40 Under 40 The Class of 2017

Wilfredo Lopez Jr.

Commercial Real Estate Broker, NAI Plotkin; Consultant, Lopez Consulting LLC; Age 38

Wilfredo Lopez Jr.

Wilfredo Lopez Jr.

Freddy Lopez has overcome many challenging obstacles. Having grown up in Springfield in an impoverished neighborhood where violence was a part of daily life, he’s self-taught, and takes pride in using his hard-earned knowledge to help clients and more than 13 community groups find solutions to challenges.

Lopez first realized he could make a difference in 2007 when the housing market crashed. He was a residential real-estate broker, and as lending guidelines tightened, he began educating clients about credit and financial literacy.

A few years later, he changed his focus to commercial real estate and was encouraged by his mentor, Evan Plotkin, president of NAI Plotkin, to get involved in the community. At that point, he began to realize how much he could offer neighborhood groups and organizations.

“I wanted to work for the common good of all people and became a community activist,” Lopez said.

He has been a member of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield since 2007, and serves on the board or is a member of groups that are too numerous to name. They include Springfield’s E3, Neighbor to Neighbor, Common Capital, DevelopSpringfield, Springfield Partners, and the steering committees of FutureCity 2025 and MGM’s Community Partners Network.

“My goal is to alleviate challenges for people in any way that I can,” he said. “I want to empower people based on their individual abilities and starting points.”

Lopez is passionate about the Alternatives to Violence Project in Springfield, which he has chaired since 2013. “Violence in inner cities is considered normal, and that needs to be addressed and changed,” he said. “The goal is to educate one person at a time about conflict resolution.”

The father of Lexus, 15, Jaylene, 10, and Diego, 9, Lopez serves on the board of trustees for Sabis International Charter School, which his children attend. His involvement with the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Committee is also important to him because it celebrates his culture, diversity, and inclusiveness, and caters to the largest demographic in the City of Homes.

Lopez is a member of Leadership Pioneer Valley’s class of 2016, is director of business development for Metrocare of Springfield LLC, serves as a senior consultant at Lopez Consulting LLC, and manages a multi-million-dollar portfolio at NAI Plotkin.

But all his diverse roles have a common thread. “I find inner peace in helping others.”

—Kathleen Mitchell