ABOUT US

Who we are

Estudios Técnicos, Inc., (ETI) is the leading planning, research, market strategy, social analysis, and economic advisory consulting firm in Puerto Rico. With more than 35 years of operation on the island, it maintains a forward looking vision in the services provided by its team of first-rate professionals. The use of advanced technology, and its multidisciplinary approach make it unique in Puerto Rico. Its staff disciplines includes such as economics, planning, law, statistics, management, finance, marketing, communications, data analysis, programming, and geography, among others.

 

This multidisciplinary approach enriches the results of studies and the management of projects that require the integration of various disciplines. Added to this is the control, quality, and efficiency of the data obtained in the field work by the group of surveyors and supervisors of the firm. Field work is not subcontracted.

 

Estudios Técnicos Inc. has a proud professional reputation that is kept through a carefully implemented quality control process, the development and introduction of new products to the market, the strategic analysis of companies that wish to operate in Puerto Rico and the United States, as well as the most complete data base on the economic and social reality of the country.

Principles of the Organization

Estudios Técnicos, Inc.

  • MISSION

    Contribute to the social and economic development of Puerto Rico through the delivery of research and advice to institutions in the public sector, as well as entrepreneurial, and non-profit organizations.

  • VISION

    Be the best and most innovative | Exceed the expectations of our clients | Maintain a pleasant working environment and quality that provides for the professional development of team members. | Commitment to integrity is the guiding principle of our work.

  • VALUES

    Our operations are based on honesty, ethics, a sense of responsibility, commitment, and equal opportunities and training. Our team believes in these values and applies them to each of the jobs they do to achieve excellence and quality in the service we offer to our clients.

MEET OUR TEAM

Estudios Técnicos, Inc., as indicated, has a multidisciplinary team of 28 professionals from various disciplines. It also has a primary research unit composed of more than 50 interviewers, supervisors, and staff, with college preparation at the undergraduate level and, in some cases at the graduate level, including master’s degrees in areas related to social studies, business administration, planning, and education.

PERSONAL PROFESIONAL

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José J. Villamil, B.Sc.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer
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José J. Villamil, B.Sc.

Economist.  Founder, Chief Executive Officer of Estudios Técnicos, Inc., and president of its Board of Directors. Graduated from Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania. Villamil has been visiting professor at several academic institutions: Harvard University; the Institute for Development Studies of the University of Sussex, in England; and the National University of Engineering, in Perú, among others. He has worked as a consultant for several international organizations and chaired the Inter American Planning Society, the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of Economists. He was a member of the Board of Directors of BBVA in Puerto Rico. Villamil received an honorary doctorate from the Metropolitan University of Puerto Rico in 2004 and the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation fellowship for his work on the economic development of small economies. He was director and founder of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation and the Non-Profit Sector Research Fund at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C.

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Graham A. Castillo Pagán, JD.

President and Chief Operating Officer
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Graham Castillo Pagán

Economist and lawyer, President and Chief Operating Officer of the firm. He earned his degree in Economics from Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR), Metropolitan Campus, and a Juris Doctor from IAUPR Law School. Castillo-Pagán has over 25 years of experience in market studies, macroeconomics analysis and cost, benefit, and viability for the development of real state, as well as commercial, financial, and food projects, among others. He provided services to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to include CDBG, HOME, and NSP. As a HUD consultant, he provided services to the Department of Housing, the Housing Finance Authority, and the Puerto Rico Commissioner of Municipal Affairs. He also provided services to the academia and educational companies in the island such as IAUPR, Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Sacred Heart University, Eduk Group, and Edic College. He was director of Universia Puerto Rico, which is Banco Santander’s virtual university platform worldwide.

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Lcda. Anitza M. Cox, MEd.

Director, Social Analysis and Policy Division
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Anitza M. Cox Marrero, MA, JD.

Director of the Analysis and Social Policy Division.  Lawyer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in education with a major in instructional design, both form the Sacred Heart University. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico and a postgraduate certification in Community Development and Public Administration from Rutgers University in New Jersey. In addition to her experience as a consultant, she has more than 15 years of teaching experience in Program Research and Evaluation at several university institutions, currently in the Graduate Program of Public Administration at the University of Puerto Rico. She is a member of the American Evaluation Association.

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Yoana López, MP, PPL

Director, Environmental, Urban, and Regional Planning Division
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Yoana López, MP, PPL.

Director of the Environmental, Urban, and Regional Planning Division. She earned a Juris Doctor, a master’s degree in Planning, and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). López has worked with federal projects assigned to the Vice Presidency of Students Affairs and the Office of Compliance and Integrity in Research, assigned to the Vice Presidency of Research and Innovation of the UPR.

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Carlos Torija, MS.

Director, Statistics Division
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Carlos Torija, MS.

Director of the Statistics Division. Highly involved in the firm’s projects that require statistical analysis and design of samples and surveys. He earned his degree in Statistics and Operations Research from Complutense University of Madrid. Has earned a master’s degree in Applied Economics and another in Current Methods of Applied Statistics from National University of Distance Education (UNED) in Spain. Torija completed postgraduate studies in Advanced Methods of Applied Statistics, Design, and Statistical Treatment of Surveys at the Foundation University and Business, in collaboration with UNED in Spain. He also completed courses on Quality Control of Information at Complutense University in Madrid. Torija is involved in projects that require statistical analysis as well as sample and survey design.

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Cristina Vargas, MA

Director, Consumer Insights & Market Strategies Division
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Cristina Vargas, MA

With over 18 years of experience, she leads projects on market analysis, business intelligence, customer experience and those related to consumer behavior. She has extensive knowledge in the application of traditional and digital quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in marketing from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, and a master’s degree in Communications with a major in Public Relations from the Sacred Heart University of Puerto Rico. Furthermore, she earned a certification in Customer Experience and Design Management and recently completed a professional certification at Northwestern University’s School of Business in Marketing Leadership.

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Leslie Adames, MA

Director, Economic Analysis and Policy Division
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Leslie Adames, MA

Economist. For 13 years, he worked as an economist and head of the “Capital Planning” unit of Banco Santander in Puerto Rico where he was responsible for conducting economic and financial industry analysis, developing projection models for the institution’s capital test stress exercises, and evaluating and determining the reasonableness of the macroeconomic variables used in the design of the models associated with the CECL process. Mr. Adames was part of the team of economists at Estudios Tecnicos, Inc. from 2004-2007 where he worked in the Economic Policy and Analysis unit on issues related to economic policy, market analysis, economic impact studies, financial viability, and valuation of business. From 2002 to 2004, he was part of the team of economic advisers of the Governor’s Office, where he was in charge of evaluating the economic reasonableness of legislative measures and economic development strategies. Also, he served as professor of economics at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico from 2000 to 2007.

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Roberto López, MA

Coordinates the Data Analytics Division
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Roberto López, MA

Studied economics and finance at University of Valladolid in Spain and the Catholic University in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He has developed several analytical instruments and market analysis based on GIS technology that integrate socio-economic, demographics and business data valuable to the firm.

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Roberto Aragón, MA

Director Real Estate & Business Economics
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Roberto Aragón, MA

He has a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Puerto Rico. With over 13 years of experience as an economic, finance, and planning consultant for clients in the public and private sectors, Aragón prepares financial and market feasibility studies for residential, commercial, hospitality, and health facilities projects, as well as industrial macroeconomic and financial projections. He has experience in providing litigation support services.

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Juan Castañer, MA

Senior Economic Advisor
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Juan Castañer, MA

Senior Economic Advisor. Highly recognized for his vast experience in the public sector. He served as Deputy Administrator of the Economic Development Administration and Director of the Economic Analysis Areas of the Planning Board of Puerto Rico. He has published articles in the areas of international trade, economic development, and the economy of Puerto Rico.

Héctor González Nieves, JD.

Collaborates in the Social Analysis and Policy Division.

proveyendo asistencia técnica en programas federales y como analista en investigaciones para entidades gubernamentales y del sector sin fines de lucro. Cuenta con un bachillerato en relaciones internacionales, una maestría en Administración Pública de la Universidad de Puerto Rico y un Juris Doctor de la Universidad Pontificia Católica.

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Edward A. Mercado, JD, MPA

Collaborates in the Social Analysis and Policy Division. 

Mercado has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a major in Forensic Psychology; a Juris Doctor, and a master’s degree in Public Administration with a major in Public Management, all from the University of Puerto Rico. He has experience in projects for the private, public, and non-for-profit organizations sectors, including public policy issues, strategic planning, studies of needs, citizen participation plans, program evaluation, technical assistance, and field work.

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Gamaliel Lamboy, BSc

He is part of both the Economic Analysis and Data Analytics group.

Lamboy has participated in multiple initiatives, including public policy and economic impact projects both in the private and public sectors. He has studies in Economics and Mathematics.

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Alejandro Jordán, BS

Economist. Collaborates in the Economic Analysis and Policy Division. 

Jordán has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.

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Ana Gabriela Jara, MS

Collaborates in the Economic Analysis and Policy Division.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Geography, and a master’s degree in Demography, both from the University of Puerto Rico. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a Project Manager in the economics department of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics and as a quantitative analyst in the risk management area of Banco Popular.

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José Quiñones, BS

Programmer. He works in the Data Analytics Division.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Puerto Rico. Quiñones has experience in a variety of programming languages including C / C ++, Python, PHP, JavaScript, Kotlin, and also in relational database (SQL) design and management. He has developed applications for both the web and mobile devices.

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Andrés Pavía, MS

He is an analyst at the Data Analytics Division.

Earned his bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC, majoring in Business Management and a Concentration in Sports Management. He also completed a Master of Science in Business Intelligence and Analytics from St. Joseph’s University in the city of Philadelphia.

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Ángel Whatts

Jr. Economist. Member of the Economic Analysis and Policy Division

He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Previous to joining Estudios Técnicos, he worked in the Healthcare industry, with an emphasis on business strategy.
He contributes to the development of financial and banking models.

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Marcos A. Valdez, BBA

He works in the Data Analytics Division.

Develops and manages programming infrastructure for the communication and data visualization management of the firm. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Business Administration School at the University of Puerto Rico, with a major in Economics, Finance, and Information Systems. He has experience in creating models for analytical purposes using a diversity of programming languages and tools such as Python, R, and SQL. He is an amateur enthusiast of creative production and programming with Arduino and Raspberry Pi.

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María A. Santiago, MA

Research Assistant. Collaborates in the Consumer Insights & Market Strategies Division.

Collaborates as a research assistant in various projects: Market Analysis, Real State, and Data Analytics. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Statistics from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing from the Sacred Heart University.

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Mauricio E. Costa, BBA

Research Assistant. Collaborates in the Consumer Insights & Market Strategies Division.

Collaborates in the Consumer Insights and Market Strategies division. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the Business Administration School at the University of Puerto Rico.

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Natalia Figueroa, MBA

Collaborates in the Social Analysis and Policy Division.

Figueroa provides technical assistance for the design, management, and fulfillment of programs subsidized with federal funds as well as projects related to Analysis and Social Policy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Puerto Rico.

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Rafael Arroyo, MA, Ph.D.

Member of the Social Analysis and Policy Division.

He collaborates in projects that require the implementation of qualitative research techniques. Arroyo completed a Ph.D. in Community Social Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico, as well as graduate studies in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

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Roberto Moyano, MS

Cartographer. Geographic Information Systems Analyst.

Moyano manages geographic data bases and other tools related to Geographic Information Systems. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems from the Pontifical University of Salamanca, in Spain. Moyano has developed mapping and graphics technologies for websites. He is also a certified drone pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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Cristian Rosado, BA

He is an analyst at the Data Analytics Division.

Earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras majoring in Operations and Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management and Applied Statistics.

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DESIREE PASTRANA, MP, PPL

Professional Licensed Planner at the Urban, Regional, and Environmental Planning Division

Mrs. Pastrana completed a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design at UPR’s School of Architecture and a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. As an undergrad, her research experiences focused on the appliances of architecture design for enhancing resilience to natural hazards such as heat waves. As a graduate student, Desiree worked as a research and teaching assistant on disaster recovery planning and climate adaptation, mainly focusing on the case of Puerto Rico. Before joining the Firm, Desiree served as Planning and Implementation Developer for Puerto Rico – Roosevelt Roads Promise Zone, where she started a Strategic Plan for public involvement in the redevelopment process. As part of the Urban, Regional, and Environmental Planning Division in Estudios Técnicos, Inc., she works in the development of Municipal Recovery Plans. She will be part of the planning team.

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MONIQUE A. LORENZO, MP, PPL

Professional Licensed Planner at the Urban, Regional, and Environmental Planning Division.

Mrs. Lorenzo has a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Monique has vast experience doing qualitative research and working in multidisciplinary environments. Her most recent work investigates the impacts of managed retreat practices in informal communities in Puerto Rico. As a graduate student, Monique worked as a research associate on community planning, hazard mitigation, and climate adaptation topics, mainly focusing on the case of Puerto Rico. As an undergraduate, she worked for the Interdisciplinary Center for Coastal Studies from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, collaborating in different projects using GIS. Before joining the Firm, she worked for Environmental Design and Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services (EDR) in Columbus, Ohio, supporting the development of solar project applications. Most recently, as part of Estudios Técnicos, Inc. Monique has been developing Municipal Recovery Plans. She will be part of the planning team.

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TATIANA MARQUINA, MP, PPL, PHD

Professional Licensed Planner of the Urban, Regional and Environmental Planning Division.

Dr. Marquina has a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont and a Master’s in Planning from the University of Puerto Rico. Prior to joining Estudios Técnicos, Inc., she worked at the University of Vermont, collaborating with non-governmental organizations, state and federal agencies on environmental management and climate change adaptation issues. In Estudios Técnicos, Inc., she collaborates in developing Municipal Recovery Plans for the disasters caused by hurricanes Irma and María. She has worked closely with various coastal municipalities, helping them develop recovery plans in the face of the challenge of climate change and other natural and social hazards. She will be part of the planning team.

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Oria Andino, BBA

Coordinates the firm’s publications and new housing database.

She offers technical and research support, mainly in the areas of Economic Analysis and Policy and Market Strategies. Produces the Construction and Sales Activity Report, a quarterly publication that supports the Real Estate Industry. Andino earned a bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Puerto Rico.

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Roberto Ríos, Bsc

Supervisor field work.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico and has more than 10 years of experience in the supervision, management, and quality control of processes regarding data capture and collection.

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Jean Rosario

Supervisor field work.

Mayra E. Rivera

Rivera serves as the firm’s administrative assitant.

Ricardo Serrano

Serrano serves as the firm’s general manager.