Meet Angelique Salazar: An Entrepreneur Business Owner of U Lucky Dog

Photos courtesy of Pete Eklund

Growing up in the prominent Salazar family in Littleton’s Columbine Valley neighborhood where she still lives today, Angelique Salazar was raised with strong values from her mother and her father. Her foray into business ownership began in her early twenties when Salazar was searching for suitable day care for her three special needs dogs while she was at work at her family businesses. Her search resulted in the realization that there was an opportunity in the market for quality dog day care. Using her business acumen, she established U Lucky Dog, known as Club ULD at 4125 Elati Street, which provides day care, boarding and spa services for dogs. Already an astute businesswoman, Salazar started slowly by providing only day care services. ULD has now grown into an award-winning 25,000 square foot facility offering day care, overnight boarding, grooming, and a retail shop.

Salazar is also a principal at Central Street Capital, Inc., the Salazar family office that oversees the family businesses. The company’s executive team is composed of Salazar’s family. Rob, her father, is the founder and president. Lola, her mother, is president of Salazar Family Foundation and her brother Isiah is also a principal. As a team, the family oversees investments in real estate development projects, healthcare related companies and businesses in a broad spectrum of industries. “We’re smart enough to know what we’re good at and what we’re not good at. That’s really important when you’re working with family,” says Salazar. The family works hard, and plays hard—but knows when to leave work at the office and gather around the dinner table together, which they do every Sunday.

Her parents, Lola and Rob Salazar, founded Salazar Family Foundation, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization in 1999 whose mission is to support education, low-income housing assistance and other unmet needs in our community. Lola and Rob both grew up in Denver and Salazar Family Foundation is inspired by a love and commitment to the place in which they grew up. The foundation has provided hundreds of grants to a variety of organizations over the last 23 years. It is a major contributor to The Denver Foundation, The Denver Public Schools Foundation, the Latin American Education Foundation, Mi Casa Resource Center and Warren Village.

Salazar attributes her success to the opportunities and knowledge given to her by her parents. She joined the family business while attending college at the University of Colorado and learned everything she could from her father. As an entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, mother, female and a minority, Salazar is passionate about creating opportunities to help others. “It is truly an honor to go to work every day, and it doesn’t ever feel like work,” Salazar says.

It would be impossible to truly list all that this powerhouse family has done for our community. They have worked together to create a family legacy, using their wealth for the benefit of others. There is no doubt that working with her family and learning from her dad has made Salazar the successful businesswoman she is today. No one said it better than Lola Salazar: “Set goals, work hard, dream big, and remember to give back.”