Hispanic Chamber of Commerce :
GROWING , CONNECTING , EMPOWERING
by Alex Gurtis
In its brief history , the Volusia County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has had four presidents . Lourdes León is the fifth . León ascended to the position in June 2022 . She has been a part of the Chamber for the past four and half years , first as Director of Events and then as Secretary of the Board , positions she said have helped prepare her for her role as president of the fast-growing organization .
León ’ s attention right now , in the wake of the unprecedented flooding brought on by Hurricane Ian , is helping impacted members . The Chamber has hosted a small business administrator to share how local businesses impacted by the hurricane can reach out to the government for resources . In addition , the Chamber played the role of “ middleman ,” assisting impacted businesses in their efforts to reach out to FEMA and making sure the Hispanic community has had the resources necessary to respond to FEMA ’ s questionnaires . However , when asked about her goals beyond the immediate , León said she is focused on growing the chamber and empowering Latina women who are the cornerstone of the community .
The Volusia County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has a presence in Volusia , Seminole and Flagler Counties , but that wasn ’ t always the case . The Chamber was
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founded in 2011 in Orange City by Carlos Valderrama . As part of their tenth anniversary , Chamber leaders announced an expansion into Seminole and Flager , responding to members with businesses in those two counties .
Part of the Hispanic Chamber ’ s mission is to facilitate connection . Roughly half of its members are non-Hispanic owned businesses looking to grow their footprint in the Hispanic community .
During our phone interview , Lourdes León shared that the tri-county area has seen the Hispanic population grow 104 % over the past decade . “ Our success has been incredible because of the amount of growth we have been experiencing . The Hispanic population is growing tremendously . Deltona is one of the largest strongholds . Sanford is not far behind . In fact , as of the last census , Sanford has over 40 % of the population identifying as Hispanic .”
When asked what programming she is most proud of , León said , “ I am particularly proud of the iLatina Gala , which originally started in 2017 as a lunch [ event ] to uplift Hispanic women . We celebrate diversity and inclusion but also the many ladies who are pillars of the community so that their work is seen . This year the iLatina Gala will be held on November 12 at the Plaza Resort and Spa .” The event , which León compared to the Emmys , has seven award categories and , in the more recent iteration , over 150 nominations . The winners are selected by a panel of judges .
Lourdes León
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Previous iLatina award ceremony Photo courtecy of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce