Alex Hurtado Gorigoitía
More than two decades of entrepreneurship, investment and continuous growth.
In the city of Copiapó, through his own business venture and amid the constant activity of the mining industry, Alex Hurtado Gorigoitía began to forge his professional path. His first steps were in the transportation sector, where he immersed himself from the very beginning in the realities of the business. He learned about maintenance, experienced the logistics of operations, and managed contracts with mining companies from the age of 19.
After settling in Copiapó, he decided to enter the real estate sector at the age of 21, purchasing his first property. The following year, he doubled down on this strategy and acquired five more properties in the same city. These early decisions planted the seed that would eventually grow into the real estate companies of Grupo San Carlos, such as Inversiones Hurtado SpA, Inversiones Amancay SpA, and HG Inversiones SpA. Today, these companies manage a range of real estate assets across different cities in the country, extending their presence from Tarapacá to the Los Lagos Region.
Between 2000 and 2001, Alex Hurtado Gorigoitía also ventured into small-scale mining, working closely with local small-scale miners, known as pirquineros. This experience gave him a closer understanding of the realities of small-scale mining, its challenges, and the way operations were carried out in the field.
By 2004, Alex fulfilled his ambition of starting his own transportation company, where he could apply all the knowledge acquired during his first professional stage. Thus, Transportes HURCAM SpA was born. The starting point was a used 1997 Ford Louisville truck. With an in-depth knowledge of mining routes, trucks, Human Resources, and road freight operations, the company quickly established itself as a strategic partner for small, medium-sized, and large mining companies in northern Chile.
Just three years later, by the end of 2007, the company was already coordinating a fleet of 30 trucks and more than 50 specialized pieces of equipment for transporting various types of cargo and supplies for mining companies in northern Chile.
In a mining market that is naturally demanding and competitive, constant evolution was essential. Understanding this dynamic, Alex quickly focused on professionalizing the company's structure by integrating highly qualified teams across every area. This strategy delivered results and accelerated sustained growth. By 2019, the company had 110 tractor-trailers and more than 200 specialized pieces of equipment, capable of transporting everything from industrial water and fuel to copper cathodes, copper concentrate, oversized cargo, and sulfuric acid. This positioned the company among the three largest sulfuric acid transportation companies in northern Chile.
That same year, due to the company's significant growth, its headquarters were relocated to Santiago. From that point onward, all Grupo San Carlos businesses have been managed and directed from the company's headquarters in the capital.
The economic growth of the Antofagasta and Atacama regions opened new opportunities in the industrial sector, encouraging Alex Hurtado Gorigoitía to expand the group's activities into new areas. The operation subsequently diversified through a range of subsidiary companies: Transportes Fagas SpA, focused on logistics and courier services; FERCAT Rent a Car SpA, dedicated to renting pickup trucks for the mining industry, reaching more than 100 units by 2019; Grúas REVAR SpA, providing lifting services with a fleet of six to seven cranes; FRANMAC Maquinarias SpA, focused on engineering, construction, and earthmoving; and Hotelera Desierto Florido SpA.
In parallel, in 2024 Grupo San Carlos entered the financial sector through AX Capital SpA. To date, the company has financed more than 60 pieces of equipment for small and medium-sized mining companies, leveraging the extensive experience of Grupo San Carlos' owner in the sector.
From 2026 onwards, however, the group's financial services company will focus on housing finance for the middle class in northern Chile, primarily in Copiapó, a city that played a fundamental role in Alex Hurtado's professional growth and in the development of all his business units.
These properties will be projects developed and carried out through one of the group's subsidiaries, Franmac Ingeniería y Construcción SpA.
Over more than two decades of activity, the coordinated work of hundreds of employees has helped shape and consolidate Grupo San Carlos, an organization headquartered in Santiago that today generates more than 150 direct and indirect jobs in northern Chile. Its name remains a living tribute to the memory of Alex's uncle, Domingo Carlos Hurtado López.