In an interview with Invest:, Anette Landeros, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, discussed the thriving Hispanic business community, the Chamber’s effective strategies for connecting diverse industries and the enthusiasm for revitalizing the historic North Side District in Fort Worth.
What does Hispanic representation look like in the business community today?
The Hispanic community is a very young and growing community, both nationally and locally. This is especially evident in the business community, where the median age of Hispanic entrepreneurs is a whole decade younger than the average entrepreneur. This means that the trajectory of the Latino community is still increasing and becoming more and more prominent in the workforce.
One key factor is the younger generation within the Hispanic community. With many young Latinos still in K-12 schools and colleges across the country, there is a great opportunity for this community to thrive in the coming years. This is especially important as many baby boomers will soon be retiring, making way for a younger generation to take over in the workforce.
An exciting trend in the Latino entrepreneurship community is the rise of second-generation Americans taking over family businesses. Many children of Latino entrepreneurs are now becoming CEOs of their parents’ companies with a new, fresh perspective on how to grow and expand. This bodes well for the future of the Hispanic business community as it signifies a passing of the torch to a new and innovative group of entrepreneurs. As such, we are excited for this new development that is to come.
What progress has been made regarding workforce development and what are some of the strategies for that?
As a chamber, one of our key goals is to connect businesses with academic institutions to help meet their various needs. For instance, if a business is struggling to fill a position, we are happy to share the openings on our platform. Additionally, if a business needs assistance with recruiting more employees, we can connect them with the right academic institutions that offer programs relevant to their industries so that they could potentially grow their capacity and their business.
One recent example involved a local blood bank, Carter BloodCare, which needed bilingual phlebotomists to increase blood donations from all communities. This was challenging because phlebotomists are generally hard to find. We connected the blood bank with Tarrant County College, our local county college, which has a healthcare and nursing department. Now, they are collaborating to help students find part-time employment at the blood bank while they pursue their academic studies. This helps them gain valuable experience that will prepare them for their future careers.
The Chamber also connects businesses in the catering and food industry with the culinary program center in high schools. This connection provides young people with practical experience and opportunities to work with industry leaders, preparing them for the workforce while still in school.
This is why we really consider ourselves connectors, bridging the gap between businesses and academic institutions. The Fort Worth area has quite a few incredible academic institutions and the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area, in general, has a plethora of colleges and county colleges. As such, we believe that there is always an avenue to get an education in this area; we just need to ensure that students feel well prepared for the workforce and that their education is a worthwhile investment.
Furthermore, we recognize that not all students are on a four-year trajectory; hence, developing certificate programs that immediately get them into the workforce with a good salary is equally crucial. As a Chamber, we work hard to ensure that businesses, academic institutions and students alike benefit from the connections we facilitate.
How has the role of a chamber of commerce evolved and what does it mean to be a chamber of the future?
The chamber of commerce was created to provide entrepreneurs and business owners with a platform where they could connect and work toward a collective voice. Today, we are still operating with the same goal but have evolved to include additional services for our clients. For example, we have recognized the need to not only provide advocacy but also assist with scaling our clients’ business.
As such, we are providing our members with in-house training on how to start a business, which is crucial, since starting a business requires a great deal of resources. We also provide in-house training on how to start a business because it’s really important for us to demystify the process and leverage our resources in the best way possible to ensure that our members can succeed in their entrepreneurship journey. Additionally, we are also providing virtual opportunities for their clients, so they are always aware of the opportunities that are available out there — and there are so many now in Fort Worth that everybody can eat well.
Significantly, in the age of digital communication, we are also focusing on our social media presence to ensure that our members receive maximum visibility and that our social media presence is top-notch. We regularly showcase our members, generate content and let our members know about opportunities to help their business grow. As such, we stand ready to provide support and guidance for our members to adjust and take advantage of new opportunities.
What are some of the projects or initiatives the Chamber is excited to push for?
Our Chamber has taken on an enormous project, which is the commercial revitalization of the historic North Side District in Fort Worth. We were chosen by the city to be one of the two organizations in a pilot program partnered with the national organization Main Street America. The city recognizes that while some areas are thriving, certain commercial corridors still require attention. We aim to uplift the commercial districts using a community development framework through Main Street America, working together with organizations already present in the corridor. Our Chamber has been situated on North Main for over two decades and is culturally aware of the district’s historic Latino neighborhood, which is crucial to our work.
We are excited to dip our toes into new waters and collaborate with property owners and local businesses to work on place-making, helping to revitalize the district completely. We are also organizing a concert series in one of our local parks next month, contributing to the cultural aspect of the district. We anticipate that the historic North Side will look different in the next 10 years and we are eager to lead the way.
What can be said of the state of collaboration between Dallas and Fort Worth?
DFW has reached a wonderful point in terms of success and trajectory. Despite the Dallas and Fort Worth narrative, the two cities are in a truly collaborative state. The three chambers — the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber, the Metropolitan Black Chamber and the Fort Worth Chamber — are all working together to ensure the success of the entire city. The region itself is also seeing a lot of collaborative efforts and the metroplex is on the verge of being larger than the Chicago metroplex.
However, with this growth comes the responsibility of ensuring that no community is left behind. The city welcomes everyone to come to DFW and Fort Worth specifically to be a part of the success that is being built there. The focus is not just on the success of one city or one community but on the success of the entire region. By leaning into collaboration and continuing to work together, DFW and Fort Worth can truly reach their full potential.
