Founded | 1979 |
---|---|
Type | Education, Advocacy |
Focus | Education, Business Advocacy |
Location | |
Area served
|
United States |
Key people
|
Javier Palomarez, President and CEO; Marc A. Rodriguez, Chairman; Nina Vaca, Chairman Emeritus |
Website | http://ushcc.com |
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) is the largest Hispanic business organization in the United States. It was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.
The chamber promotes the economic growth and development of entrepreneurs and represents the interests of nearly 4.1 million Hispanic owned businesses in the US that contribute in excess of $661 billion to the American economy. It serves as the umbrella organization for more than 200 local chambers and business associations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Additionally, it advocates for the 259 major American companies who are its supporting members.
The association is bipartisan. It regularly invites public officials and political candidates from both sides of the aisle to present to its members. In 2016 the chamber endorsed Hillary Clinton and John Kasich for president.
In September 2015, the chamber and the business intelligence firm, Geoscape, released a study showing that Hispanic businesses grew at an annual rate of 7.5% between 2012 and 2015, "which is 15 times faster than the .5% percent growth rate for all companies." Since 2007, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses increased by 57% to 4.07 million, and revenues at these companies grew by 88% to roughly $660 billion.
Each year, the chamber hosts its national convention and business expo. This is the country’s largest networking venue for Hispanic businesses and Fortune 1000 corporations interested in the Hispanic market. The four-day convention affords Hispanic vendors and corporate buyers the opportunity to establish partnerships; provides sessions and discussions about business development, chamber training, innovative trends and solutions; and focuses on current issues that impact the Hispanic entrepreneur. The 2015 convention, held in Houston, TX, had 6,000 people in attendance.