On April 23, 2010, the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 10 anniversary in Richmond, Virginia by hosting a gala before more than 700 people. Guests included newly elected Governor Bob McDonnell, who delivered remarks, Senator Mark Warner, former Governor and Senator George Allen, and His Excellency Luis M. Valdivieso, Ambassador to Peru who delivered the opening champagne toast. During the ceremony BIC President Michael Barrera received the organization’s prestigious “Bridge Builder” Award which “honors the efforts of someone who promotes the greater good, the well-being of individuals, and betters the vital and necessary connection between the Hispanic community and the community at large”. Past award winners include former President of Mexico, Vincente Fox, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, the 42nd U.S Treasurer Ana Escobedo Cabral, and then Governor Mark Warner.

The Atlanta Minority Business Forum, co-hosted by the National Business Information Clearinghouse (BIC) and the Latin American Association (LAA), featured a diverse array of business issues and leaders April 9 at LAA’s facility in Atlanta, GA. New developments in technology, organizational networking, construction, corporate and government contracting, and business leadership skills were just some of the trends discussed at the forum, now in its second year. There was also a demonstration of the Hispanic BIC and Black BIC websites.

The BIC extends a round of thanks to forum panelists: Capt. DeLante Moore, U.S. Army; Michelle Johnson, Director of Supplier Diversity of Home Depot; Duvan Guerrero, State Farm Insurance; and Terri Dennison, Georgia District Director of the Small Business Administration.  Local and national partners include The Latino Coalition, Mexican American Business Chamber, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA), Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Contractors of Georgia, The Atlanta Tribune and Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALE). The BIC also thanks founding sponsor Western Union, platinum sponsor State Farm and the U.S. Army for their support. 

Get ready for another winning business forum . On May 25, the BIC is hosting a Minority Business Forum in Las Vegas, NV at the Historic Fifth Street School.  Featured topics will be procurement strategies, viral marketing, funding tactics, and protecting assets. The Forum will be sponsored by Western Union and State Farm. For more information, please visit the www.hispanicbic.org or www.blackbic.org.

The Hispanic BIC and The Latino Coalition are joining forces to present the 2010 Economic Summit and Business Matchmaking Event on May 4-5 at the Mandarin Hotel in Washington D.C. The 2-day event is designed to help Hispanic-owned businesses gain equitable access federal and corporate contracts and will feature pre-scheduled appointments with federal agency and corporate procurement officers. There will also be panels on Procurement, Regulations and Corporate America Business Practices and Inclusion Policies.  Participants will also have an opportunity to hear about the U.S. economy and future outlook from leaders such as SBA Administrator Karen Mills, Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Xavier Becerra, Rep. Pete Sessions, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and others.  Join the BIC, TLC and hundreds of top entrepreneurs and government officials for this elite event.  For more information click on TLC’s logo above or go to www.thelatinocoalition.com.

The BIC already contains extensive information on how to start and grow a business, but now it’s even easier to find specific items. BIC’s newest online tool is a tutorial video that shows users how to navigate the BIC and its thousands of resources . The video demonstrates how to use the Demographics and Research section, the BIC Small Biz search engine and the FAQ section. The tutorial also explains how to find “Articles” on MONEY, MARKETING, MANAGEMENT and TECHNOLOGY. This short video will help users find information quickly and easily. The tutorial can be found by clicking here. We would also like to thank the efforts of Studio Stars Company for producing the video (www.studiostars.com).

Find out how some of America’s top corporations rank when it comes to inclusion practices involving the Hispanic community. Hispanic consumers in the U.S. spend billions spends billions of dollars with corporate America, and now it’s possible to see how these companies include Hispanics through employment at entry and executive levels, procurement dollars spent with Hispanic businesses; philanthropic investment with Hispanic-based community groups, and Hispanic appointments to corporate boards.  .  You can find out this information by accessing the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility’s 2009 Corporate Inclusion Report on the Hispanic BIC or you may go directly to HACR.

The film, “The Perfect Game”, which debuted nationwide on April 16 portrays the true story of a rag–tag group of boys from Monterrey, Mexico who defied all odds and became the first non-U.S. team to win the 1957 Little  League World Series. Relying on hard work, faith, a warm-hearted priest, and love of the game, the nine players and their coach embarked on an incredible journey cementing their place in history and changing lives forever. The BIC encourages everyone to spread the word about the “The Perfect Game” by featuring information about the film on company Web sites, bulletin boards, newsletters, social media pages (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.), as well as sending a series of email blasts to employees, partners and customers to also encourage them to support the film. For more information about THE PERFECT GAME, visit: www.theperfectgamemovie.com.