The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce (AHCC) Collaborates With Wells Fargo to Offer a Business Accelerator Program

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 8, 2019 (Newswire.com) - The AHCC is excited to announce a new business accelerator program titled Avanzar. The USHCC and Wells Fargo in collaboration with the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce (AHCC) and the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte (LACCC) will administer a year-long accelerator program designed to help small scalable HBEs Avanzar (or advance) and take their business to the next level.

For the past four years, Wells Fargo has spent more than $1 billion per year with diverse suppliers. “We’re committed to increasing our spend with diverse suppliers through building capacity in diverse businesses across the country. The Avanzar Program is one of our innovative approaches to creating a pipeline of strong Hispanic owned businesses,” said Regina Heyward, senior vice president and head of supplier diversity for Wells Fargo.

Each month for eight consecutive months beginning in March, the LACCC and AHCC will convene their ten participating Hispanic businesses for an educational programming series. The administered curriculum and training will help the participants overcome barriers to success in order to scale their businesses and build sustainable enterprises.

“The growth of these business owners and the impact they will have on their communities is something we are proud to support,” said Rob Myers, Small Business Strategy Leader, Wells Fargo. “Programs like this are excellent examples of why we value our longstanding collaborations with USHCC and local businesses owners in Albuquerque, Charlotte and across the country.”

“We are thrilled at the prospects of this new program rooted in our steadfast commitment to the Hispanic business community,” said Ramiro Cavazos, USHCC President & CEO. “Hispanic entrepreneurs start businesses three times faster than the average American, but they often face undue barriers to scaling. If Hispanic-owned businesses scaled as quickly as non-minority-owned businesses, there would be an additional $1.47 trillion dollars in the American economy. We are committed to helping the Hispanic business community reach its full potential.”

Participant Criteria

• Hispanic businesses between $100K - $ 1 MM in revenue
• Must be an established business with at least 3 years of operations
• Must have a business that in the long term is scalable into an enterprise
• Be in good membership standing with the local chamber of commerce

“We are grateful to Wells Fargo and to the USHCC for working with us to support our local Hispanic small businesses,” said Ernie C’deBaca, AHCC President & CEO. “Avanzar will allow business in our community to grow and thrive through this dynamic and beneficial programming opportunity.”

“I am excited to see the Hispanic Albuquerque community continue to grow with the help of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber takes pride in supporting the needs of small businesses and that is why it is a privilege to team up with them on this new pilot centered around long-term scalable businesses,” concludes Joe Trimble, Vice President, Desert Mountain Small Business Leader at Wells Fargo. Trimble, who is a board member of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and will be teaching one of the “Access to Capital” classes as part of the Avanzar Program.

For the Avanzar program application in Albuquerque, click here.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Found in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,800 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 38 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,00 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2018 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

About USHCC

The USHCC actively promotes the economic growth, development, and interests of more than 4.37 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that combined, contribute over $700 billion to the American economy every year. It also advocates on behalf of 260 major American corporations and serves as the umbrella organization for more than 200 local chambers and business associations nationwide. For more information, please visit ushcc.com. Follow us on Twitter @USHCC.

Source: Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce