Surry Business

Alicia and Gabriel Torres came from Mexico to Mount Airy, N.C., in 1986 with little money, but a lot of determination to work hard and earn a better life in the United States. Twenty-one years later, they’ve built a multi-million-dollar business, Eagle Carports Inc., that recently paid $700,000 for the 132,000-square-foot former apparel plant where both once worked. They expect to spent $300,000 to $500,000 to renovate the facility, add equipment and bring new jobs to Surry County.

Gabriel’s brother, Benny, has a similar story to tell. Also an immigrant, he built T-N-T Carports Inc. in Mount Airy. It, like Eagle Carports, has plants across the United States and employs dozens of workers including many Hispanic immigrants.

Winston-Salem Journal writer Sherry Youngquist tells how Alicia and Gabriel Torres achieved the American dream in her Nov. 3 article, “Growing business brings couple full circle.”