The Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (MAHCC) is the largest Hispanic business organization in Maryland and the District of Columbia and one of the most active Chambers of Commerce in the Mid Atlantic Region. Census reports and the Chamber's real-time experience in the changing demographics of the Latino community, the fastest growing minority population in Greater Washington, creates a wealth of business opportunities, particularly as they become increasingly more affluent.

   The Chamber was incorporated in the State of Maryland in December 28, 2002 as the Western Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In February 5, 2007, it was officially renamed the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in order to reflect its membership growth and concomitant geographic expansion.

   Unique among American chambers, the MAHCC is organized into chapters that serve specific local or county-wide jurisdictions. This organizational structure provides for a better service at the grass roots level. Vice Presidents, who are also members of the Board of Directors, head the chapters.

   For it to be successful, the MAHCC has to be run as a business, albeit one for which a profit motive is not its raison d’être. But in contrast to a for-profit business, the Chamber has to be foremost an ethical, transparent and accountable organization if it is to serve the public interest and to maintain the trust and confidence of its members, contributors and partners, government officials, and the public at large.

   The MAHCC is a member-supported, member-driven organization. Our dues-paying member companies span several states in the Mid Atlantic Region. Members range from Fortune 500 corporations with multi-million-dollar payrolls to local companies with a handful of employees. A diversity of business sectors are represented such as real estate, information technology, hospitality, financial services, insurance, landscaping and janitorial services, construction, retail, etc.

   Membership in the MAHCC is open to any individual, non-profit organization or business entity engaged in a lawful activity, regardless of race or ethnic origin. The Chamber is actively recruiting Hispanic-owned businesses and corporation that would like to expand in the growing Hispanic market and non-profit organizations that would like to work in tandem with the MAHCC to preserve life opportunities and quality of life for everyone.

   For more information about the Chamber please download our brochure or keep on surfing our site. If you would like to join the MAHCC, currently you can do it via phone by calling at 240-686-0055 to register and pay with a credit card.

The Chamber’s Future

   From its inception, the MAHCC has enjoyed a sterling reputation for its ability to deliver results and value to the more than 400 businesses it represents. Its Board of Directors is composed of volunteers who invest their time and talent to provide effective and timely governance and to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the work of the Chamber and that all its activities are guided by best practices and the highest ethical standards.

   But in order for the MAHCC to be an effective voice in the community, it needs also the active participation of its members to serve in chamber committees, to volunteer as mentors to start-up businesses, to guide young people who would like to pursue a college education or a business career, and participate in government-sponsored commissions, committees and task forces.

   In 2008, the Chamber expects to increase its membership to 450 companies. In addition, it will continue to expand benefits for its members, to provide greater educational opportunities to entrepreneurs via its Small Business and Workforce Development Center, to facilitate access to capital by partnering with financial institution interested in serving the growing Hispanic community, and to work with public and private organizations to help create new business opportunities for our members in Latin America, the Caribbean region, and the Iberian Peninsula.

   As partners with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Small Business Contractors, U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, National Restaurant Association, Greater Washington Board of Trade, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, and other like-minded organizations, the Chamber has multiple opportunities to effectively advocate for its members, help improve the quality of life of the Hispanic community, and strengthen its leadership position in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Thus, the Chamber will continue to seek strategic partnerships that will help meet its members’ needs and advance their business interests, particularly in the legislative and government-relations, workforce development, access to capital and access to domestic and international markets.

   Join us in our efforts to promote the economic development of the Hispanic Community in particular and the Mid-Atlantic Region in general, and let us help you start and/or grow, finance, and manage your business immediately. For more information call us right now at 240-686-0055.