Governor’s Hispanic Commission
Economic Development Subcommittee
Meeting Minutes
DECEMBER 9, 2014
PAGE 2
Governor’s Hispanic Commission
Economic Development Subcommittee
Meeting Minutes
December 9, 2014
Delaware Economic Development Office
Governor’s Hispanic Commission
Economic Development Subcommittee
Meeting Minutes
DECEMBER 9, 2014
PAGE 2
In attendance:
Sonia Aguilar, DEDO
Veronica Richardson, DEDO
Ed Simon, DEDO
Jim Provo, SBA
Lillie Crawford, DCED
Enrique Olverz, Only Stars Construction
Carlos Velasquez
Ed Perez, City of Dover
Victor Rios Navas, Nike
Javier Torrijos, DelDOT
Via phone:
Givvel Marrero, Promotion Zone
Bill Pfaff, SBDC
Valarie Wright, DOL
Ken Anderson, DEDO
Michelle Morin, GSS
Governor’s Hispanic Commission
Economic Development Subcommittee
Meeting Minutes
DECEMBER 9, 2014
PAGE 2
The purpose of this meeting was to review some of the highlights from the Latino Summit that was held on November 13 at DTCC.
· Over 300 attendees
· 6 breakout sessions: economic development, health, education, community and social justice, housing and transportation.
· Goal of each session was to hear the voices of the people that attended and to establish short and long term goals.
· Common needs of each session were:
o Education
o Outreach to the community
o More information in Spanish
o Need to work together and not in silos
o More bilingual professionals
o More translators
· In addition to long and short term goals, areas that require State policy changes were identified
Javier stated that the Summit achieved expectations. A consultant is working on the putting all the information that was gathered at the Summit into a Public Policy Agenda. The goal is to have the first draft done by the end of December. He reiterated the need to put the proposed actions steps into motion to move the initiative forward.
Ken suggests bringing a short term goal that can be readily accomplished to the forefront to piggy back on the success of the Summit.
Sonia stated the training program, “How to do Business in Delaware” is being adopted by First State Community Loan Fund, (FSCLF). FSCLF has received a $25,000 grant from the Arsht Cannon Foundation for the continuation of the program. Director Levin will be contacting corporate sponsors for annual financial support for the program as well. Sonia reiterated the need for the business partners to deliver the monthly workshops.
Sonia reviewed the short and long term goals from the Summit. One of the first goals that Sonia would like to work on is to establish a monthly Hispanic Business networking group in each county. The plan is to start on a small, grass roots level and to hold regular meetings at a local restaurant. The target audience for these gatherings are participants that completed the “How to do Business in Delaware” training or those that are just starting to think about owning a business. Ken stated that the event/meeting has to have a content element of the actionable elements from Summit. Givvel stated his plan for his networking group is to have a 30 minute networking session and then offer an opportunity for input from the group. Sonia feels that needs of Givvel’s group and the downstate groups are different; Givvel’s group consists of more professionals or those that are already business owners. Sonia is asking the committee members to find the place, establish the time and do the invitations. By starting with this project it will enhance the attendance at the “How to do Business in Delaware” workshops and it will also assist in identifying existing Hispanic businesses.
Ed Perez suggested engaging town managers that have encountered Hispanic individuals that want to start businesses. Ken stated that the Downtown Main Street partners may be future resources for those interested in starting businesses in those communities.
Next steps:
· Develop a plan and marketing materials for the networking events
· Resource partners -E-mail Sonia the area you prefer to target
· Ken will send Sonia a list of Delaware Main Street towns
· Sonia will speak with Valarie in regard to developing some workshops in Spanish as well as translating the DOL job search site. Also need to know the level of services available to those that have a Green Card as opposed to those that do not
Next meeting:
· January 13th, 9:30am, DEDO-Dover