Who We Are
Historical Overview
Established in 1978, The Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, formerly known as the Denver Hispanic Chamber and originally named the Latin Chamber of Commerce has been in existence for a remarkable 45+ years. Realizing the immense potential of the Colorado Hispanic business community and seeing a need for representation of their interests in both the private and public sectors, a group of dedicated Hispanic business leaders, headed by Mr. Richard Gonzales, established the first minority chamber in Denver, Colorado. Today, the Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of continues to stand for those needs.
The Chamber then elected its first president, Mr. Edward O. Romero, whose credibility within the corporate sector led to a base of large corporations joining the Latin Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Thomas E. Rodriguez then served as the Chamber’s second president in 1981. During his presidency, strategic goals were established, and the existing Board agreed that the chamber would be politically bipartisan but unified in its commitment to the growth of Hispanic businesses. By 1983, during Mr. Rodriguez’ administration, the Chamber increased its membership of 60 to over 200 and began to expand the services offered to members.
Recognizing the steady growth and promising potential, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce awarded the Latin Chamber of Commerce with the contract to host their Seventh Annual National Convention and International Business Exchange in Denver, Colorado. The Chamber was then under the leadership of Mr. Alfredo A. Cantu, 4th President, who was instrumental in obtaining the host contract.
The positive inertia created from the great success of hosting the national convention fueled increased growth with membership surpassing 400 in 1987. Also during this time, the organization made the decision to change its name from the Latin Chamber of Commerce to the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
History repeated itself when the USHCC selected the city of Denver for a second time to host the 17th Annual National Convention in 1996 and for a remarkable third time, in 2009 to host the 30th Annual National Convention. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the city of Denver are honored to have been selected three times to host an event of such magnitude and prestige.
Over the next 25 years, the many Presidents that have led the efforts of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have all contributed in their own significant ways; ways that have marked and formed the history and course of the Hispanic Chamber, whose mission is to promote and advance the growth of Hispanic business. Through this mission, we are proud to support the development and growth of member businesses, and continue to represent those for whom our founding leaders created this organization.
Respected leaders in the Denver business community, such as Ronald Montoya, Jerry Natividad, Manuel Martinez, Linda Alvarado, Scott Flores, Ray Ortiz, Salvador Gomez, Martha Rubi, Luis Colón, Denise Maes, Tim Padilla, Mario M. Carrera, Debbie Trujillo, Mike Ferrufino, Sofia Aguilar, Marcela De La Mar and presently Paulette Soto Tate have directed the board of directors to where it is today. Currently, our board of directors consists of 30+ exemplary business leaders whose expertise ranges from law to construction to banking.
In 1991, the Hispanic Chamber Education Foundation was created to support educational initiatives targeting the Hispanic community. Over the subsequent years, the Foundation has raised money to fund annual scholarships, provide leadership programs and offer general equivalency degrees for individuals seeking a high school diploma. The Foundation has seen many changes over the years, as it developed its own board of directors to ensure that it is being used to its full potential, keeping its best interest in mind.
As the chamber increased in size and function throughout the remainder of the 1990’s, The USHCC has recognized these positive results in several annual awards culminating in the “Large Hispanic Chamber of the Year” award in 2000. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is proud to have contributed not only locally but also to the national organization. Numerous leaders from the Hispanic Chamber have sat on the USHCC Board of Directors with at least 3, Ron Montoya, Sal Gomez and Jerry Natividad, serving as Board Chair.
Today, membership is over 2,500, making us the largest minority chamber of commerce in the state of Colorado; we are fiscally sound and core programs initiated during this tenure have gained solid traction for the value delivered to our members. For the fourth consecutive year, we were officially recognized as the second largest chamber of commerce in Metro Denver by the Denver Business Journal.
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The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce works arduously to make Colorado a prosperous, highly profitable state for Hispanic businesses. Key events and milestones in our history include:
1978 The establishment of the Latin Chamber of Commerce with an initial membership of 60.
1981 The Chamber exceeds 200 in membership.
1985 The USHCC awards the Chamber the contract to host the 7th Annual Convention and International Business Exchange in Denver, Colorado.
1986 The Chamber successfully hosts the National Convention and Business Exchange.
1987 The Chamber changes its name from the Latin Chamber of Commerce to the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a 501(c)(6) organization.
1991 The Chamber creates the Hispanic Chamber Education Foundation, which is registered as a 501(c)(3).
1996 The Chamber hosts the USHCC’s 17th Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado.
1996 – The Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is named by the USHCC the Region 2 Large 1999 Hispanic Chamber of the Year.
2000 The USHCC awards the Chamber “Large Hispanic Chamber of the Year”.
2001 Dedication ceremony of Chamber’s new headquarters, the Bernard Valdez Hispanic Heritage Center.
2002 The Chamber exceeds 1,000 in membership.
2003 The Hispanic Chamber is named Region 2 “Large Hispanic Chamber of the Year” by USHCC.
2004 The Colorado State Senate creates Senate Joint Resolution 04-039, which officially dedicates the period between September 15th and October 15th of each
year as “Colorado Hispanic Heritage Month”.
2005 The board of directors name Jeff Campos the President & CEO of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. DHCC staff increased from 4 to 12 employees.
2006 The Chamber exceeds 1,400 in membership.
2007 The USHCC selects Denver as the host city for the 2009 National Convention and Business Expo. The Chamber is recognized as “Large Hispanic Chamber of the Year” for Region 2.
2009 The Hispanic Chamber is awarded the Tourism Award by Visit Denver, the Official Travel and Visitor Bureau for Denver, Colorado.
2010 The Denver Hispanic Chamber re-branded with a new name and logo to help modernize
and better connect with Metro Denver as a whole. The Chamber changes its
name from the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to the Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver, a 501(c)(6) organization.
2011 Membership reaches its all-time high of 2,500+
2015 The board of directors name Michael Ferrufino the President & CEO of
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver.