Hugo Garcia

Hugo joined the Craft3 Board in 2025, bringing over 15 years of experience in economic development, community finance, and public service. Hugo is well-positioned to help Craft3 address the complex challenges faced by underserved communities.

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Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Hugo immigrated to the Pacific Northwest with his family in 1988 when he was 8. His father worked as a waiter and his mother as a school lunch lady. Together, they raised him and his two brothers on minimum wage and tips in the unincorporated King County neighborhoods of White Center and Burien. A proud graduate of the public school system, Hugo pursued a career in finance and banking to support his family’s entrepreneurial goals and to promote broader economic opportunity.

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From 2000 to 2015, Hugo worked with Bank of America and Plaza Bank a Latino-owned local startup where he gained firsthand experience with the economic impacts of the Great Recession on King County’s urban communities. Witnessing the limitations of traditional banking in addressing local needs, Hugo became increasingly focused on advancing equitable and community-based financial solutions.

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That led him to Craft3, where he served as a Business Outreach & Special Assets Specialist. In that role, Hugo led initiatives to provide mission-driven business loans to minority, women, veteran, and immigrant entrepreneurs in low- to moderate-income communities.  

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Currently, Hugo serves as a City Council Member in Burien, Washington. He previously held the role of Economic Development Program Manager for King County’s Department of Local Services, where he designed and implemented small business recovery programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. His efforts helped drive business resilience, job retention, and income growth in unincorporated areas. Hugo remains focused on fostering new business ventures and strengthening of existing small businesses.

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