“Richland and 鶹Լ gave me the tools I needed to finally open my own business,” said Marcos Fuentes, local entrepreneur and alumnus of Richland Community College and 鶹Լ University.
Currently, Marcos owns and operates four restaurants in Macon County, and all of these establishments were opened in just the past few years. Today’s reality was once a dream for Marcos. He said the inspiration to run his own restaurant stemmed from his dad.
“My dad used to own a taco truck. It was called The Original Taco Truck back in 2016/2017. He had me go work the truck and take some orders. Two months later, he said, ‘Hey, son, I really want you to know this business.’ I said, ‘Okay? What are you up to?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m going to have Marcos, the guy that taught me how to really cook the food, show you everything he knows. Then I can open up another food truck and have you run it for me.’”
Marcos learned how to run a business through that real-world experience and the classroom. When he started attending Richland in 2018, Marcos strengthened his writing and public speaking skills — both which he later used to build and market his business. One day, he randomly saw his English professor in the hallway and took the opportunity to share his appreciation.
“I went up to my English 101 professor and I said, ‘Thank you,’ as we were crossing paths in the hall. And he said, ‘For what?’ I told him, ‘Because of you, I am able to type up a good English paper.’ He said, ‘Really? Thank you. I appreciate you and your comment because we don’t hear this a lot.’”
At 鶹Լ, Marcos studied Management Information Systems and minored in Cybersecurity. He developed his business skills through these courses — crafting a business plan and gaining inspiration from professors like Mark Munoz who encouraged him to keep going.
“He was there every step of the way - with guidance, with support, with reaching out, with ‘How are you doing?’ with ‘Great job, you’re doing great. Keep going.’ It’s the positive feedback that I received from Mark Munoz, specifically, that made me continue and finish.”
With these skills, Marcos opened the Smack’n Tacos food truck in July 2020, and it was an immediate success.
“The amount of support I had on a daily basis was incredible. People would be waiting outside before opening hours. I would open at 11 and there would be a line of 40-50 people at 10:30 AM. Sometimes I would be in class and there would be an emergency at the food truck, and I would have to go and apologize to my professor. He understood.”
Now, Marcos owns and operates four restaurants across Macon County. One of his newest ventures — Agave & Lime Tex-Mex in Maroa, Ill. — will be the location of the first Richland Community College + 鶹Լ University Alumni Spotlight Series. There, both institutions are inviting their alumni and the community to gather and connect while supporting an alumni-run business.
On Monday, Aug. 24, from 5-7 p.m., enjoy a taco bar, one complimentary drink or a tequila tasting, and great conversation. All attendees can even take home a color-changing 鶹Լ and Richland souvenir cup. The cost to attend is $20 per person. Attendees must be 21 or older, and registration is required.
