Since moving to West Michigan 30 years ago, Ana Jose has been driven by a strong desire to lift up herself, her family and everyone around her and her work is coming to fruition.
The West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce won grant funding and executive leadership development opportunities because of its role in advancing economic mobility in Grand Rapids.
Bank of America has announced $100,000 in grants for the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It says the chamber can use the grants for programs that support neighborhoods. Bank of American tells us more: Bank of America today announced West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (WMHCC) as a 2021 Neighborhood Champion, a recognition that includes both grant funding and executive leadership development. As part of the program, the WMHCC will receive a $50,000 two-year grant and an opportunity for engagement in executive leadership coaching delivered by national experts in the nonprofit sector on topics like human capital management, increasing financial sustainability and strategic storytelling. In 2019, in order to scale funding and expertise to more communities, the bank introduced the Neighborhood Champions program, which supports the role strong nonprofit leaders play in advancing economic mobility. While the Neighborhood Builders® program is designed to support 100 major
Grand Rapids Business Journal
Restaurant and small business owners lean on Hispanic chamber program for guidance, growth and expansion.
Courtesy Transformando West Michigan
After taking a break during the craziness that was 2020, Transformando West Michigan returned this year with a new round of classes for its participants.
The business training program founded and led by the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and underwritten this time around by Bank of America and Huntington Bank will graduate its spring 2021 cohort which began meeting virtually on Feb. 1 on April 26.
The Hispanic chamber’s Ana Jose, program manager, and Yesenia Bernal, business consultant, recently spoke to the Business Journal about this year’s iteration of the program, along with four of the 18 Latinx business participants: Paola Mendivil, co-owner of El Granjero Mexican Grill in Grand Rapids; Gricelda Mata, owner of Lindo Mexico Restaurant in Wyoming; Ismael Abreu, owner of Ismael Abreu Ag