The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley welcomes new intern Kevin Kern.
(April 2010) Kevin is a student at Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville, PA where he studies Software Engineering. Kevin will be assisting in the design of a new look for the Chamber’s website along with much needed improvements for same.
The Hispanic Chamber’s double US Census / Fe Program Kickoff event held at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA on Saturday, March 6th was quite a success!
(March 2010) In the first portion of the event, the Chamber teamed up with representatives from the US Census Bureau to educate the audience on the benefits of participating in the 2010 Census. Next, Fidel Gonzalez, Secretary of the Board of Governors of the Chamber, spoke about the Chamber’s community outreach initiative, Futuros Empresarios (Fé) Program, which teaches high school students business skills and provides them with paid internships. Gonzalez spoke about the success of the previous year’s program, acknowledging the attendance of two successful alumni Ruben de la Cruz and Amanda Rivera. The event marked the kick-off of the selection process for the next 24 students who will participate in the Futuros Empresarios Program this summer. After the presentations, many students engaged Chamber’s representatives in conversation about the program while others visited with the US Census Bureau’s table to get more information. Congressman Charlie Dent was among the attendees.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley to congratulates all participants of the Latina Business Professionals Panel/Mixer, which was held Thursday, February 18th at the Allentown Symphony Hall.
(February 2010) The Chamber especially thanks the panelists for sharing their inspiring stories of hard work and success. The participants included: Debbie Salas-Lopez, M.D., Chair of the Department of Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown; Myrna L. Rivera, Director of Corporate Benefits & Compensation at B. Braun in Bethlehem; Perla Lopez-Baray, Owner of Perla Perfumes in Fountain Hill; Madeline Minier, Banking Center Manager at Bank of America in Fogelsville; Stephanie Morffi, Owner of "Step in 4Mor" in Allentown; and the evening’s moderator, Lina Garcia, Chair of the Chamber and Assistant to the President at ArtsQuest in Bethlehem. Alvaro Diaz, Executive Director of the Chamber, comments, “While this event aimed to promote the success of Hispanic women in business and the professions, the positive message of what can be accomplished with determination and hard work can be applied to all, regardless of one’s gender or ethnicity.” The event was well attended, with homemade appetizers, plenty of drinks and musical entertainment by The Subtle Experience.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley welcomes new intern Amanda Friedman.
(January 2010) Amanda is a senior at Moravian College where she is double majoring in Political Science and Spanish. After studying in Argentina, Amanda looks forward to being able to practice her Spanish outside the classroom. Amanda is charged with the task of helping to organize the Chamber’s new office. Additionally, Amanda will be assisting Executive Director Alvaro Diaz in the managing of the office and occasionally attending business meetings and presentations. By gaining experience in an office environment, Amanda hopes to further her knowledge of how a business is run and benefit from the multiple business contacts that working for the Chamber affords her. Amanda will be with the Chamber until May when she graduates.
(January 2010) The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley has moved… upstairs, to a more spacious office in the same building where it has had an office since 2008 at 462 Walnut Street, Allentown.
Lehigh Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce internships giving high school students a taste of business.
(July 16, 2009) The Lehigh Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce wants to develop tomorrow's business leaders today. Before young people can lead a business, they must first understand business, chamber Executive Director Alvaro Diaz says. So the chamber has created a two-part summer internship program in which selected high school students spend two weeks at DeSales University and then are assigned a four-week work experience at a local business. "What we are seeking to create is entrepreneurs -- the entrepreneurial spark in these kids -- so some of them can become business people in their own right," Diaz said. After reaching out to high school guidance counselors and receiving more than 50 student applications, which included essays on why they wanted to work in business, the chamber selected 19 students from ninth through 11th grade for the first class. The DeSales part of the program is part extreme basics -- balancing a checkbook, what to wear to work, how to answer the phone.
The second section is closer to Junior Achievement, where students are separated into groups and develop a company -- from logo, to business plan, to cost analysis. "I was very impressed with (student) presentations (on their companies that) I witnessed," Diaz said. Then it is on to business. "They're really great kids," said Lina Garcia, the chamber president who supervises Libby Ortiz, a ninthgrader at Bethlehem Catholic High School, and Daniella Salicetti, a junior at Freedom High School. "They were very surprised sometimes about the day-to-day operations" of the Banana Factory, an artsrelated business on Bethlehem's South Side, she said. With time has come comfort and Garcia said the students now actively contribute to meetings and have developed a solid understanding of what the Banana Factory does. "We tried to look at what their interests were and we knew what companies were going to be sponsoring them," Garcia said of the overall program. "We tried to match them with what matches their interests" besides other considerations, such as available transportation.
Ortiz would like to study culinary arts and Salicetti was considering fashion design but is developing an interest in marketing, Garcia said.
"A lot of them already have an idea of what they wanted to do," Garcia said of the group of 19. "We wanted to reinforce and promote that idea that they had." The students will receive a stipend upon graduating: the amount was unspecified. But money won't be all they gain from the experience. "We wanted to instill a work ethic, a volunteer effort," Garcia said. "They are going to want to do for their community" when they grow up, whether they go on to college or into the work force after high school. "Lots of these kids don't have the support systems other kids have," Diaz said. "We want to show them there are professions they can aspire to when they graduate." Graduation is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 25 at the Banana Factory on West Third Street in Bethlehem. It was the students, not the teachers, who, in the end, made the most impact.
"It's the kids who have molded this program and made it successful," Garcia said, adding the program will return next summer.
Tony Rhodin is an assistant managing editor for The Express-Times. He can be reached at 610-258-7171
or by e-mail at arhodin@express-times.com.
Business Programs Available from the Pennsylvania State Government
(July 9, 2009) As a business owner in the 24th Senatorial district, I wanted to make you aware of some of the programs that the state has to offer to assist you in your efforts to grow and prosper in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s business-friendly environment seeks to help new entrepreneurs’ start-up, small companies grow, and establish companies expand. Pennsylvania also provides various forms of financial assistance to help business owners prosper, particularly those companies in
need during this difficult economic climate. Some of these programs include:
Alternative and Clean Energy Program- provides financial assistance in the form of grant and loan funds to businesses for the utilization, development and construction of alternative and clean energy projects;
If you have any questions about these programs or the availability of other business incentives, please feel free to contact my office at 215-368-1500 or visit http://www.pa.gov/portal/server.pt/community/doing_business_in_pa/3017 or http://www.newpa.com/most-viewed-pages/index.aspx#biz_listfor additional information.
Area High School Latino Students to Participate in Futuros Empresarios (Fé) Program
Allentown, PA. (June 12, 2009) - To help high school students develop the skills they need to be successful entrepreneurs, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley has developed the Futuros Empresarios (Fé) Program, meaning "Future Entrepreneurs." The program consists of two weeks of life skills/office skills training at DeSales University starting June 15. Following successful completion of the training is a four-week paid internship/mentorship at various Lehigh Valley businesses, most of which are members of the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Twenty students in grade 9, 10, and 11 will participate in the program this summer.
"In Spanish, Fé stands for faith, strong belief, credibility, security, assurance, and self-reliance, and this captures the essence of what we're trying to do for these young people through the program. Our ultimate goal is to help them increase their chances of educational, economic, and social success," says Alvaro A. Diaz, the Hispanic Chamber's executive director. Interested students applied for the program through their high school guidance counselors and had to complete a written application and three-part essay. More than 40 applications were received for the 20 available slots. The Fé Program is a community development initiative of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley. It's funded by Aetna and offered in cooperation with DeSales University, J. G. Petrucci Company, Air Products & Chemicals, AmericaVen, Klunk & Millan Advertising, LANTA, and other private sponsors.
PPTN Neighborhood Award
(March 13, 2009) Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley were presented with the Best Neighbor Award by the Pennsylvania Public Television Network (PPTN) on March 10, 2009 at 6:00 pm at PPTN’s Annual Neighborhood Awards ceremony in the State Capitol Rotunda. This award is given to a public television station and its partner who have developed, nurtured and maintained the most effective strategy for serving their community. The Best Neighbor Award reflects the public broadcasting core value that programs should strive to connect people and communities, as conveyed by Fred Rogers of the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood program. The Hispanic Chamber of the Lehigh Valley and WLVT PBS39 have worked together to reach the Latino community in Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey. Their effort was a multi-faceted collaboration which included the planning of a Cinco de Mayo Celebration at Lehigh Valley, PA, and a networking mixer launching the Lehigh Valley premiere of V-me, which is the first Spanish language network to partner with US public television.
Aetna remains committed to sponsoring the programs of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley (HCCLV) for 2009
Bethlehem, PA (March 2, 2009) - In a ceremony that took place concurrently with the “Multicultural Marketing to Hispanics” seminar at the Blue Restaurant and Grille, Bethlehem on February 27, 2009, Gary Sankar, Aetna’s Senior Project Manager, presented to members of HCCLV’s Executive Committee a check for $50,000, the company’s contribution toward the Chamber’s 2009 initiatives “Días de la Salud” and “Futuros Empresarios” (Fé) Program. The “Días de la Salud” are seminars focusing on health education and prevention on Hispanic health disparities. The Fé Program consists of two parts: one, which benefits Lehigh Valley Latino-owned small businesses by providing them assistance for Minority Business Certification, and two, which benefits local high school students by offering them “life skills” and internship / mentorship training at local companies. Through a partnership with Aetna and the Equinox Agency, the HCCLV offers health insurance at preferred pricing to Chamber members. The check presentation was a pleasant surprise to the members of the Executive Committee who expressed “elation”, in the words of HCCLV executive director, Alvaro A. Diaz. Sankar commented that “ Aetna’s support for the HCCLV is an intersection of the Aetna values and those of the Chamber, and reflects its trust and confidence in the Chamber’s mission to improve the quality of life of all residents of the Lehigh Valley”
Radio Hola Anniversary
(February 23, 2009) La Cámara de Comercio Hispana del Lehigh Valley se une a los numerosos amigos de Radio Hola , AM 1600, Allentown, en la ocasión de sus cinco años de fundación el pasado 13 de febrero de 2009. La Cámara Hispana saluda en particular a Matthew Braccili, fundador y presidente de Radio Hola por su dinámica labor en beneficio de los Hispanos del Lehigh Valley. Aprovechamos a ocasión para agradecer a Matthew y al personal de Radio Hola toda la colaboración que nos han brindado estos años, y les deseamos continuen cosechando muchos éxitos profesionales.
Area Businesses Learn Perks of Minority Ownership
Lehigh Valley, PA (February 23, 2009) - Lehigh Valley area businesses learned about the economic benefits of becoming classified as women and minority-certified as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley (HCCLV) hosted a free minority certification workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the NCC Fowler Center on Bethlehem’s South Side. This half-day workshop featured a panel of speakers including Harold Levy, Business Enterprise Analyst from the Bureau of Minority and Women Business Opportunities, Commonwealth of PA; Fran Abuisi, Director of Procurement for Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem; and Sirena Moore of Elohim Cleaning Contractors, Inc. Alvaro A. Diaz, Executive Director of HCCLV, explained some common misconceptions about certification, including the perception that it is only valuable to companies seeking business or contracts with the State. While this is an advantage, there are marketing benefits as well, such as the credibility and reputation of having a certification label. “If your business has successfully undergone certification, it means that among other things you have a business plan; that you have paid your taxes; and that you have an accounting system in place,” explained Diaz. “If you are seeking a loan from a bank, you now have a credential attesting to the fact that you have taken the trouble to have your finances in good order, for which the Commonwealth is conferring you certification.” More than 60 participants attended the conference that discussed the benefits of minority-owned businesses, why they are important to the economic development and growth of Pennsylvania and the steps to becoming certified. It also informed them of the contracted services being sought by the Sands and the process required by the PA Gaming Control Board if businesses are interesting in supplying the casino industry.
In addition to HCCLV, the event was sponsored by Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem and supported by the PA Bureau of Minority & Women Business Opportunities. Moore, a featured speaker at the event and owner of Elohim Cleaning Contractors located in Bristol, PA, spoke of how her dream of entrepreneurship became a reality with hard work and determination. As a teenage mother, Moore honed her management skills working for companies in the Tri-state area. At 21, she and her father established the full service construction-cleaning firm that she turned into a multi-million dollar business in under five years. Her business is now contracted by Sands Casino. Peter Speaks, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of General Services and Special Assistant to the Governor was also in attendance. “Certification goes to the heart of the commonwealth’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise Program,” said Speaks. “In addition, the commonwealth’s certification program, which is recognized nationally, is an invaluable tool and resource which can effectively open doors of economic opportunity in almost every contracting venue and market.” The Hispanic Area Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley seeks to advance the commercial, industrial, and professional interests of all its members, especially Latinos, in the Lehigh Valley. Founded in 2003 as a separate, independent Chamber, HCCLV accomplishes its mission by focusing on three key guiding principles: Advocacy, Business Development, and Community Development.
Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program Now Open
Department of Environmental Protection acting Secretary John Hanger is proud to announce an opportunity for Pennsylvania’s small businesses to improve their energy efficiency and manage higher energy prices. The new Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program provides a 25 percent match, up to $25,000, for equipment or processes that significantly improve energy efficiency. The program is the first available through the Alternative Energy Investment Fund, part of Governor Edward G. Rendell's Energy Independence Strategy. Grants will apply to energy efficiency improvements on systems such as lighting, heating, cooling, refrigeration and process machinery, as well as building insulation and weatherization improvement projects. An eligible applicant must be an independent, for-profit business with 100 employees or fewer, located in Pennsylvania. The project must save at least 20 percent annually in energy-related expenses, with a minimum savings of $1,000 per year. Examples of eligible small businesses include manufacturers, retailers, service providers, mining businesses and agricultural operations. The grant application and guidelines are available online at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant, or by contacting the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772, or by e-mail at ra-sbgrants@state.pa.us. Applications will be accepted through May 1, 2008. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. A total of $3 million is available for this grant round. In addition to the Small Business Energy Efficiency Program, the state will unveil a number of new energy conservation programs and alternative energy investment programs in the next couple of months that will benefit the state’s power consumers at work and at home and protect the environment.
Dr. Julio Rojas nominated “Volunteer of the Year” by the American Ophtalmology Foundation - Jan 2009
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley is pleased to congratulate Dr. Julio Rojas on the occasion of his being recently nominated “Volunteer of the Year” by the American Ophtalmology Foundation, San Francisco, California. The Hispanic Chamber is very proud that Dr. Rojas, a member of the Chamber’s board of governors, was selected for this award honoring professionals in his specialty for their commitment to community service and volunteer work among needy families