Hispanic Business Association merges with Atascadero Chamber of Commerce
ATASCADERO, Calif. – The Hispanic Business Association is merging with the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce.
The Hispanic Business Association was founded nine years ago by Sue Hubbard of Farmers Insurance of Atascadero when she recognized the need for a venue for local minority business owners to collaborate.
Mondays announcement about the merging groups was something Hubbard celebrated.
“Partnering with the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce is the logical next step,” Hubbard said. “This merger will provide the Hispanic Business Association members greater benefits and an opportunity for the Chamber to expand its role in this underserved segment of the business community.”
Former President of the Hispanic Business Association, Maria Elena Garcia said, "Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we had 100 members. About 20% of residents in Atascadero and 36% in Paso Robles are Hispanic. San Miguel is also growing so we want to help North County businesses by doing outreach, finding out owners’ needs such as human resources and bookkeeping, and bringing those needs to the Atascadero Chamber board of directors to brainstorm solutions.”
This partnership has lead to the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce to hire three new bilingual staff members to accommodate the Spanish-speaking business community outreach.
“We are thrilled to officially partner with the Hispanic Business Association. We value
Hispanic businesses and want to remove any barriers that might exist on their journey to
100% success. We look forward to learning from them as well,” said Josh Cross, Atascadero
Chamber of Commerce President and CEO.
Garcia explained the impact the new merger will have on the organization she founded saying, “I have been running this organization on a volunteer basis with other dedicated volunteers. No grants. No funding. It means a lot to me that the Atascadero Chamber wants to partner with us. One of the best parts about this area is that everybody is always ready to help each other. That’s what makes this
community great.”
