Welcome to our New GNHCC Board of Directors

by Eva | Nov 6, 2021 | Business, Community, GNHCC, Marketing, Member, Member Spotlight, Music, Networking Event, Resources, Services

The Transition Ceremony

On November 4th 2021, after the ribbon cutting ceremony at The America’s Restaurant & Cafe by Mayor Rilling, Mariella Castagnet and Warren Pena – founders of the GNHCC – introduced the new Board of Directors that are taking over to provide support to members, professional network, educational opportunities, and exposure throughout the Greater Norwalk region.

Our New President

“On behalf of the new executive board, we are pleased and honored to have been elected to continue the mission and growth of the Greater Norwalk Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,” said Zayed Rodriguez, new President of the Chamber. “We are committed and eager to provide our current and new members with the tools, resources and connections to help them take their businesses to the next level. A bright future is ahead and this board will deliver great experiences for our members.”

Grand Opening at The America's Restaurant and Cafe | New GNHCC Board Introduction

Who was there..

We had the honor to gathering with friends and members of the Chamber like:

Alejandro y Jennifer Restrepo Owners of PuroClean® of Wilton | Ridgefield that recently joined our Chamber – and
Member Howard Cutler from Perfect Credit Consulting

About the Board

The new board members, representing a wide range of industries, are:

President: Zayed Rodriguez RICP, ChFC, Small Business Consultant and Wealth Management Advisor, ZAMFER Group
Vice President: Cesar Pineda, Owner, Farmers Insurance Agency
Secretary: Ivonne Zucco,Transformational Career Coach, IZ Social Enterprises
Trustee: Fermin Vidal, Associate Broker, Berkshire Hathaway
Trustee: Robert Vargas, High Performance Coach, Vargas Strategic Management LLC
Trustee: Hector Pachas, Headshot Photographer, Hector Pachas Photography

Learn more about each Director >

The new Board of Directors is committed provides the necessary guidance for the Greater Norwalk Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to give its members a professional network, educational opportunities, and exposure throughout the Greater Norwalk region.

New Board of Directors at GNHCC!

by Eva | Oct 29, 2021 | Business, Community, GNHCC, Marketing, Member, Member Spotlight, Music, Networking Event, Resources, Services

On Oct. 6th 2021, the Greater Norwalk Hispanic Chamber of Commerce elected six new members to its Board of Directors to renew and continue the work and legacy started by founders Mariella Castagnet and Warren Peña.

The new board members, representing a wide range of industries, are:

President: Zayed Rodriguez RICP, ChFC, Small Business Consultant and Wealth Management Advisor, ZAMFER Group
Vice President: Cesar Pineda, Owner, Farmers Insurance Agency
Secretary: Ivonne Zucco,Transformational Career Coach, IZ Social Enterprises
Trustee: Fermin Vidal, Associate Broker, Berkshire Hathaway
Trustee: Robert Vargas, High Performance Coach, Vargas Strategic Management LLC
Trustee: Hector Pachas, Headshot Photographer, Hector Pachas Photography

“We welcome these respected leaders to the Greater Norwalk Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors,” said Mariella Castagnet, former president of the GNHCC. “Each of them brings experience in their own field that will strengthen our Board and help us achieve our goal of growing Norwalk’s Latinx and Hispanic owned businesses.“

The new Board of Directors provides the necessary guidance for the Greater Norwalk Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to give its members a professional network, educational opportunities, and exposure throughout the Greater Norwalk region.

A formal introduction of the new board will take place on November 4th, 2021 at 5:30pm following the ribbon cutting for The America’s Restaurant & Cafe (90 S. Main St., Norwalk, CT 06854)

SBA to Open Shuttered Venue Operators Grants (SVOG)

by Eva | Apr 9, 2021 | Art, Business, Finance, Music

The SBA has opened the Shuttered Venues Grant submission process. Those eligible are operators of live venues, live performing arts organizations, museums and movie theaters, as well as live venue promoters, theatrical producers, and talent representatives.

The application will be available on the SBA’s website at https://www.svograntportal.sba.gov/s/. The SBA has released a “5 Things You Should Know”. They are as follows:

SVOG applications open April 8 at 12 p.m. EDT.

Starting at 12 p.m. EDT, eligible entities will be able to start their SVOG application via the SVOG application portal. Once you begin, remember to save along the way and refer to SBA’s SVOG website – www.sba.gov/svogrant – for reference materials as you go through the process.

Visit SVOG portal

Access the SVOG 4506-T from the website.

To meet IRS requirements, a unique SVOG 4506-T is required for the SVOG application and you can find that fillable document at www.sba.gov/svogrant under Supplemental Documents. A video tutorial is also provided to guide you through it.

Review the form

Review the updated FAQs.

The FAQs were updated on April 6 with the information included from questions received on the March 30 national training webinar. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording.

Review the updated FAQs

Get prepared with these multiple tools.

The SBA has created several tools and resources to help potential SVOG applicants prepare, including:

Video tutorials, including how to register on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), a federal requirement to receive an SVOG
A Preliminary Application Checklist to help you gather documents and other information that may be needed
An Eligibility Requirements Chart to help determine qualifications

All info about SVOG

Tap local SBA partners for technical assistance.

The SBA Resource Partner Network provides advising and counseling services to help organizations prepare for funding opportunities like the SVOG, PPP, and other business recovery needs.

Local assistance

NICE Festival Vendor Sign-Up is Now Open!

by Eva | Feb 6, 2019 | Art, Business, Community, Food, Marketing, Music, Services

NICE Festival Vendor Sign-Up is now open! NICE Festival is an annual event that was created to celebrate the diversity in our community with international food, art and music. It also includes a vendor area, where artists, businesses and nonprofits can promote themselves and sell their products. Each vendor receives a designated area approximately 10ft x 10ft. Prices range from $225-$450, depending on your organization type and product category. For example, businesses pay more than nonprofits; food businesses pay more than artists. If you are interested in vending at the NICE Festival, follow the steps below: Deadline: April 30, 2019.

Step 1:

Complete the Vendor Form.
Click to download the Vendor form.

Step 2:

Return the Vendor Form to:
Janet Evelyn
Executive Director
NICE INC
20 Elmwood Ave, Norwalk, CT 06854
Email: janet@norwalknice.org • Phone: (203) 919-3000

Step 3:

Select Vendor Type and make a payment.
Click to review vendor types and prices.

Step 4:

Complete required additional forms.
Click to review additional forms.

ANGIE DURRELL at LATINCOLORS 16th Edition

by Eva | Apr 16, 2018 | Art, Community, Education, Music

Angie Durrell, the cover of LATINCOLORS 16th Edition

We congratulate LATINCOLORS for the 16th Edition of the Magazine. It was celebrated on a beautiful event where the protagonists of the magazine shared their time and talents with the community members and friends.

En la entrega de 16 edición de la revista de Latinco Lors

Posted by Pilar Blanco on Sunday, April 8, 2018

ANGIE DURRELL: CONNECTING CULTURES THROUGH MUSIC

Since an early age, Angie Durrell fell in love with the violin and her community. She found a way to succeed thru music and now shares her passion and talent with young children that like her enjoy music.

Angie is thankful for the opportunities and the values instilled by her mother and mentor. She looks to support and inspire INTEMPO’s children and families the same way they inspired her.

Even though her success hasn’t been easy, she wants to let people know that adversity is part of everyone’s lives and that we need to overcome it and be grateful of what we have.

Angie is a devoted advocate for diverse music and works hard to bring many cultures together through music.

Amazing talent!Great event, thank you Rene

Posted by Hilda Ayala on Sunday, April 8, 2018