New Chamber Of Commerce Helps Business Owners In Tulsa's Hispanic Community

A new chamber of commerce wants to help businesses owned by members of Tulsa’s growing Hispanic community thrive.

The Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said one of the most important things it’s doing is helping its members build relationships with other members of the Tulsa community, including the city government.

That’s why it’s hosting its inaugural luncheon on next week with Mayor G.T. Bynum.

CEO Marta Zapata said the luncheon is just one of the ways the organization is helping its members grow and support each other.

She said the chamber also helps Hispanic members who didn’t grow up in the United States better navigate a new culture.

“If you come from a different country, you don’t know how the educational system, the legal system, the healthcare system work here. And one of the things that we provide is that information. So, we help people understand how, for example, to do their taxes properly," Zapata said.

The chamber of commerce is also launching a business incubator near 21st and Garnett to further train and support Hispanic entrepreneurs to help them succeed.

Tomas Barrientos said Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the population in Tulsa and he’s hoping to see their economy grow.

Barrientos said they’re seeing an increase in Hispanics entrepreneurs coming to Tulsa.

"We’re seeing probably 9 out of 10 people that are entrepreneurs, they come to bring their businesses to the area. So we see that this connect role over time. And we're going to see an increase over the next 5, 10 years. We are going to see a lot more Hispanic businesses in the area," Barrientos said.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the chamber and its events.