GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new home for the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will give Latino entrepreneurs and workers more space to build businesses, develop skills and connect with resources.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined chamber leaders Monday for a ribbon cutting at the Hub for Latino Economic and Talent Advancement in Grand Rapids. The celebration came during Hispanic Heritage Month, but chamber President and CEO Guillermo Cisneros said the facility’s purpose extends throughout the year.
“For us, this represents an amazing moment in history,” Cisneros said.
He described the hub as a “dignified space” for West Michigan’s Hispanic community that will support entrepreneurship, innovation and workforce and talent development.
The facility, located at 1111 Godfrey Ave. SW near Hall Street, will host conferences, training programs and community celebrations. It includes an event hall, meeting rooms, a courtyard, a café and a children’s lounge for families participating in programs.
“This space gives us an opportunity of bringing hundreds of people together,” he said.
Whitmer said the opening reflects the strength of the Hispanic community and the collaboration needed to bring the project to life.
“I think this is a great testament to the power of the Hispanic community in West Michigan, but all across Michigan,” Whitmer said. “This hub is going to represent opportunity — a gathering space. It’s about community and helping Hispanic businesses grow.”
Whitmer said the hub’s opening reflects a shared community effort and could create more opportunities for entrepreneurs to start and expand their businesses.
"I think that's-it's really exciting to see all the components that came together, all the way the community came together to to make this a reality, and to think about all the businesses that are going to be grown and created through this," Whitmer said.
For Cisneros, the opening marked a personal milestone.
I’m happy to to have gotten to this moment. It's been many many years in the making since we first have the vision, you know, of building the infrastructure that will support our community in the next few decades," Cisneros said.
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