For Silvia Castro Bennett, driving change isn’t just a metaphor; it’s a daily reality.
As CEO of the Suazo Business Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit at the intersection of business and underrepresented communities, Bennett is constantly on the move — traveling to conferences, visiting local family businesses and driving to meetings from Ogden to Cedar City.
In her words, the Suazo Business Center does more than create businesses. “If our job were to start up businesses, my life would be so easy,” she laughs. “But the hard work is to stabilize the individual and family. It takes time to set up the right foundation for the business and for the business to grow to the next level.”
Sustaining a nonprofit through rapid expansion and constant fundraising is no easy feat. To manage the pace and stay anchored to her mission, Silvia relies on a unique toolkit that keeps her fueled personally and professionally.
Outlook
“Every Sunday, I review the week ahead together with my daughter and husband as a family. It’s not anything fancy, but [Outlook] just simplifies things so much and makes it easier to keep track of everything. Everything’s in Outlook. Contacts, calendar and email. … I always say use the system that works for you.”
Chocolate Nutella cake from Buono Bakery
“Small business entrepreneurs are really what make places worth living. … I have this spot out in Sandy called Buono Bakery, and they have this moist chocolate Nutella cake that is just massive. Anything with Nutella makes everything happy. … If I’m going to have chocolate, I’m going to do it well, and I’m going to them. It’s seriously so good. I curse the friend who introduced me to them.”
Mitsubishi Outlander
“The coolest thing is that the work we do has an actual physical place I can go. Going through Salt Lake County, Weber County, Davis County, Utah County, etc., there are always places I can hit where I know we have clients. … It’s funny because I love cars, but this is seriously the most comfortable car I’ve ever had. And I love that it’s a hybrid. … Sometimes it gives me parking spots that are not available because I can plug it in.”
Marriott Bonvoy App
“I’m a Marriott person, so the app is everything to me — to check in and unlock doors, and everything from my phone. … Whenever I’m traveling and there’s not a Marriott, I don’t know what to do. Now and then, you get the whimsical ones, and that’s what I call the ‘whimsy Marriott.’ I stayed in the one in Austin, Texas, and they had turntables in every room and a record library in the lobby. … They have different themes depending on where you stay.”
Her team
“I’m one person of an incredible team. I have amazing people who are overseeing the programming, the operations, the logistics and the finances. We have advisors and mentors who have owned businesses themselves and have expertise in different industries, who are advising, mentoring or teaching workshops and classes. I have the pleasure and honor of leading this effort.”
Ground News
“I love Ground News because it tells you the news from both perspectives. You can actually pick the topics and it shows a spectrum of the news outlets. … Social media is made out of likes; whatever keeps you on the screen longer. It’s not designed to give you accurate information, because sometimes, the accurate information is not what you want to hear.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about one side or another. We want to understand what’s actually happening as we try to guide our clients. We’re trying to provide a different perspective and, frankly, you have to be pragmatic because you have a business to run.”
Her daughter
“The one thing I cannot live without is my daughter. … She’s made me a better human and a better professional. I love traveling with her because I love how she sees things and I get to experience everything through her eyes. She’s frankly one of the best traveling partners. … I always call her my co-pilot because we always have our little adventures [together]. I’m lucky to have her.”
