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Berwyn, IL —
Rich Gutierrez is looking forward to the things the Berwyn Development Corporation’s Latino Business Committee can do for the local contracting company he owns.
While it hasn’t yet helped him get more business, “the network opportunities have been great,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity there once the economy picks up,” Gutierrez added. “It’s just like a business — it takes a long time to grow.”
The Latino Business Committee largely does the same as the BDC as a whole: It connects businesses owners with opportunities to make new contacts, facilitates new businesses openings and directs business owners to funding and resources.
By concentrating on Latino entrepreneurs, however, the Latino Business Committee aims to help integrate the city’s business community as Berwyn continues to grapple with a rapid increase in its Hispanic population
In its second year of existence, the Latino Business Committee has helped about 50 local business owners network, secure grant money and stay afloat in a tough economic climate.
Paul Zimmermann, BDC board president, started the initiative shortly after taking office. He realized that no Latinos were serving on the 16-member board of directors in a town with a Hispanic population of more than 54 percent, according to a 2009 U.S. Census Bureau estimate.
Today, there are three.
“The BDC is looking to target businesses that would do well in Berwyn based on the existing demographic, as well as serving the community we’re in,” Zimmermann said. “The fact that Berwyn is a very diverse community that accepts all races, genders and cultures, I think, is going to be a key to our success going forward.”
In a place with such a dense Hispanic population, Latino Business Committee President Joseph Vallez said it benefits all local businesses to understand the Hispanic market.
“While this is the Latino Business Committee, it’s not only addressing Latin business people, but people who want to get into the Latin economic market,” Vallez said. “If you’ve owned a cell phone store for 20 years on Cermak Road and come to this meeting and say, ‘How can we get more exposure in the Latin market?’ we’ll help that person to.”
Alma Rodriguez, a self-employed insurance broker who focuses on Latino customers, said she’s gotten more involved in Berwyn's business community since the LBC was formed.
“By joining the committee, I was able to better understand the resources that are available to me,” Rodriguez said. “And then I went back and I was able to spread the word to businesses in my area.”
Rich Gutierrez is looking forward to the things the Berwyn Development Corporation’s Latino Business Committee can do for the local contracting company he owns.
While it hasn’t yet helped him get more business, “the network opportunities have been great,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity there once the economy picks up,” Gutierrez added. “It’s just like a business — it takes a long time to grow.”
The Latino Business Committee largely does the same as the BDC as a whole: It connects businesses owners with opportunities to make new contacts, facilitates new businesses openings and directs business owners to funding and resources.
By concentrating on Latino entrepreneurs, however, the Latino Business Committee aims to help integrate the city’s business community as Berwyn continues to grapple with a rapid increase in its Hispanic population
In its second year of existence, the Latino Business Committee has helped about 50 local business owners network, secure grant money and stay afloat in a tough economic climate.
Paul Zimmermann, BDC board president, started the initiative shortly after taking office. He realized that no Latinos were serving on the 16-member board of directors in a town with a Hispanic population of more than 54 percent, according to a 2009 U.S. Census Bureau estimate.
Today, there are three.
“The BDC is looking to target businesses that would do well in Berwyn based on the existing demographic, as well as serving the community we’re in,” Zimmermann said. “The fact that Berwyn is a very diverse community that accepts all races, genders and cultures, I think, is going to be a key to our success going forward.”
In a place with such a dense Hispanic population, Latino Business Committee President Joseph Vallez said it benefits all local businesses to understand the Hispanic market.
“While this is the Latino Business Committee, it’s not only addressing Latin business people, but people who want to get into the Latin economic market,” Vallez said. “If you’ve owned a cell phone store for 20 years on Cermak Road and come to this meeting and say, ‘How can we get more exposure in the Latin market?’ we’ll help that person to.”
Alma Rodriguez, a self-employed insurance broker who focuses on Latino customers, said she’s gotten more involved in Berwyn's business community since the LBC was formed.
“By joining the committee, I was able to better understand the resources that are available to me,” Rodriguez said. “And then I went back and I was able to spread the word to businesses in my area.”
For Sarah Saenz, assistant director of Solutions for Care, the LBC has translated into vastly improved outreach for the elderly patients her company serves. Since the Latino Business Committee’s inception, it’s made it a mission to increase the flow of bilingual information across the city.
“I’m a Berwyn resident for over 30 years, and I’m very appreciative of where the BDC has taken itself,” Saenz said. “Especially for the average resident in Berwyn, this is something they can be proud of.”
The LBC felt long overdue, Vallez said, and created a chance to address some of the long-ignored issues that have been underlying the city’s transition.
“It adds up to a commitment and a concerted effort to not only go out and meet people halfway, but to make up for lost time and maybe even right some wrongs that occurred in the past,” Vallez said.
Gutierrez, the local contractor, used his connections and the lowest bid with the BDC to land a contract to restore the 16th Street Theater before the LBC even started.
While the Latino Business Committee may not have directly helped him earn more money, it has the potential to let Berywn confidently step into its new identity as a Hispanic-majority city.
“Last week, I was watching TV and I saw a piece on the 16th Street Theater, and they said that Berwyn is becoming a really artsy town. I was like, ‘Wow, my business was a part of that,’” Gutierrez said. “Now you’re starting to see the recognition. ... Saying that Berwyn has really turned around.”
BY THE NUMBERS
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Berwyn has seen a remarkable boom in its Hispanic population during the past 20 years, as the raw number of people of Hispanic descent has increased by more than 658 percent.
- In 1990, Berwyn had a total of 3,573 Latino residents, accounting for 8.2 percent of the population.
- By 2000, that number had grown to 20,543, or 38 percent of the population.
- By the latest data available, a 2005-09 U.S. Census community survey, Berywn’s Hispanic population jumped to an estimated 27,099 people, or 54.1 percent of the town’s residents.
GET INVOLVED
For more information about the Berwyn Development Corporation and its Latino Business Committee, call (708) 788-8100 or visit www.berwyn.net.
