Tucson Hispanic Chamber recently celebrated its annual State of the Chamber

The Tucson Hispanic Chamber recently celebrated its annual State of the Chamber at a Holiday Party and Non-Profit Expo held on December 15th. Over 150 people attended the celebration at the Casino del Sol Resort. President/CEO Lea Marquez Peterson and Chairwoman Cecilia Mata spoke about chamber successes over the past year. State of the Chamber highlights included:

Recognition as the largest Latino business organization in Arizona with 1800 member businesses
Over 280 new member businesses joined the chamber in 2016
The opening of the first International Welcome Center on the U.S Mexico border by the chamber in partnership with the Casino del Sol Resort. The Center is located in conjunction with the Ambos Nogales Hispanic Chamber, an affiliate of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber and serves tourists in Mexico and Arizona as well as businesses interested in cross border trade.
The addition of four new Chamber Board Members (Dr. Eric Cornidez, Edith Villalobos, Amanda Tobak and Justin Castillo)
The development of a strategic partnership with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry which provides access for Southern Arizona businesses to the most influential business advocacy organization in the state
The addition of three International Directors at our affiliate chambers in Douglas, Sierra Vista and in Ambos Nogales
The continuation of our Small Business Resource Center funded by the U.S Small Business Administration. Over 250 businesses received business education through our efforts in 2016.
The launch of our Young Entrepreneurs Academy affiliated with the U.S Chamber of Commerce focused on high school students.
Leading the fight against Proposition 206, which provides a dramatic increase to the minimum wage and mandates paid sick leave, and supporting opposition to Prop 205, the legalization of recreational marijuana.
The chamber also spoke about its plans in 2017 to continue to focus on growing its member businesses through new programs and events that include,
Procurement – the continuation of training on how to do business with the Government and Corporate America with a focus on business certification
The addition of Industry forums that focus on Hispanic purchasing power, key trends and data from the chamber’s Hispanic Market Outlook annual report. The report provides information on the Hispanic market for Pima County, Santa Cruz County and Cochise County and is provided free to member businesses.
A focus on “Doing business in the U.S” workshops provided at our International Welcome Center and chamber offices for Mexican companies
The creation of an internal “Member Success” team to ensure members receive a return on their investment in the chamber.
The continuation of our support to Spanish-dominant businesses in the region via our Camara de Comercio Hispana events and activities.
Our members, staff and Board of Directors are excited about the future of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber and our affiliate chambers! Learn more by contacting us at 520-620-0005 or at
www.TucsonHispanicChamber.org.