2020 Hispanic Chamber Annual Report ADAPTING TO CHANGE, FACING CHALLENGES,CREATING THE FUTURE..

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

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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

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EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS

plans altered by pandemic

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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

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ot assistance activities to help our entrepreneurs overcome this crisis. Here are some examples:

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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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state-imposed restrictions.

Provided technicalassistanceto apply

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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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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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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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.Partnered with the cities of Central Falls and Pawtucket

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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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.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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CHAMBER OF CO

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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

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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

HISE 1ELECTIVE LAND'S

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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

VIDENCE

A

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