This is a USHCC signature program in partnership with our Hispanic Business Enterprise member Blue Wave, which serves as the program’s technical assistance provider. It was piloted in 2022 with immense success. The program aims to provide three to four months of targeted programming on seven key pillars—HSSE, Cyber Security, Quality, Corporate Policies, Technical Capabilities, and ESG—to certified suppliers to meet the most complex supplier requirements through capacity building workshops, mentorship, assessments and gap closure plans. 

Participants must be certified and ideally at $5 million dollars or more in revenue to participate in the program. Those selected to participate will receive a full scholarship (valued at over $5,000) to do the program free of charge. This program saves companies thousands of dollars in compliance documentation costs.

 Avanzando Suppliers Goals

• • Align compliance readiness of each participant with the most complex supplier standards required by major corporations and government institutions  
  • Catapult participants to secure competitive contracts upon completion of program
  • Tap into USHCC’s network opportunities and membership resources
  • Promote business among cohort participants and USHCC members 
  • Personalized plan to understand gaps and areas of improvement for company participant

 The 2022 pilot program concluded in the spring of 2023 at our Energy Summit and 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 known as 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.

We are currently recruiting for the next cohort launching this fall: http://ushcc.typeform.com/avanzando4

Avanzar is an accelerator program designed to take small Hispanic businesses to the next level of growth with curated skills-building sessions, resources, tools, and turn-key strategies. USHCC partners with its local Hispanic chamber members to deliver impact driven programs designed to position participants to become scalable and capital ready for loans, contracts, and various forms of capital in the near term.

Avanzar Goals

• • Provide technical assistance programming for businesses ready to grow
  • Deliver capacity building programming to position participants to scale in the near term
  • Serve as a bridge and educational resource to key forms of capital opportunities
  • Personalized plan to understand areas of improvement and develop a strategic action plan

 Avanzar was launched in 2019 thanks to the investment and partnership of Wells Fargo. Since 2019, Avanzar has expanded to additional cities and regions thanks to the support of USAA and Philip Morris International who joined Wells Fargo in our mission to advance the growth of our entrepreneur community through intentional resource building.

Participants will complete an updated business plan, learn how best to access capital for their business, and attend workshops aimed to strengthen operations and marketing capabilities to support their vision of scaling their business.

USHCC’s Chamber Community Grant Program partners with organizations committed to supporting the Hispanic entrepreneur ecosystem through chamber investments with our local Hispanic chambers. In partnership with the USHCC, each year partners provide multiple grants at various ranges to support local chambers. This program supports a variety of topics, including empowering Latina entrepreneurs, promoting green energy, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Past grant allocations have ranged from $2,500 to $15,000.

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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 Gill Foundation provided a grant to the Educational Fund to host and provide the USHCC Community with the following:

• • Two DEI interactive and in-depth virtual sessions to our USHCC community that included certification for those that attended both sessions. This included resources, and policy examples of anti-discrimination strategies.
  • A bilingual national survey in English and Spanish captured the input and feedback of business owners, employees at Hispanic-owned businesses, representatives of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and other nonprofit organizations that support Hispanic-owned businesses, and employees at corporations who identify as Hispanic or Latino to assess their opinion on the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S.

Older workers who are living with a low income and looking for greater financial security must be prepared to develop new skills or improve the skills they already have. This Upskilling initiative was specifically designed as a way for AARP Foundation to work with industry associations like the USHCC whose member businesses are owned or managed by people who have faced challenges growing their business—and may have less access to resources to upskill their workforce. The initiative provides new benefits for business members, such as a retention tool to support their workforce, and pathways to economic security and mobility for low-income workers over the age of 50.