Over the past year, the LBCGLA continued with its mission to provide technical assistance to businesses.   Our records demonstrate that staff, board, consultants, and volunteer members have provided technical assistance to over 1,000 small and medium sized businesses.  This has been done in professional workshops, one-on-one technical assistance counseling, and through the use of classes in our Technology Center.  It is important to note that most of the technical assistance that we provide, is conducted in both English and Spanish.

The LBCGLA recently participated in a major partnership with Google, a major Silicon Valley High Tech corporation.  We joined in providing business technology workshops to Latino business owners.  This venture was a major achievement, since Google rarely, if ever, participates in such major partnerships.  Google rented a downtown warehouse that it converted to a major classroom with over 65 laptops per classroom.  They also flew in instructors from across the nation to teach well over 150 Latino small business owners on business applications in both English and Spanish.  The attendees were largely members of the LBCGLA and our affiliates.  The LBCGLA and our IT Committee spearheaded the recruitment of business owners.  Our IT Team, will follow up with additional classes in business technology.

We continue to attract more business organizations that want to closely work with our chamber.  We have very recently signed Memorandum’s of Understanding with the El Salvador Business Corridor, the National Latina Business Women’s Association, and the Allianza Multicultural de Empressas.  We are proud to work with these new members and their leadership to build small and medium businesses from throughout the region.

We look forward in the months ahead, to build our technical assistance programs to serve a growing body of entrepreneurs.  We welcome our new members and new partners to build this important institution for economic development.