Spotlight on Albuquerque

a closer look at this Thriving city reveals there are many reasons it is regarded as a hispanic hot spot

New Mexico is making news. Its Hispanic governor, Bill Richardson, is drawing a lot of attention to the state in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. The state’s largest city, Albuquerque, was recently named one of the top 10 cities for Hispanics by Hispanic magazine, one of Hispanic Enterprise’s sister publications. Meanwhile, MovieMaker magazine voted Albuquerque among the top five best American cities for movie locations. The “Land of Enchantment” is clearly a national Hispanic hotspot.
“Our governor is trying to become president. We’re in a good place, at a good time,” says Alex O. Romero, president and CEO of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. “We’re beginning to attract more business.”
Nowhere is that more evident than at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. When it was launched in 1975 to address the needs of Hispanic business owners, it had only a handful of members. Today it is one of the largest in the country with 1,500 members. While impressive, the growth should not be surprising.
“New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanic-owned business in the country, about 22 percent,” Romero says.
The chamber membership, he says, reflects that strength and is quite diverse. The majority of the membership is comprised of small business owners with fewer than 20 employees. Most of the members are in the service industry, but there’s also a mix of members from the wholesale, retail and manufacturing sectors, along with governmental and educational organizations. National corporations—such as Bank of America—account for about 30 percent of the membership.
The chamber helps business owners stay ahead of the curve with progressive initiatives such as eMercadoNM, an e-commerce program designed to help businesses leverage their websites and enable product sales on the web. Among the program’s advisors is chamber member Tony Trujillo, the president of Holman’s, Inc., a surveying equipment and technology company with 62 employees and three retail centers in Albuquerque, Tucson and Tempe.
“We want to create an awareness that it’s a viable business source for small businesses if you have a product to offer,” he says. He cites local Cervantes Restaurant as an example. The company wanted to sell its salsa online and turned to the chamber for help. Its Internet sales are off to a good start, according to Trujillo. “It can be very challenging for a small business to do marketing—they’re limited in money and expertise. The chamber can help them grow their business, increase employment opportunities and offset expenses with new business generated online.”
The chamber’s goal is to help 100 small businesses create a production-ready
e-commerce site that allows them to conduct businesses globally, country-wide or regionally, growing as they see fit.
The chamber is also keeping pace through various other initiatives. For example, it owns its 18,000-sq.-ft. building, which houses the Barelas Job Opportunity Center that offers workforce development such as computer, e-commerce and bilingual workplace training and a computer lab. The program has been so successful that chamber officials hope to soon open another computer lab.
The chamber also has a contract with the city to handle convention and tourism for the Hispanic market. The task: to lure the Hispanic corporate incentives market to the community, a feat accomplished by leveraging relationships in South and Central America.
Strategic alliances, in general, are key. By partnering with other Hispanic chambers around the country, the chamber helps its members grow and succeed. “We have tremendous alliances. We share best practices, and try to learn from one another,” Romero says.
Tina Cordova, owner of Queston Construction, Inc., a chamber member, served on the board for five years, which led her to become a board member for the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where she served six years. “The best leadership development I ever received was from serving on those boards,” Cordova says. “It’s an experience you can’t pay for.”
Chamber initiatives are especially helpful for the average small business owner who doesn’t have time to get involved or doesn’t know about the issues., she says. “We do well cooperatively and try to keep ahead of major issues [legislation, immigration, minimum wage] affecting Hispanic businesses.”
The chamber also hosts a number of events, including El Cambio, a monthly networking lunch that attracts nearly 200 businesses, and Mercado, a quarterly mini-trade show where 300 to 400 businesses set up exhibits demonstrating their products and services. The chamber’s annual gala has been bringing together 2,000 of New Mexico’s “who’s who” for 30 years. The largest event in the city, according to Romero, it raises close to $200,000 for the organization.
Chamber member John Avila, co-owner of Avila Retail Development and Management, says events like the gala are important because they raise awareness and bring the community together. “It’s helped Hispanic businesses become extremely visible, and serve as role models for other Hispanics,” he says. “It is a celebration of Hispanics ... of our parents and their struggle, and how they’ve helped us get where we are today.”
Looking ahead, the chamber invests in the future through a scholarship program. Sandra Leyba, the chamber’s board chair says the chamber is committed to “educating our youth, giving them the tools and opportunities to succeed.” This year, 94 graduating high school students received scholarships totaling $114,000.
The chamber is being recognized for its efforts. It recently won a Piñon Recognition award from Quality New Mexico, a non-profit that recognizes effective organizations. The chamber’s redesigned website promoting economic development in New Mexico garnered an “Eddie” award, and New Mexico Business Weekly listed the chamber as one of New Mexico’s best places to work.
Both Leyba and Romero view the future enthusiastically. There is a 12- to 18-month capital campaign in the works to raise $2 million to expand the chamber’s building and add another computer lab. Plans are also underway to continue growing the e-commerce program and b2b offerings, increase scholarship awards and expand membership. “We’re an active chamber,” says Leyba. “We don’t just talk, we do.”