Jonathan Pedraza co-founded Alpha Motors, a car dealership in the heart of Belmont Cragin, a historical community located in the northwest side of Chicago, driven by a passion for cars instilled by his family.
Leading all operations, he focuses on streamlining the car-buying process, particularly for first-time buyers in the Hispanic community.
Growing up in Albany Park alongside his brother and co-founder, Ricardo, Jonathan was the first generation in his family to attend a four-year university. He graduated with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in finance with an engineering minor from the Hoeft Technology & Management program.
Beginning his career in investment banking at J.P. Morgan’s Diversified Industries (Industrials) group in New York, Pedraza was recognized as a Launching Leaders scholar at the firm. His prior experience at the Bank of Montreal involved extensive financial modeling, market research, and private company valuations. After working on multi-billion dollar transactions, Pedraza returned to Chicago to launch Alpha Motors. Since its inception, the company has facilitated hundreds of vehicle sales, serving the Chicagoland area across retail and wholesale markets.
Most recently, Pedraza played an important role in the establishment of Solomon Partners’ Industrials group as their first employee. Leveraging his prior experience at J.P. Morgan, he advises on private company sell-sides, buy-side acquisitions, and capital raising. Additionally, he volunteers as an Auxiliary Board Member at the National Museum of Mexican Art, focusing on professional development. Previously, Pedraza mentored college students in the Chicago chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America, empowering them to achieve their career aspirations.
Looking ahead, Pedraza aims to further his career in finance, expand Alpha Motors, and explore new investment opportunities – while working to inspire future Latinx professionals.
Words of Wisdom: “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. Your chances of success in any undertaking will always be determined by your belief in yourself.” Spanish: “El éxito es la suma de pequeños esfuerzos repetidos día tras día”. -Jonathan Pedraza
