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Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber helps businesses grow

Eloy Salazar knows how tough it can be to get a business off the ground - he’s been there. For years he worked to pull his investment company together with lots of time, dedication and learning the hard way.

Now, as chairman of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Salazar works to help others get off to a better start.

"It gives me satisfaction to see other businesses, especially small businesses, succeed," he said.

That’s why through monthly chamber mixers and seminars Salazar networks with other business owners and corporate professionals and often recommends them to others.

The result, said Rick Chapa, finance manager for Padre Ford Mazda, is not only good for sales but opens the door to sharing ideas.

"It does more than bring customers through the store," Chapa said. "It gives us the opportunity to get to know the rest of the business community. We’ve been members for three years now and I can see how it’s worked for us."

For more than 60 years the Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has sought to increase business opportunities for its members through mentoring, networking, education and most importantly member-to-member business.

The importance of an association, said Joe Cisneros III, president and CEO of the chamber, is to build partnerships with other members.

We encourage our members to support each other and to think of each other on a day to day basis when they do business," he said.

The chamber’s role is to bring them together and to highlight the many resources available to them like small business workshops or training seminars, Cisneros said.

The benefits to the community and the local economy have been greater because of the work the chamber does, Salazar said. And people recognize that value- over the past year membership has grown tremendously as more and more businesses recognize the benefit of participation and they take their partnerships with each other very seriously.

"We try to network within each other and take advantage of the opportunity to promote business among ourselves," he said. "That way we are helping each other grow."