1/26/2005 From single mom to CEO: Val Vargas' ambition and vision fuel success at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Kelly Westhoff
I was an ambitious person, recalled Val Vargas, describing herself at the age of 21. At 49, she still is. Vargas is president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Minnesota (HCCM), an organization she helped establish in 2000 to promote economic prosperity within Minnesota's Hispanic community.
In just four short years, Vargas has created a nonprofit organization that counts nearly 200 individual and corporate members. She helped to build a governing board of directors and filled all nine seats with Latinos. While the state's booming Hispanic population continues to overwhelm politicians, educators and employers alike, Vargas has racked up two national awards for her leadership initiatives within the Latino community.
Vargas never expected to find herself at the helm of an organization developing business initiatives for Hispanic Minnesotans. Although Vargas considers herself a native Minnesotan (she grew up in the Twin Cities), she never thought of Minnesota as a haven for Latinos. "We didn't speak Spanish at home," Vargas explained. "We were upwardly mobile. We were never directly encouraged to hold onto the language or our Mexican roots. But indirectly it was always there in what we ate, in our values."
"Now, seeing more Latinos in the community, it was unexpected. It happened in one summer‹that's how it felt. In the early-to-mid 90s, all of a sudden, there were Latinos‹and they were all over the place and there was no turning back," she said.
It's not hard to find proof that the booming Hispanic population is here to stay, Vargas added. "You can see it in local nonprofits, in community organizations, in banking, in retail‹there's Spanish available everywhere. In the grocery store there is the "Hispanic aisle.' ATMs are in Spanish. There are more resources. There are people out there looking for help."
Vargas knows what it means to need a little help. She didn't attend college until age 21. "I was a working single mom," Vargas explained. "I would never have been able to go to school." But Vargas' employer at the time, Kentucky Fried Chicken, saw in her a determined, capable employee. They offered her the opportunity to run a distribution facility in Oklahoma City. If she went, they would also send her to college. Vargas jumped at the opportunity, moved across the country and earned a degree in economics.
Vargas' degree eventually led her back to Minneapolis and to her father's tax-consulting and preparation business, which she inherited and still runs. But it also led her to consider the ways that she could reach out to Minnesota's new Hispanic residents. The idea for the Hispanic Chamber emerged, in response to the lack of information and services geared specifically to Hispanics, Vargas explained. "I wanted the Hispanic community to be able to access information more quickly. I wanted to help expedite information and help Latino businesses assimilate more quickly."
To that end, the chamber's website offers links to state forms that any future small business owner will need to incorporate and get started. With help from the chamber, members can apply for small business loans. In addition, chamber members can access a program that will teach them how to write press releases and distribute them to local and national media outlets. Breakfasts, seminars and dinners provide networking opportunities for local Latino workers, entrepreneurs and professionals.
But Minnesota Hispanics aren't the only ones utilizing the chamber's services. The chamber has garnered corporate support from some of the state's largest employers, like Carlson Company, American Family Insurance, Qwest and Northwest Airlines.
Vargas' promotion of Hispanic business owners and workers earned her the Latina Leadership Award from the National Foundation for Women Legislators in 2003. Just last fall, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce awarded Minnesota's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce the Small Chamber of the Year Award for its initiatives and program goals.
Vargas is pleased with the recognition she and the chamber have earned, but she isn't resting on her laurels. "It takes daily maintenance," Vargas insisted. "This is our fifth year in existence and it's not diminishing. You have to keep track of what's required by law. You have to keep up with advocacy, media, program delivery, developing funding. It's overwhelming and extremely frustrating. But in the end, I hope it can become a self-sustaining organization that can function without me."
For more information on the Minnesota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, call 612-312-1692 or visit the website at www.hispanicmn.org.
PDA Dates JanuaryFebruary
Thursday 1/27
LEDC open house
The Latino Economic Development Center hosts an open house for community leaders from the Latino, business and development sectors. 3-7 p.m. 1516 E. Lake St., Ste. 206, Mpls. Free. FFI: 612-722-5332.
UpSwing Business EXPO
Join more than 500 business leaders for music, food and drinks. More than 100 companies exhibit their products and services. 5-7:30 p.m. Thunderbird Convention Center/Ramada Inn Airport, 2201 E. 78th St., Bloomington. Free. FFI: www.upswingexpo.com.
Saturday 1/29
Connecting vocation, security and life balance
Third annual "Connections" event connects women leaders through learning and networking; links vocation, financial security and life balance. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Thrivent Financial, 625 4th Ave. S., Mpls. Free. FFI: 952-582-2970.
Tuesday 2/1
"Smart Women Finish Rich"
Claudia Waterloo Tornquist of Morgan Stanley hosts a one-hour program on building investment knowledge. Ladies' luncheon noon-1 p.m., co-ed with refreshments 6:30-7:30 p.m. Morgan Stanley "C" level meeting room, 8300 Norman Center Dr., Ste. 1150, Bloomington. Free. FFI/reservations: 952-921-1911, claudia.waterloo@morganstanley.com.
Thursday 2/3
Free classes at WomenVenture
"The Best Place to Start," 6-7 p.m.; "How to Get a Loan/Credit Focus," 7-8:30 p.m.; "Which Assessment Tool?" 7-7:30 p.m. WomenVenture, 2324 University Ave., Ste. 200, St. Paul. Free. FFI: 651-646-3808, www.womenventure.org.
