Hispanic Chamber Reaches Across Region

The RGV Hispanic Chamber hosts workshops throughout every year that inform small business owners and provide them with information on important resources. (Courtesy)

The RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at its launch nearly 30 years ago had to overcome the perception that it was needed in a region full of similar-named organizations.

RGV Hispanic Chamber CEO Cynthia Sakulenzki has built an organization with a wide reach and record of success in the Valley.

Local chambers then and now are commonly found across the Rio Grande Valley. Why would a new chamber that was then known as the McAllen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce be needed?

“It was business owners in downtown McAllen who voiced the interest in helping to create a Hispanic chamber in McAllen,” said Cynthia Sakulenzki, the president and chief executive officer of the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “The interest was there.”

A Hispanic Chamber was chartered in 1997 and started small with a five-member board of bankers and other local business leaders. There was no CEO at its inception and the board began by building working relationships with organizations like the Small Business Administration and aligning itself with national organizations involved in chamber work.

A major fundraiser early on raised sufficient funds for the board of the fledgling organization to hire its first CEO in early 2000 – and that choice was Sakulenzki. She would go on to become the face and force behind one of the more successful Hispanic chambers in the country.

“I jumped on the opportunity to help start an organization from the ground floor and work to take it to the next level,” she said.

The RGV Hispanic Chamber prides itself on celebrating and helping small businesses of all backgrounds across the Valley. (Courtesy)

Building Membership

Sakulenzki had previous experience in working for an area chamber and a background in hotel management before starting as the new CEO of an organization still under formation.

The first two years on the job, she said, were challenging. There was pushback from some existing chambers that were entrenched in their communities and asked why a Hispanic chamber was needed.

“It was tough,” Sakulenzki said. “We had to prove ourselves and prove to the community that we were truly a chamber.”

It became evident in those first years that some Hispanic-owned businesses were looking for a chamber where they could connect on a cultural level and have the accessibility that was perhaps missing elsewhere.

“We made people feel comfortable,” Sakulenzki said. “They could walk into our chamber and speak Spanish if they wished to do so. The community knew we could speak their language. There was the cultural connection. We had the feel of the community.”

A breakthrough came in 2008 when the chamber renamed itself the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to signify a regional reach beyond McAllen. Membership numbers took off, Sakulenzki said. Small business owners throughout the Valley took in the Hispanic Chamber as part of their regional community with an organization no longer attached by name to a single city.

The RGV Hispanic Chamber has established programs and events that celebrate the diversity of the Valley, including the Luna awards, which honor women in architecture, engineering and construction. (Courtesy)

Helping Members Across The RGV

The RGV Hispanic Chamber today has a membership of nearly 500 and prides itself on supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners with valuable resources and providing access to decision-makers in politics and various industries.

Its corporate sponsors include the likes of Chase, Southwest Airlines, AT&T and economic development corporations across the Valley. Sakulenzki is especially proud of yearly workshops and events the Hispanic Chamber has established in highlighting achievements across genders and the diverse communities of the region it serves.

Its major events include a State Of The 956 public affairs conference with presentations from area elected officials of both political parties. There are events celebrating the successes of women in business and Luna Awards which honor women in architecture, engineering and construction. More recently, the Hispanic Chamber hosted a “Building A Thriving Village,” which was billed as an “all-inclusive business luncheon” and sought to uplift entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds.

“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve taken the risk on so many different events that feature men and women, the LGBTQ community, showing that we have people in our chamber beyond those who are Hispanics,” she said. “We don’t care what your last name is. We’re here to help our members with the right information and topics that will affect their businesses in keeping up with new issues.”

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