Robert Carrillo ’95 wears many hats in his career, but his mission is consistent: He’s devoted to the noble cause of improving life for underserved communities. With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, he now leads Carrillo Group, a brokerage firm committed to culturally responsive real estate practices that prioritize equity and justice.

      “My team helps renters become homeowners, helps homeowners leverage their real estate to purchase commercial property, and supports small businesses similarly,” shares Carrillo. 

      Currently a resident of San Bernardino, California, Carrillo is working on three important initiatives in his city: combating gentrification, empowering girls of color through the sport of wrestling, and developing an economic and housing model to address homelessness.

      Carrillo comes by these kinds of selfless pursuits honestly. He was born in Washington Heights, New York, to an immigrant Peruvian mother who was constantly volunteering to help those in need.

      “Even though she didn’t have much herself, my mom ran a food pantry and enlisted my sisters and me to volunteer with her,” Carrillo remembers. “She also worked as a nutritionist at a center for children with AIDS. Her work ethic was remarkable.”

      At Taft and then Wesleyan, Carrillo continued volunteering and began to view this work in a more systematic type of way. After graduating from college, he began a job at Deutsche Bank, where he had completed two summer analyst programs while a student at Wesleyan, which was his first exposure to the world of real estate. With his signing bonus, Carrillo set out to buy a place in Washington Heights, only to find that the area had become too gentrified. This discovery sparked Carrillo’s interest in using his professional skills to combat the gentrification that permeates so many American cities.

      Priced out of his childhood neighborhood, Carrillo instead moved to the South Bronx, where he immersed himself as a community resident, organizer, and special education teacher. Ironically, he worked at a Bronx-based school called Taft, which was located in the poorest congressional district in the country. In 2013, Carrillo, who wrestled at both Taft and Wesleyan, and was captain at each his senior years, founded a nonprofit called Lucha Vida, a youth wrestling program involving mentorship, nutrition, and tutoring.

      “Lucha Vida was born from the urgent need to uplift at-risk youth in the South Bronx,” says Carrillo. “The program has been a huge triumph and still exists today, and we’re bringing it out to San Bernardino come August. It’s my hope that we can keep its expansion going.”

      Inspired by Lucha Vida’s success, Carrillo decided to document several years of the wrestling program, and eventually created a feature-length documentary called LUCHA that has since been shown in 13 film festivals and won multiple awards (view trailer at www.luchamovie.com).

      In 2020, Carrillo relocated to San Bernardino when his wife, also an educator, accepted a job in the area. Now, he’s primarily focused on his newest endeavor, LaunchPad, an innovative mixed-use, mixed-income development in San Bernardino that he firmly believes will be a solution to the city’s economic and housing issues.

      “LaunchPad provides affordable housing across income levels ensuring safe and stable homes for vulnerable populations including immigrants, youth aging out of foster care, and veteran women with children,” says Carrillo. “The housing is upstairs. The ground floor includes micro-retail incubator spaces, commercial kitchens, a daycare, and an indoor vertical farm.” Mayor Helen Tran says, “This innovative approach addresses San Bernardino’s systemic challenges and positions San Bernardino as a hub for inclusive, accessible, and environmentally responsible economic growth.”

      The building, which plans to open its doors in December, is made of modular construction and features 100% solar and energy conserving materials. 

      “The LaunchPad model can be replicated throughout other cities, regions, and maybe even the country,” says Carrillo. “I see many more Launchpads in the future as a solution to addressing America’s housing crisis.”