Programs

Formerly USHCC Supplier Development Pilot Program with Blue Wave, this pilot program launched in 2022 and concluded in the spring of 2023 at USHCC’s Energy Summit with reserve funds from the Educational Fund graduated 23 Hispanic suppliers with Blue Wave’s pragmatic and proven methodology to take on competitive and global contracts. The purpose of this program now USHCC Avanzando Suppliers with Blue Wave, is to deepen the core capabilities of certified entrepreneurs to meet the most competitive international standards in procurement. Participants walk away understanding their personalized areas of improvement with a plan to update their procurement profile and compete successfully in the marketplace. This program has expanded to run in 2024 due to investment support of the Kroger Foundation and JP Morgan.

The USHCC Green Builds Business Program seeks to offer Hispanic businesses to become green suppliers, becoming part of the solution to transform the supply chain with proven best practices. Program participants receive business coaching on identifying, designing, and implementing projects aiming to achieve a triple bottom line of results that lower costs, reduce environmental impacts, and support the well-being of communities.

This program was launched with the support of Toyota—a committed leader in greening the supply chain in-house and beyond. We are grateful for their commitment to share their framework with our USHCC suppliers interested in learning how to integrate these practical solutions into their business operations.

Our Business Matchmaking program is a unique forum that takes place at USHCC signature events: National Conference, Legislative Summit, and Energy Summit. Procurement representatives from our Corporate Partner Members, Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies have an opportunity to meet with Hispanic suppliers from USHCC’s Hispanic Business Enterprise membership. These Business Matchmaking sessions with buyers and Hispanic suppliers represent hundreds of million dollars of business procurement opportunities.

Matchmaking sessions last around 15 minutes, with an opportunity for Hispanic suppliers to pre-register using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICs) codes, or business categories, and highlight their business capability statement and certifications. Matchmaking is offered virtually for Hispanic Business Enterprises that can’t attend in person and want to connect with a corporate or agency buyer. This program is part USHCC’s top three priorities in increasing the flow of capital opportunities to Hispanic entrepreneurs in partnership with committed supplier diversity initiatives.

Learn more: Supplier Marketplace at 2024 Legislative Summit

In partnership with the USHCC, the Grow with Google program offers free training and tools to help our members and entrepreneurs grow their skills, careers, and businesses. Participants can earn Google Career Certificates and learn job-ready skills in fast growing fields like IT, project management, data analytics, and UX design. No experience is necessary to enroll.

In 2023, Grow with Google was featured at our USHCC National Conference during a two-hour summit focused on cybersecurity best practices to protect companies and Artificial Intelligence and digital skills for business efficiency.

The USHCC is launching the Capital Readiness Program (CRP) with the Minority Business Development Agency in partnership with select regional Hispanic chambers. The selected chamber partners for this initiative have a track record of running accelerator programs, managing public and private partnerships, and aligning with the MBDA and USHCC capital priorities. Through the Capital Readiness Program, USHCC and partners will provide targeted technical assistance and programming for Hispanic entrepreneurs seeking to scale their businesses with various forms of capital, facilitate introductions with government programs, such as State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), and accelerate the capacity and growth of Hispanic businesses in line with the mission of our organization and that of the Capital Readiness Program.

The USHCC’s Educational Fund is one of 43 organizations in the country to be a recipient of the MBDA’s largest initiative to date—$125 million. Over the next four years, the USHCC and its regional Chamber partners will work toward closing the capital gap using the framework of our accelerator program Avanzar, launched in 2019 thanks to the support of Wells Fargo and resources provided by the MBDA.

The USHCC Educational Fund partnered with Anheuser-Busch Foundation to provide a program specifically to increase the readiness of Hispanic suppliers through virtual programming focused on supplier development.

Last year, we launched a two-day virtual summit to provide a comprehensive overview of the procurement process Anheuser-Busch utilizes to engage suppliers across various categories at its company. These informative sessions covered a range of topics from the best forms of communication to how to assess a procurement opportunity to ensure there is alignment. This year we are looking to provide programming starting in 2024 to run through 2025.

Navigating the procurement and contracting process successfully is a core tenet of USHCC’s focus areas to provide supplier development learning to our network. Data shows that diverse suppliers receive less than 2% of all contracting dollars from corporate and federal procurement opportunities.

In partnership with the USHCC, Robinhood hosts "Lunch and Learns" with local Hispanic chambers to enrich the business community’s resources. During these events, subject matter experts are featured to provide a financial education overview and how cryptocurrency fits into the financial markets. This forum is for USHCC businesses to learn more about the benefits and emerging power of alternate financial instruments.