, but one of a friend of mine who knows me and knows what I've done, thought I would be really great as the economic development director. Santa Fe is a really unique city in that they really don't want to grow. So it was really a difficult position to be in. It was very political and I didn't really love that part about it. Even though I like politics. But being in the political scenarios was. It was a little, uh, I didn't enjoy it.

Speaker A: Yeah, I get it.

Speaker B: And uh, and I'm really glad I had that experience and I'm glad I really got me to really understand. It's like when you work in my position. When I was selling hotels a lot, I had my head in the sand as far as my own town. I didn't really know everything that was happening. I was flying here, going there, and when I saw what was happening, I was, I was like, oh my gosh, somebody needs to pay attention to this. Are moving here from the east coast and they're telling us how to run our town. And next thing you know, we're doing these things that you know and everything happens in a city that probably should happen. But sometimes it becomes a little frustrating and you don't see enough of your local people up there speaking up to certain causes or issues that have come up. And um, those were the kinds of things that I was seeing. And it was really, it really opened my eyes to we have to pay attention what's going on in our town. And so then it was harder to work in the city because of that frustration. I know it's a two edged sword. It's one person can't do it. You have to have a whole bunch of people to find, fight the fight, if you will.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, I've always, you know, anybody who goes into working for city level, state level government positions, I gotta hand it to them because if you're, if you've had outside experience where things happen very quickly and you get things done very quickly and then you go work for the city or state government tends to slow things down. It can be very frustrating and it's just learning to work within the system in a different manner. But I know I couldn't do it because I'd be too impatient.

Speaker B: Yeah, it was definitely eye opening and it was definitely eye opening and just the treatment of people, um, on a lot of levels. I think we have a really good mayor right now and I'm happy about that. Then I go to our small little airport because it flies to Dallas and I go Dallas to wherever. And there's not enough Bathrooms or there's not enough people. This is a city entity.

Speaker A: Yeah, I totally get it. In the essence of time. What I'd love to do is I'd love to jump ahead and hear the story how you got involved with the Latino Hotel Association. I don't know if you. I'm, um, way off base here probably, but I don't know who founded it, how it came together. I'd love to hear the story.

Speaker B: Okay. I knew there was an association, and in about 2015, I got a call from a board member who happens to be my really good friend. His name is Walter Barela. And he said, lynette, uh, Latino Hotel and Restaurant association was what it was called, has not been active for a while. I said, okay, this is something I'm really passionate about. One of the things going back to me walking into those conferences is just not seeing any Hispanic there, see anybody that had a last name that was Hispanic or color or whatever. And, um, it was just blatantly obvious. It was the lack of diversity. So I said, okay, I'll do it. And I did my first small little conference in Portland. I didn't know anybody. It was really small, and it was very difficult. And then we finally had our next event in Miami, and that was the year my dad passed. And so it was really difficult. But now we have really been growing. We've had. We had a conference, and we always have events in Miami. And then we had our conference in Dallas. For the last few years, we used Carlos Rodriguez's hotels for the hotels. So thankful for him he came and several times so far, and he has the conversation about raising capital. And he does a beautiful job because I think entering this industry as an investor, uh, as an owner, understanding the management piece, understanding the whole. Worked in a hotel. But how does this all happen in the backside?

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And I feel like there's just really a lack of knowledge for Hispanics and Latinos throughout the US And I really focus on, um, I think Angela before me, she focused on Mexico. I focus just on the US there's so many Hispanics in the United States. We are the biggest entrepreneurs. Uh, I have some statistics from Michael Costa, who's on my board with Equifax, who does an amazing job of making sure we understand the power of the Latino market. And during COVID who started businesses, who kept their businesses going, it was Latinos. They just are going to work hard for their families. And even Latinas, when there was a small growth of businesses, Latinas did 30% more, uh, in starting businesses. So we're a statistic that we cannot be ignored. And so we've worked really hard to harness those individuals that maybe have some capacity to look at ownership. They have some capacity to look at our industry in every way, even looking at GMs, so that they. Because they understand the business. What more could they do to advance, to look at the other side of the business?

Speaker A: And, uh, how big is your organization now? You've been there, what, 10 years, I think.

Speaker B: 10 years. 10 years.

Speaker A: So how big is your membership now? And is it, uh, like you said, I think you're focusing mainly on the States. It's mainly a United States association at this point.

Speaker B: It's the United States Association. It's not big enough.

Speaker A: It never will be.

Speaker B: But so we have about 250 people that come to our conference. And to me, I think we need a whole lot more, but I think we're slowly making our way. And we work with. There's a lot of organizations that are Hispanic organizations that work on building wealth. Latinos, we work with the, uh, national association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, and they really are working with individuals to help them be really clear about get a 401k because they're in the real estate business. Buy your first house, keep your first house. Buy your second house, rent your first house. Look at Airbnb, look at multifamily, look at moving, advancing in a way that they may not have considered in if they had not heard about the information. So then we like to come in and say, now, look at the hotel investment side, look at what the opportunities are. I have a new board member, two new board members. Mabel Pettis, who has just been great. She's, uh. I've made her my chair of the committee this year of the conference committee, because I really need help. And she's in Miami, and that's where we're going to be this year. And then Juan Suarez, who is with Marriott, and he's now with a new company, I think it's called Split, and he's creating investment groups. And how can we figure out ways that Latinas can look at, uh, the investment side if they're not ready to own? And then, of course, when we do our events, we have all of the brands there talking about new development. Do you own some land? This is what it would take to develop on that land. So. So we really try our best to put all sides of the scenario together.

Speaker A: And is it more primarily geared towards the owner, the investment folks versus the operators, or is it an equal?

Speaker B: I would say More on, um, um, the former. The investors area, the operator side. I feel that I don't want to get too mushy that. Get the water too messy when it be. Although that's something that that's getting pushed to. To have as well. So we're looking at that as a possibility on the. To be done separately from our event.

Speaker A: You've also started this whole educational side of the coin too, by providing courses and access to that, I believe.

Speaker B: Yes, yes. We're so excited about that. I always felt like there was a missing piece and it's something that we can't provide during a conference. We are going to be doing a webinar, uh, in August, and we hope to do more as we get closer to the conference. We're hoping to do two webinars. And that's the missing part. If you don't know about hotels, like, why would you even come to our conference? Or why would you even. And so even if they do know about it, this is a part they might not know. And, um, it goes into what you look at in the financials. The financials are the most important piece. This is if you were to buy a hotel or look at a hotel investment. You want to know about the financials and then just the different processes along the way. So it's a very good course.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, I think that's great that you're doing that. You're doing the networking, you're doing the annual conferences, you're doing the webinars. So if somebody was looking to get involved with the Latino Hotel association, where do they find you? How do they find you? What's the best way to find you?

Speaker B: LynetteinoHotels. Uh.org and, uh, that's probably the best way to find me. You could go to our website and it has all the information about our conference, it has the information about our courses. And we're, uh, going to be throwing up on LinkedIn and our website interviews by different individuals that have come to our conference that tell you a little bit more about their experience or what the value is of our event.

Speaker A: Cool. So before we start wrapping up here, I just want to mention something because Ashley Johnson is a past guest on the show. She's on my list, and she's a phenomenal person. And recently they had the Hued Hospitality Awards, and I think you were an honoree. Correct me if I'm wrong there, young lady. So what was that night like?

Speaker B: Oh, it was just unbelievable. I mean, whoa. Did they know how to make it fun? Were you There.

Speaker A: No, I couldn't make it down to Atlanta.

Speaker B: I know they played a little bad bunny. When I went up to get my award, it was really exciting and I never felt so special. And I really appreciated the shout out more than anyone can imagine. I'm at the point in my career where getting more people involved, getting more chairmanships, getting huge commit, not huge, but significant committees to do work that I always felt like I had to do on my own. I'm not winding down down, but I'm thinking about it. As you could tell from this interview I've been doing, I've been in business for a long time and I felt like this was timely, so I really appreciated it.

Speaker A: So what was the award for? Because I can't remember.

Speaker B: It was called. I have it right here because I

Speaker A: think this was the first year of the HUD honorees, correct?

Speaker B: Yes. It just says, uh, 2026. Hospitality hued honors honoree Lynette Montoya. And they basically read off all the things that I've done, my passion about really helping Latinos understand about our industry, understand about the opportunities. And Anna Blue read off the information and she did such a beautiful job. I sent her my resume or whatever, and she, she spoke to it so well, and I wish somebody could send me the video, but I don't know if that happened.

Speaker A: But it was just Ashley Johnson. You listened to the show, so let's get on this.

Speaker B: She was amazing. So, in fact, we were writing down the people. She was on the top of my list. I was getting there. Ashley?

Speaker A: Nope. She's terrific. So, listen, I could literally talk to you for another couple hours because, uh, I, uh, think you've had a fantastic and very interesting journey and so much more still to come. And I love what you're doing with the Latino Hotel Association. So I'm going to turn the mic back over to you now, Lynette, if there's anyone else, because you've mentioned, from John Q. Hammonds to Harry to Jim to Mike Galligos, Renee, Sabrina, Walter, Carlos, a little bit of that. But actually, is there anyone else you'd like to thank? And then I'll let you get back to work because I know you're busy.

Speaker B: I did write a list and one of the people I absolutely have to thank is Bill Fortier with Hilton, who's just recently retired. He just, uh. We wouldn't be here today. LHA would not be here today without him. And Matt Whalen, who's taken over his position, is just as kind as Bell. I'm Just so thankful to all of them. And Carol Maxwell worked for Bill Fortin in the executive department. She just passed away like a month ago. And my heart is just so broken because her. And I checked on her all the time, and I knew she wasn't well, but I'm going to miss her. And then Rachel Humphrey and, um, the Women's alliance, they've been very supportive, and I cannot thank them enough, Rachel, for just always being there if I needed to make a call. And recently working with HMLA Forward, they have done such a great job of their work with women. And I think Jen, because she's very inclusive, and I appreciate that so much. And Ashley McNeil over at HLA, just great people. And then the people at Alice Berba Group, Valerie and Jonathan, everybody there. And John Burba, I know I mentioned him already, but he's retired now. But it's great to have had these friends for so long that you just say, like I said, we're growing up together. And everyone at Hunter has always just been so kind. Nyu. My heart is full. When I started the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce here in Santa Fe, I worked with a man named Leveo Sanchez, and he was just a pioneer in Washington, D.C. and really felt like a, uh, chambers of commerce, where it was at. Where you can really become an entrepreneur and start your business as a Hispanic. And I have a big shout out to him, and he's getting older in years, and I don't know if he'd listen to this, but I'd like to maybe get it to him. And then, uh, I think I mentioned when I worked for Corrections, Michael Franke, he's one of those unsolved mysteries. He in Oregon, he went to work there, and somehow he got murdered. But he's somebody that I always think of, and he just was always a champion of Lynette, and I appreciate that. So there you go, I'm sure. Oh, my husband. Oh, don't forget your husband, Jimmy Valdez. He just supports me in every way. And my son Alex and Nick. Alex started working with me at, uh, lij, and it still works for me when now he has another job. He's working with G6 now, and he's out there like me, dropping into cities and making cold calls. And you go, alex and Nicholas, who's a teacher now, but if it comes to conference time and I need him, he's there. And my. All my nieces that have nephews that have showed up just because I said, when you doing a conference, you don't have much money. And they show up. And, um, my cousins have all shown up. Tricia, I just forgot. Roxanne and Monica, they've all showed up because I said, I need you. And I don't pay them, but I get them a room.

Speaker A: And their family.

Speaker B: And their family. And you know what? They all work so hard. So Juliana, Hannah, Erin, just everybody. So many people to thank. And, uh, my granddaughter Claire, because she motivates me.

Speaker A: Well, I'm about to have my first granddaughter as well, so I can only imagine.

Speaker B: Cheers are coming out right now talking about it all.

Speaker A: Listen, like I said, I love what you guys are doing at AH LHA and can't thank you enough for taking the time. I know the scheduling has been tough, but I thank you for putting up with me and my requests to be on the show. Very appreciate it. So I think I'm going to end this like I end every show. Which, folks, if it's Tuesday, let's get out there and thank somebody. They're going to love it, and you're going to feel great doing it. So, Lynette Montoya, continued success with the Latino Hotel association, and hopefully I'll see you, uh, at one of these upcoming meetings one time.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: All right.

Speaker B: Thank you so much.