Movers & Shakers

Community leader and businessman recognized with the 2008 Housing Leadership Award

Henry Cisneros, prominent housing developer and Executive Chairman of CitiView, was honored recently during the 26th Annual Housing Leadership Awards Reception organized by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
The NLIHC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end the affordable housing crisis in America. Cisneros, through his company CitiView, has been widely recognized as a pioneer in applying institutional capital toward workforce housing, particularly within the Hispanic community.
Cisneros, a former U.S. Secretary of Housing And Urban Development and four-term mayor of San Antonio, was a 2007 inductee into the National Home Builder’s Hall of Fame. He is also the author of Casa y Comunidad: Latino Home and Neighborhood Design, a ground-breaking publication which takes the first look at the growing and increasingly prosperous Latino community and its housing needs.
CityView has invested more than $700 million to build quality, market-rate homes for working families in more than 30 communities across 12 states. Recently CityView announced a partnership with New Orleans based leTriomphe Property Group and California-based Our Castle Homes, LLC, in the “New Era” project, a large workforce housing initiative for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Luis Aguilar nominated as A
SEC commissioner

Luis Aguilar, a partner for the corporate practice of law firm McKenna Long & Aldrige, was recently nominated by President Bush to fill a seat in the five-member Securities and Exchange Commission. Aguilar, one of two Democrats nominated, is currently based in MLA’s Atlanta office and practices in the areas of corporate law, international transactions, investment companies, securities law and corporate finance. His previous experience includes serving as the general counsel and executive vice president of INVESCO, one of the world’s leading independent institutional investment companies, were he was managing director for Latin America.

Former U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation President & CEO, joins Volvo Rents

Volvo Rents, a division of Volvo Construction Equipment, the third largest construction equipment manufacturer in the world, announced recently its association with Frank Lopez, former USHCC Foundation President & CEO. Through this new relationship, Volvo Rents is setting in motion an initiative to promote franchise opportunities to Hispanic entrepreneurs. Lopez will also work with the Volvo Rents’ team to establish relationships with Hispanic trade and industry associations in the U.S., diversify its supplier base, and attract Hispanic and minority skilled laborers to franchise positions.

New Board Members bring skills and expertise to the USHCC

David Gomez, founder, CEO and president of executive search firm David Gomez & Associates, Inc., and Steven Gutierrez, president of Gutierrez Industries, Inc., Gutierrez Enterprises, Inc. and owner of Thorton’s Auto Salvage from Ann Arbor, Michigan joined the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board of directors in March, representing Region IV. The new board members are accomplished business professionals and are expected to bring their significant skills in human resources, corporate board development, procurement and manufacturing to the board of the USHCC according to Augustine Martinez, interim CEO of the USHCC.
Gomez is a committed community leader with significant community involvement. He is a former member of the Illinois State Board of Education, a founding member of the New America Alliance and has served as the Co-Chair for Corporate Board Initiatives to increase the presence of Latinos on corporate boards.
Gutierrez previously served as CEO/Chairman of Regal Industries, Inc, and Vice President of Global Aluminum Wheels for Reynolds International Service Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds Metals Company. He also served as a Product Design Engineer and later in Purchasing in the area of Procurement and Strategic Supplier Planning for Ford Motor Company.