Mercedes Young, President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay

In an interview with Invest:, Mercedes Young, President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay, reflected on a year marked by resilience, recovery, and community-driven impact. From hurricane relief efforts to digital growth and inclusive partnerships, the chamber has stepped up to meet the region’s evolving needs. “We are here in business to grow together,” Young emphasized, highlighting the chamber’s commitment to uplifting local businesses, supporting underserved communities, and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Could you describe a few highlights for the chamber over the last 12 months?

It has been a volatile year for the Tampa Bay region due to changing laws, the economy and the climate. We experienced multiple hurricanes, so we have a lot of work to do in the community. The chamber offers support through our skill center and a program called Feeding Tampa Bay, and we were able to support many people who became homeless after the storms. We helped feed homeless residents twice a day for 10 days, provided clothing, and partnered with laundromats.

Our chamber covers the Tampa Bay area, and we now have ongoing support for our homeless community. The chamber passes out water and supports an initiative to provide back-to-school backpacks to local children while also providing educational materials and meals to the community. The community has been incredibly supportive of our efforts. 

We recently had to postpone a golf tournament fundraiser due to a hurricane. This event raises funds to support local businesses, and through last year’s efforts we were able to donate a significant sum to a company that shelters battered husbands. This year, we are working toward more robust support for immigration laws as well as providing direct support for immigrant children in our community.

In what ways is the chamber working to expand its reach from a perspective of digital growth?

We host AI training that is open to the public. One of the benefits for chamber members is being able to host a podcast episode once a year. We record five episodes a month, and the podcast is available to the public with over 5,000 people receiving our news each month. Each episode highlights different members and sectors so listeners have access to education on a variety of topics such as mental health, solar panels, law, and bidding for projects. The chamber partners with Toastmasters to offer education on public speaking and professional presentation. An additional partnership we’ve undertaken is with Crisis Tampa to provide emotional and mental health services and education to the community. We welcome all technological advancements like AI and onboard as many tools as possible.

What steps is the chamber taking to promote partnerships with other chambers and government entities?

We are a 501(c)(6) membership-based nonprofit, so transparency is paramount, and we welcome all elected officials to every event regardless of their affinity to any political party. At the end of the day, we serve our community, and our community is in need. Our businesses do not have a four-year term – we are here to stay, and we are a progressive community that supports each other. These ties have only strengthened during the recent hurricanes. 

We also host three Speak Network events yearly, and while these are hosted by the Hispanic Chamber, we also invite two other chambers to attend. Our motto for these events is “come and get the contacts for the contracts,” because these events have proven so successful for generating local business.

We consciously work to bridge the gap of division and segregation across nationalities. We are here in business to grow together. The motto is that if my company is at medium-size capacity, I pull up a smaller company. We are partnering with the movement of business in our community to ensure everyone’s growth and continued success.

How does the chamber address the evolving needs of Tampa Bay’s business community?

We are observing opportunities for growth in three industries – construction, health, and hospitality, with construction and health competing neck and neck. In the last year, five massive hospitals have been built, including the Moffitt Cancer Center, which is one of the largest cancer centers in the nation and which has involved work from many of our local businesses. Orlando Health has built three different hospitals, and Cancer Centers of America has constructed new buildings in our area.

Construction goes along with health, and the two industries cannot be separated. Because of the influx of hospitals, the local colleges have benefited, in addition to the housing sector, where construction again plays a key role. 

Hospitality has historically experienced ups and downs due to weather and the pandemic but it is still a main driver of growth for our community. 

What main goals do you have for the chamber over the next few years?

Now that the 2024 election has passed, I will be reaching out to our elected officials to garner support for the chamber to have its own building, as well as to cultivate the chamber’s future growth. The next generation is ready to step up, and we are working with the board to attract younger business owners. We need the energy of young business owners in addition to their innovation. If you combine experience with innovation, you have a beast no one can stop. 

When a project needs to be performed, people call the chamber with recommendations, and the chamber fosters local connections. It’s not necessarily the place to start as an entrepreneur; because of the connections we have to offer, the business owners have to be procurement-ready. We attract entrepreneurs by constantly being in action. Our resources and efforts are focused on the growth of our community. 

What partnerships or cooperative efforts are helping to build skills and opportunities for Tampa’s future business leaders?

Our program Avanzar is a new level of entrepreneurship that covers education on topics such as finance, contracts, remediation, structure and business development. We partner with other entities to cultivate the growth of our local businesses. Our yearly board retreats are where we plan our goals for the upcoming year, and at our next retreat we intend to discuss how we can help develop young entrepreneurs.