Alberto Vasallo, Jr., Founder, El Mundo Newspaper, Cambridge, MA

Alberto Vasallo, Jr., a native of Havana, fled Cuba in 1965 at the age of 24 years old. After traveling for 12 hours, he arrived in Key West, FL, a day he has described as of one of the most beautiful days in his life. Mr. Vasallo spent two months in Miami, FL before moving to Boston, MA in January 1966. He settled in Cambridge, MA where he began to promote local Latin bands and sell jewelry. He grew to appreciate the growing Hispanic population in the Boston area. A map maker in Cuba, in 1972, Mr. Vasallo founded El Mundo, a Spanish language newspaper in the Boston area. In the beginning, Mr. Vasallo delivered the paper himself in a station wagon. Over time, the paper grew in size. El Mundo is Massachusetts’ oldest Spanish language weekly newspaper serving the Latino community of eastern Massachusetts. El Mundo also serves as the official Latino media partner of the Boston Red Sox.

Mr. Vasallo’s business career spans more than four decades in Boston and he has forged a legacy in the Latino small business community as an entrepreneur. His accomplishments have been recognized locally and nationally. Mr. Vasallo was awarded an Honorary Degree from Cambridge College in 2014, and in 2012, he was selected to throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch at Fenway Park before a Boston Red Sox game in commemoration of El Mundo's 40th anniversary.