Douglas Alvarez is an associate at ScottMadden and has been with the firm since 2022. He works in the energy practice, focusing on projects that include capital program execution, contract management assessments, and regulatory lead/lag studies. He is an active member of the firm’s supply chain CoP, serving as both market monitor and content plan manager. He holds a B.S. in economics-finance from Bentley University.
Appetizer—Roots Full of Flavor
Douglas was born in León, Spain, but his earliest memories are from Puerto Rico, where his family moved shortly after. His parents met in San Juan through a bakery where Douglas’s father and mother’s sister both worked. His father, from Spain,
and his mother, from the Dominican Republic, built a home for Douglas and his younger sister, Natalia, in the colorful Santurce neighborhood.
Childhood with a sibling meant plenty of rivalry. “We teased each other constantly,” Douglas recalls with a laugh. “It’s impressive how close we are now.” Summers brought a shift in pace; each year, from late May to late July, Douglas and Natalia traveled to Asturias, Spain, to spend time with their grandmother and aunt. The trips became a yearly immersion in family heritage.
Food was at the center of it all. Douglas’s father began as a waiter before opening his first restaurant in Puerto Rico—a Spanish eatery—and later expanded into Italian and Peruvian cuisine. At one point, he simultaneously operated three restaurants. He loved to bring in chefs from Spain to host wine tastings and prepare elaborate meals. For Douglas’s family, holidays weren’t complete without time-honored traditions like eating twelve grapes at the final twelve seconds before midnight on New Year’s Eve, sharing marzipan, and enjoying paella that filled the home with its rich, saffron aroma.
From an early age, Douglas pitched in at the restaurants, washing dishes and serving tables. He envisioned himself one day taking over the business. But his father, who had not completed formal schooling, impressed upon Douglas the importance of education. “He was proud of what he built but wanted me to have more options,” Douglas explains. “He encouraged me to find my own path outside of the restaurant.”
Life in Puerto Rico offered warmth and community, but Douglas’s summers in Asturias expanded his view of the world. His grandmother kept a daily “itinerary” for the grandchildren, guiding them through leafy parks, along seaside promenades, and into the neighborhood bars that served as gathering places for all ages. “In Spain, the bar scene is a family scene,” Douglas says. “We’d play foosball, have a Coke or apple juice, and just spend the afternoon together before dinner at 9:00.”
Back in San Juan, Douglas attended a small high school, graduating in a class of just 39 students. Small class sizes meant close relationships with both classmates and teachers. Sports were a requirement, and Douglas gave several a try. “I was a pretty good benchwarmer,” he jokes. “I swam in seventh grade, played American football in tenth, but neither stuck.”
Main Course—A Taste for the World
When it came time for college, most of Douglas’s classmates looked to the U.S. mainland, and he followed suit. Peer encouragement and a draw to a strong international student community led him to Bentley University in Massachusetts.
At Bentley, Douglas pursued economics-finance, blending his interest in business with practical career flexibility. His friend group reflected his curiosity for global perspectives, with close ties to students from Hong Kong, Bolivia, India, Venezuela, and beyond. Weekends were spent walking around the city and exploring Boston’s neighborhoods and new cuisines. The city’s walkability was in direct contrast with Douglas’s experience in Puerto Rico, and he found it was a new way to connect with and understand the city’s offerings.
After graduation, Douglas didn’t immediately step into a finance role. A trip to Spain with his father inspired a startup idea: bringing a pedal-pub business to Puerto Rico. He wrote a business plan, advocated for legislation to make it possible, and pushed as far as he could until financing fell through. That entrepreneurial detour, however, led him into government consulting.
Starting at a local auditing firm, Douglas was the only non-accountant on the team, working on financial audits and compliance. He later joined BDO and then FusionWorks, where he continued consulting for Puerto Rico’s electric utility. It was there that he first met ScottMadden colleagues Gerardo Morales and Tony Gonzalez. A few years later, Gerardo called with an opportunity: support a new project in Puerto Rico. Douglas joined ScottMadden soon after.
Dessert—Balancing the Flavors
Today, Douglas’s consulting work directly supports infrastructure improvements for Puerto Rico’s electric grid. “It’s meaningful to know my work has a direct impact on my home,” he says. And the relationships that Douglas builds, both at ScottMadden and with the project team, also have a dual impact. He credits the book How to Win Friends and Influence People as a source for
helping to establish and cultivate relationships. “You may not always make a lifelong friend, but you can make the work environment more positive,” he says. “That can make a big difference in the day-to-day.”
Much like a well-prepared meal, Douglas’s life blends diverse influences: the flavors of his Spanish and Dominican heritage, the discipline and hospitality of the restaurant world, the broadened horizons of international friendships, and the satisfaction of serving his Puerto Rican community through meaningful work. For him, each course has built on the last, making the whole experience richer, more balanced, and worth savoring.