Forty Under 40: Eddie Vega

Nobody would peg Eddie Vega as a big Elvis fan right off the bat, but he has an impressive collection of Elvis memorabilia, including a white belt once owned by the King, and he even plays a mean version of “Don’t Be Cruel” on guitar.nVega grew up in San Fernando, Calif. In 1993, he earned a degree in computer science from UCLA and moved to Northwest Arkansas that year to help his sister run La Mexicana, the only grocery store then catering to the Latino community.nIn 1994, Vega went to work for the Power Radio Group, which was launching a Spanish-language radio station. In 1999, Power dropped the format and Vega picked it up, creating two Spanish-language stations, 99.5 FM and 96.7 FM, both nicknamed “La Zeta.”nIn the meantime, Vega started the weekly La Prensa del Noreste de Arkansas, the area’s only Spanish-language newspaper, in 1998.nSince then, Vega founded Aztlan Promotions, a company that brings the top Spanish-language musicians in the United States and Mexico to Northwest Arkansas. EZ Spanish Media also owns the 29,000-SF Springdale Civic Center.nVega said he created EZ Spanish Media to help communicate news to the area’s Spanish-speaking residents.nVega said he wants to branch EZ Spanish Media out to another region. nn