OCTOBER 2017
EMPRESARIO
Presented by:

A MOMENT WITH THE PRESIDENT
From the Desk of John Hernandez, President of the FWHCC
Collaboration, association, collusion, alliance and partnership... All of these words are synonyms for working together. Here in Fort Worth, we have a history of coming together and getting things done. However, in recent days, it seems like everywhere we turn, there is yet another challenge that is driving our community apart. There have been several task forces, ad hoc committees and advisory teams formed to combat these issues but things seem to be piling up.

These teams are all a great start but there is still a lot of work to be done. There are so many different opinions, ideas and hard stances. Our community is passionate, emotional and quite frankly, angry with the decisions of our local, state and federal government. And rightly so! But in my humble opinion, I think we're starting to lose our ability to compromise and/or at the very least, be willing to truly come together, talk out our differences and try to acknowledge each other's point of view. I also feel like we're losing our ability to form true relationships. In an age of Facebook, twitter, text, IM messages and snapchat, we all seem to be more informed but have lost the willingness to sit down with friends and, yes, our perceived enemies, face to face, and simply form relationships whether they are professional or personal. I feel if we could get back to focusing on our relationship building, we might be able to communicate more effectivity, see each other's perspective and find solutions more quickly.

Fort Worth is a great city with great possibilities but with greatness comes challenges. So please allow me to add one more.... I challenge everyone to meet face to face and talk. I had a mentor say one time, "In every meeting, you have the opportunity to teach something and the opportunity to learn something". Let's get back to that and let's help build a better Fort Worth.

EVENTS CALENDAR Calendar
Chamber Events
Women In Leadership

Join us  on October 12th  to hear from a panel of women who are pursuing careers in technology industries. Sitting on our panel are women who work for BNSF Railway, Tarrant County College, Bell Helicopter Textron and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. 
These women will share lessons learned and offer participants an opportunity to seek advice about working in a male-dominated field.


Business After Hours Mixer

Join the FWHCC  on October 12th  for our next Business After Hours Mixer. St. Francis Veterinary Clinic will be hosting us at their beautiful state-of-the-art clinic. Enjoy refreshments and the opportunity to meet and mingle with Chamber members and prospective members alike! Don't forget to bring your business cards for networking opportunities and door prizes! Free to attend, please register in advance.
Maximize Your Membership

Join us at our quarterly "Maximize Your Membership" meeting on October 13th. Whether you're new to the Chamber family or have been a member for many years, join us to network with other members, learn about the Chamber's history and new initiatives, upcoming programs and events and how to best take advantage of your new or existing membership with the FWHCC.  Free to attend.
Five Pillar Series: Leadership

On November 2nd, join the FWHCC and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price for the next installment of our Five Pillar Series. Network with Chamber and community members and learn how Mayor Price leads a diverse community , including topics such as leading a diverse City Council and City of Fort Worth employment and programs.

CHAMBER Chamber
Five Pillar Series with Amelia Anderson
The FWHCC's annual Five Pillar Series addresses each of the areas that we believe are the cornerstones of a productive, thriving business environment: civic engagement, economic activity, a thriving education system, quality business development, and diversity in leadership. To facilitate a conversation about quality business development in our community, Amelia Anderson, Managing Director and Assistant Treasurer of American Airlines, discussed her work at American Airlines, as well as her own career journey, issues she is passionate about, and her work as an advocate for women in business leadership around the world. We would like to give a special thank you to all our sponsors and attendees who joined the Chamber for this insightful conversation about business development in our community.
 

First Annual Clay Shoot
The FWHCC held its First Annual Clay Shoot this past Friday. Almost 90 shooters joined the Chamber at Alpine Shooting Range. Despite a slight rain delay the event was a success. Proceeds from this event will fund the Chamber's programs including one-on-one bilingual business counseling, bilingual business program with Tarrant County College, educational lecture series and networking opportunities within the Fort Worth business community. We would like to give a special thanks to all the people and entities who made the event possible, including our presenting sponsor, Multatech, and our event chairwoman, Susan Grawe who also grilled lunch for everyone. Thank you to all our sponsors, shooters and volunteers for your support of the Hispanic Chamber's mission and initiatives.



COMMUNITY Community
Community Events


The 2017 Fort Worth Bookfest
The first Fort Worth BookFest is coming up  on October 14th.  This multi-genre literary event will provide a platform in our community to spotlight the literary expression of the cultures in the area. We invite you to participate in what promises to be a unique celebration that raises awareness of the transformative power of literacy. Find more information online.
Capacity Building Series
Join us  October 19th  for Module 3 of our Capacity Building Series, which will focus on construction technology. During this 2 hour, complimentary workshop, construction professionals will provide a detailed presentation on technology in construction including introduction to programs like Primavera. Primavera is a project management software which simplifies, streamlines and supports complex project life cycles. Join us and learn how these tools can help your business, register  today
2017 Hispanic Caregiver Seminar
Join the Alzheimer's Association and UNT Health & Science Center  on October 21  for the 2017 Hispanic Caregiver Seminar. We welcome all Hispanic individuals caring for a loved one with Alzeimer's disease or a related form of dementia. Sessions conducted in Spanish. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with the community organizations providing resources to them and their loved one with dementia. Email for more information.
Volunteer and Encourage Students to Apply
On January 27th, 2018 TCC Trinity River Campus will be hosting a day long Leadership Conference in partnership with the Cuidado Casero Foundation. The conference will focus on providing young adults with valuable tools, opportunities, skillsets and relationships designed to inspire them into becoming wise, diligent and compassionate leaders of tomorrow. Cuidado Casero Foundation was specifically created to help fill the skilled, bilingual nursing professionals gap which exists within and beyond our community. The foundation currently has open scholarships and other additional resources available for accomplishing just that. If you are interested in supporting or applying, please click here .  Lastly, please share this with all young adults you know and encourage them to appreciate and utilize resources made available to them!

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTED
Opportunity to Grow Your Business
Calling all local businesses to the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Vendor Fair, Friday, November 10, 2017. Join other local business owners and key organization leaders for this educational, insightful and opportunity filled event. Education is the most powerful weapon any business person can have, so don't overlook this great event in which you will get just that and much more! Find out more and register today to receive a discounted price of only $20!
MEMBERS Members
Welcome to Our New Members

Member Spotlight
Florence Salazar-Bruner, 
Firehouse Auto Sales, LLC

Florence Salazar-Bruner is Owner/Operator at Firehouse Auto Sales, LLC  . Affectionately known as "Flo" to her friends and colleagues, she currently serves as Board of Director at Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Flo started her business five years ago and named it in honor of her two sons that are Fireman in US Air Force. With 22 years of experience, Flo's dealership is dedicated to offering high- quality, pre-owned vehicles to customers. Her goal is for customers to be so delighted with their purchase that they'll return and happily recommend her to friends and family. As a woman- owned business in a male-dominated field, Flo says "Customer referrals are the ultimate compliment."

She joined FWHCC 5 years ago when she came to Fort Worth not knowing a soul. Flo says "If it was not for me joining the FWHCC I would not have made the connections nor had the opportunities which helped me and my business to grow into to the community. One of my proudest moments was being Ambassador of the Year and then becoming a Board of Director in 2015. I love the Fort Worth community and the people that are involved. She currently is the Chair person for Fiesta night and also serves on many boards in Fort Worth
Flo has been married to her husband Scott for 16 years and she is a proud mother of six children. "My family inspires me to do better things in life," says Flo. "These are the people who have shown me to give love and compassion out to the community." 

Ambassador Spotlight
Karl Duncan, 
Southwest Office Systems, Inc.

Family owned and operated for 52 years, SOS was founded in 1964 by Victor Puente, Sr., and began as a two- man typewriter repair company. Since 1972, under the leadership of his sons, Buddy and Vince Puente, SOS has become a premier business within the Document Technology industry. SOS is proud to be one of the largest minority owned businesses in North Texas and ranks in the top 3% of all independent Document Technology dealers in the nation. 

Karl is an Account Manager in Sales. Since joining the SOS family in May of 2016 he has been named Rookie of the Year, busted quota 12 times, received the 50K club sales award 4 times, and is currently leading the sales team in quota for 2017. One of the main reasons he likes working at SOS is, "it is family owned and management actually cares about you and treats you like family and not just another number." 

Karl and his wife Melissa have been married for 14 years and are the proud parents of two daughters (11 and 13). Karl is very involved in his community, serving as an Ambassador for the FWCC and FWHCC as well as spending most of his free time supporting the Texas Girls' Choir. 

Southwest Office Systems is proud of its team members and appreciates the value Karl brings to the team. 

SOS is a Texas-Class Document Technology Company providing SHARP multi-function devices, document management software, and print management solutions. Call us (or Karl!) at  817/972-730-8000  or visit  www.sostexas.com.
Interested in a Ribbon Cutting?
A great benefit of your FWHCC membership is that we offer ribbon cuttings for members who have started a new business, moved to a new location, or  have remodeled/ expanded an existing business. Please let us know if you are interested in scheduling a ribbon cutting by contacting Sandra Garcia at (817) 625-5411 or  [email protected]
A Special Thanks to Our Corporate Members