Adelante Newsletter - October 2008

RIBBON CUTTINGS | GROUND BREAKING

An Open House & ribbon Cutting was held for the new Cameron County Annex Building on September 17, 2008. Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos was the master of ceremonies. The ribbon cutting was conducted by the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber and the Harlingen Area Chamber along with Cameron County officials and community leaders. The new Cameron County Annex building is located at 3302 Wilson Rd in Harlingen, across the street from Gutierrez Middle School.

Valley International Christian Center broke ground on what will be the new location for the church at 895 Exp 83 & Puente Street in San Benito. The new 56,000 sq ft center will be completed sometime in the fall of 2009, making it the largest church in the valley. The ground breaking was conducted by the San Benito Chamber and the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber along with VICC Pastors, San Benito Mayor and city officials. If you would like more information on VICC, please call (956) 399-5590.

SAYING FAREWELL AFTER 30 YEARS

Over 200 guests gathered to bid farewell to Dr. Gilbert Leal as he prepares for his retirement from President of Texas State Technical College after 30 years. He is the third President of TSTC since the college opened in 1967. Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell presented Dr. Leal with a proclamation declaring August 12 as Dr. Gilbert Leal Day. Dr. Leal also received other honorary gifts, certificates, and plaques from TSTC staff, local chambers of commerce, and local state and federal offices.

A very emotional speech was delivered by Dr. Leal, thanking everyone for their support throughout the years. One of the things he said he would miss the most is interacting with the students and staff. Dr. Leal will also be honored for his much dedicated work at TSTC as President Emeritus. The Learning Resource Center building will also be renamed in his honor.

BizBuzz....SPORTING GOODS: HITS, RUNS, AND NO ERRORS

Sporting goods maker Jorge Medina has hit a homerun with his company, Controlling the Game, or CTG. Whenever he watches a ballgame on TV, he's likely to see major leaguers Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Albert Pujols swatting the horsehide with the bats he provided.

It's hard to believe that just three years ago Medina, now 34, was struggling selling t-shirts from a basement apartment in the South Bronx, whereas today he has a bat factory in Jamestown, Newy York and a 5 % share of the baseball-goods market. No fewer than 55 major leaguers rely on his bats to get the hits they're looking for. "We look for the winning edge and build it into everything we make", according to CTG website www.controllingthegame.com.

Commissioner Bud Selig's Diverse Business Partners Program enabled CTG to become the first and only Hispanic company licensed to proved gear and sportswear to Major League Baseball. It had to happen, one might say, in a sport whrer Latino athletes play such a dominant role. Although an unlucky injury at Fordham University, where he was a star baseball player, ended his hopes of playing in the big leagues, nothing could keep Medina out of the game for good.

TRENDWATCH: DEMOGRAPHICS

The Latino influence on American culture is undeniable, not just in sheer numbers of Latinos in the U.S., but also in their contribution to emerging market trends, the economy and political influence. In more than 19 states in the U.S., Latinos are the majority minority population. They account for 47 million of the total U.S. population. That's a lot of brands, products, and services being consumed and, as important, a lot of media and technology being consumed by this dynamic market that has a combied purchasing power of more than $900 billion today and is estimated to reach $1.2 trillion by 2010. Hispanic Enterprise: June/July 2008

POPULATION: More Spanish than Spain

The size of the U.S. Hispanic population is the second largest in the world. As of 2007, only Mexico (with 108.7 million people) had a larger Hispanic population than did the United States (45.5 million). Spain had a population of 40.4 million. HISPANIC Magazine: September 2008

NEW AND RENEWED HISPANIC CHAMBER MEMBERS

ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP?

Are you taking advantage of the many benefits that your membership entitles you to?  If you have not utilized your membership to the fullest, now is the time to take advantage of what the Chamber has to offer and the many servies it provides.  We are your link to small business success.  Please let us know how we can better serve you by calling (956) 421-2400 or email us at hhcoc@harlingenchamber.com.

Any news stories or articles you would like to publish in our Adelante Newsletter, please submit by the 15th of the month.  You can sent news articles to the Hispanic Chamber by fax to (956) 364-1879 or via email to hhcoc@harlingenchamber.com.