Ernie Gutierrez has been named chairman of the board of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, the group announced in a news release. Gutierrez has been serving as CAHCC's vice chairman. The appointment is effective immediately.
Gutierrez "inherits a strong and talented board of directors and a committed staff that will appreciate his impressive breadth of experience," CEO Julian Canete said. "His entrepreneurial success story serves as an inspiration to the millions of Latino entrepreneurs that make up the fastest-growing business demographic."
The new chairman is the president and CEO of Allied Industries, a HispanicBusiness 500 company. Allied also received a Fastest Growing Business nod from HispanicBusiness magazine in 2010.
The CAHCC board "will be focused on supporting our member chambers with ongoing resources and training to help Latino small businesses thrive, developing and fostering corporate sponsors, and building on state and national legislative agendas with relevant advocacy that best serves chamber members," Gutierrez said.
He replaces Roy Perez, who resigned for personal reasons.
"We understand Roy's decision to resign after having served the CAHCC with care and commitment for over seven years, and after having had a long career that has spanned four decades," Canete said. "He leaves behind a CAHCC that remains vibrant and wholly committed to its strategy of helping Latino small businesses in California succeed."
The CAHCC is promotes the economic growth and development of Hispanic entrepreneurs and emerging businesses in California. It has a network of more than 65 Hispanic chambers and business associations across the state, representing the interests of more than 600,000 Hispanic enterprises.
