RHODE ISLAND
HISPANIC
CHAMBER of COMMERCE Integrity | Progress | Inclusion
ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ADAPTING TO CHANGE, FACING CHALLENGES, CREATING THE FUTURE...
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A message trom our Chair Iam honored and excited to serve as Chairman of the Board ot the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber ot Commerce and committed to leading and supporting the strategic plan presented by our Executive Director, Oscar Mejias. This strategic plan is aimed at consolidating the Chamber of Commerce as the main initiative-generating tigure, collaborator, and community builder within our regional business
network. We are blessed with remarkable
companies, organizations, and
associations that are doing amazing things in our community. We are proud to serve as a partner that supports those individuals and organizations to help make our community stronger. We have been working with public and private entities, as well as our local government and academic partners, to ensure that the entirety of our diverse Latino business community can continue to grow and prosper. Our board is made up of talented, experienced, and committed protessionals who share these goals and visions. We will continue to educate, communicate and advocate on behalF of the interests of businesses, small and large, whether or not they are members of our
Luis A. Torrado
Torrado Architects
organization.
A message from our President Last year brought us unprecedented obstacles and drastic changes that impacted our lives, our families,
and our businesses. It was a year that let deep marks in some of us, life lessons in others, and for sure left us with an uncertain future lled with new challenges. We have entered 2021 full of hope and optimism, and the best
disposition to make the necessary changes. Throughout the past year, our organization has played a critical role in helping our members, and the greater
business community, access the critical resources necessary to overcome this crisis and its impact on their livelihood. We are proud of the work we have done and
Oscar Mejías President and CEO
will continue to grow and to evolve so we may better serve the needs of our Latino business community.
HISPANIC CHAMBER of cOMMERC tegr ty1ProgressI inciusio
RIHCC: the best ally for your business.
www.rihispanicchamber .org
(401) 400 1340
Meet our Board Members Luis Torrado Chairman
Whiana Rojas
Vice-Chairwoman
Elvis Santana
Dariel Blanco
Secretary
1easurer
lordSta Ayssa Giron-Peralta Board Member
Daniel Lima
BoardMember
Veronica Baron Board Member
Paula Ramirez Board Member
Christopher Calderon Board Member
Management Team
Y
Oscar Mejias Executive Director
Martha Perez-Barton Operations B Program
Manager
One of the fundamental pillars ot our organization is the promotion of diversity and inclusion. Therefore, incorporating young professionals and seasoned business owners with a big trajectory in the state helps us create a healthy mix of
experience, knowledge, youth, and energy. With this guidance, we pride ourselves on of cially presenting the board members of the Rhode lsland Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce. Each of our board members represents an important sector of our business
community, trom the construction industry, advertising media, marketing, business, tinance, and real estate. This diversity gives us a broad understanding of the spectrum ot Latino businesses in our state, as well as a strong presence of leaders in
diterent industries. It is with great pride we introduce you to this group of personalities, who with great
enthusiasm and creativity are already working to help sustain the growth of our Latino business community.
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HISPANIC HAMEER O tegntyIProgress Iinclusior
RIHCC: the best ally for your business.
www.rihispanichamber org
(401) 400 1340
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2020 in review The RIHCC has been successful in building capacity in our small business community tor years.
Untfortunately , everything
changed in
2020. The pandemic had a devastating impact on the business communities across Rhode Island. However, the impact was much greater on the Latino businesses than any other business. With the loss of foot
traf c and increase in regulations, which aimed at preserving the public's health as well as the
additional
PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS
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EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS
plans altered by pandemic
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CYBEOEDRTY
MISPANIC
Colleges cater
to demand for online protection
investments in
moditications, and many other tactors, there Was a protound
impact on our economy.
The RIHCC took a leadership
role in
supporting and generating a diverse menu
puh
hww
d
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N ew
ot assistance activities to help our entrepreneurs overcome this crisis. Here are some examples:
isS JUST THE BEGINNING
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Latino business leader: Some barriers lowered, but more to go
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Provided a telephone hotline to resolve questions from business owners regarding
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a,
ONE LST THING
state-imposed restrictions.
Provided technicalassistanceto apply
LNa
for federally funded loan programs (PPP and ElDL)
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Partnered with Commerce RI to create
culturally competent marketing and outreach efforts during the REOPENING RI (Aug-Oct 2020) campaign. Partnered with Commerce RI to offer small business owners assistance in
applying for the State Grants RESTORE RI (Oct-Dec 2020) program. Thanks to the hard work of our remarkable team as we were able to answer thousands of calls, serve more than 800 entrepreneurs and businesses, and help more than 450 businesses access capital and resources.
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ntegrity1ProgressIinc
RIHCC: the best ally for your business.
www.rihispanicchamber .org
(401) 400 1340
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Beginning on March 15, 2020, the RIHcC got to work helping our small business community. Here are some
highlights:
HISPANIC UREENHOUSE
Regular appearances and call-in segments on Spanish -language radio, including Power 102FM, Latina 100.3FM, Mega 94.9FM, and Radio Renacer. Regular appearances on Spanish -language web
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SESIÓN INFORMATIVA SOBRE LOS RECURSOS DISPONIBLES
PARA LOS PEQUENOS NEGOCIOS
FRENTEAL cORONAVIRUs coviD-19
media outlets, including Cirugia Politica, Hablemos de Salud, and Rhodelnforma Live.
Participants in virtual panel discussions and events with Providence College, Brown University, and the United Way of Rhode lsland.
Offered virtual seminars in partnership with CommerceRI
, the RI Small
Business
Development
Center, Social Enterprise Greenhouse, and Progreso Latino to provide reliable intormation, with a helping hand from special guests.
.Distributed
thirty thousand masks, ve thousand
gallons of hand sanitizer, and more than 450 gallons ot disintectant to small business owners in
targeted business districts across Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket. .Launched the RI Latino Biz Web Design Project in partnership
with the RI Israel
Collaborative,
the
Consulate General of Israel, and tech giant WIX, working to connect college students with Latino businesses to build and host their websites at no cost to them.
Collaborated with the state's higher education and tinancial leaders to raise awareness about opportunities tor our business community.
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HISPANIc
RIHCC: the best ally for your bustines. www.rhispanichamber.org
(401) 400 1340
Supported the 2020 CENSUS through the Hard to
Count Committee.
Led virtual seminars and Facebook Live sessions. oExecuted an informative advertising campaign through various media channels including radio, TV, and online broadcasts. o On-site campaign in different locations throughout the State, to promote involvement in
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PAW
BUYLOCAL
the Census process through strategic partnerships with other organizations such as the City of Providence,
the RI Professional
Association, Progreso Latino, and a coalition of Latino churches and religious alliances to help promote the Census. to promote
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2020
COMPLETA
.Partnered with the cities of Central Falls and Pawtucket
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Latino
their "BUY LOCAL " campaign
and highlight small local Latino businesses, in partnership with organizations like Social Enterprise Greenhouse, Navigant Credit Union, and Pawtucket Credit Union.
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2020 HOY!
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.Partnered with Navigant Credit Union to develop and promote a bimonthly series of informative virtual meetings with business owners that focused on Central Falls' businesses.
Partnered with out-ot-state institutions and agencies to leverage their data and research in support of our efforts. This included Stanford University, the Federal Reserve Bank ot Boston, and
Michigan University, among others.
.Engaged the National Association of State Latino
HISPANIC SEMANA DEL RESTAURANT PAWTUCKET &CENTRAL FALLS
Chambers of Commerce (NASLCC) and elected the
organization's secretary general.
IISPANIC
RIHCC: the best ally for your business.
www.rihispanicchamber .org
(401) 400 1340
HISPANIC
New Members 2020 130
87 36 As a result of our efforts to support Latino businesses, the RIHCC saw
unprecedented membership growth during the second and third quarters ot 2020.
40
24
3 4 1 10Z 1 7 JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
New Members2020
By the end of 2020, RIHCC 35
NonMembers 338
Prospective Members 557 Active Members 7
Dropped
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IISPANIC aMBER of cOMMER
RIHCC: the best ally for your business.
memberships had grown to nearly 560 active small businesses and entrepreneurs, with an active pipeline ot prospective members. We expect to add another 300 members this year as more small businesses understand and see the tangible
bene ts of becoming active members of the RIHCC.
www.rihispanicchamber .org
(401) 400 1340
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RISPDNIC
This year, we are expanding our commitment to the business community with programs and campaigns that align with our mission, "Represent, Promote and Encourage the Economic Development of the Latino Business Community in the State of Rhode Island".
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Support mall Businesses "Buy Local Campaign" Baninen together fora Suender Cosmurg
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Projects for 2021
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Ongoing technical assistance in applying for new rounds of state and federal loan
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and grant programs.
Launching the RIHCC's business school aimed at building greater capacity among Latino business owners and entrepreneurs. Instruction will be offered via virtual classrooms, networking opportunities, and individualized mentoring
.Consolidating the Business Alliance for
Expanding our portfolio of events: Navigant
RI Latino Biz Web Design Project - RiI Israel Collaborative (RIIC)
Latino Contractor Summit Technology andBusiness Cafe
con Leche 2021
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Sesiones de Orientación
DESAYUNO DE
Business
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CHAMBER OF CO
Integrity1 Progressi inci
Equality in Construction.
Latina Women in Business o Business Owner's meetings Credit Union (NCU)
HISPANIC
BUSINESS
ONLINE with Google
Make a difference Expand your reach Join our team by becoming a member, partnering with us, or sponsoring our events.
RCC: the best ally for yourbusiness. www.rihispanicchamber.org (401) 400 1340
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HISPANIC HaMBER ofcOMMERCE
Thank You! It is often said that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement. The RIHCC wants to
HISPA
thank all the institutions, entities, partners, and
individuals
making
2020
who have
partnered
a success . From
federal
with us in and
state government agencies to hard-working volunteers and interns, you have made a
ditterence. We especially want to thank our sponsors. Making things happen tor our small business community requires resources and thanks to our sponsors, we have had the resources to positively impact hundreds ot small businesses, entrepreneurs, and workers of the Latino business community across Rhode Island. They are a community of resilient, innovative, and relentless creators who strive every day to contribute to the economic development ot a growin9 and hard-working state.
Thank you tor your support and tor helping the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber ot Commerce make our state a more productive, welcoming, and prosperous place for all.
The RIHCC is a 50lc3
non-pro t
organization. Your ongoing tinancial support is welcomed and critical our success. Become a sponsor,
to
underwriter, member, or collaborator
today. Contact us at
intoo spanicchamber .org or (401) 400-1340 or through social media. You can also make a tax-
deductible contribution to the RIHCC, 1955 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02909.
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HISPANIC eROFCOMMERCE
RIHCC: the best ally for yaur business.
www.rihispanicchamber.org
(401) 400 1340
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End
Corporate Sponsors RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION
ePawtucket credit Union
Navigant CREDIT
UNION
verizon Neighborhood Health Plan
BANKNEWPORT
OF RHODE
SUPPLYRI
cordvana
MARKETING CREATIVE CONsULTING
RHODE SLAND
HISPANIC
CHAMBERof coMM
RHODE ISLAND COM MERCE
M
COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
RIHCC: the best ally for your business.
ISLAND
102 PODER UUTO
NASLCC ArTONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE ATINO CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
www.rihispanicchamber .org
(401) 400 1340
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TECH
Cyher Security
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Partners and Collaborators
RI
RHODE ISLAND ISRAEL
CoLL ABORATIVE
AMERICA S
SBDC RHODEISLAND
SOCIALENTERPRISE
GREENHOUSE)
Center for Women & Enterprise
SCORE State of Rhode Island
ANDAND
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Nellie M. Gorbea SECRETARYOFSTATE
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND OPPORTUNITY (ODEO)
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TECH
COLLECTIVE CE aNTRA
OF
Pawtucket OR ISPANIC
RIHCC: the best ally for your business.
P
CITY OF PROVIDENCE
www.rihispanicchamber .org
(401) 400 1340
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Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 1955 Westminster St, 2nd FL Providence, RI 02909
401-400-1340 401-400-1251 401-400-1397 www.rihispanicchamber.org info@rihispanicchamber.org
RHODE
ISLAND
HISPANIC
CHAMBER of COMMERCE
IntegrityI Progress| Inclusion