Fremont Chamber to host Hispanic business banquet next week – Fremont Tribune

When Director or Membership and Development Christine Torres moved to Fremont, she saw that there were services her Hispanic/Latino community needed that were hard to find. To help bridge that gap, she assembled a group of advocates, and for the past several years, that group, known as the Hispanic Networking Group, has been meeting regularly to advocate for the Hispanic/Latino community.

“It (Spanish Network Group) just blossomed,” Torres said. “It just grew super fast. It got a lot of attention, but it really just connects everyone.”

In celebration of Fremont’s Hispanic and Latino business community, the chamber will host the Hispanic Business Banquet from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday, November 8, at the Countryside Venue, 30030 W. Reichmuth Road, in Valley. The networking event includes a dinner and program recognizing individuals and businesses that have been allies to the Hispanic/Latino community.

Unfortunately, tickets for this first year have sold out, but there are other chamber events planned for this year and more in 2025.

Created by Torres, the Hispanic Networking Group, according to the chamber’s website, offers an opportunity to share ideas “about community development and growth opportunities.” There is also the opportunity to connect with other professionals, learn valuable information and expand your network.

“This group (Christine) was created so that Hispanic business owners can get to know each other, know what resources are available to them and have a support group,” said Brenda Wilberding, president/CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Fremont Area.

Since the group’s first meeting, participation has grown from 15 to about 180 people. This group meets monthly, every third Wednesday of the month.

There are four councils within the chamber that deal with different aspects of Fremont’s business community, including the Hispanic Council.

The Hispanic Council was created to help represent and reflect the community, Torres said. Its mission is “To empower Hispanic businesses, build bridges between all Chamber members and promote prosperity in Fremont and surrounding communities.”

Each council has a banquet to celebrate its work in the community and earlier this year the chamber decided to add a Spanish Business Banquet to the calendar.

“The reason behind the banquet … is that we just needed a space and a platform to recognize the amazing things that Latino and Hispanic businesses are doing,” Wilberding said. “When you go and do your research, the percentage of Hispanic and Latino-owned businesses in Nebraska is huge, and so you can recognize them in that community, but also bring attention and spotlight to that group for people outside of this community is really, really powerful. Because they need to know what’s going on and the importance of the businesses that are here in Fremont and in the state.”

There are about 40 Hispanic/Latino-owned businesses in Fremont, and there are businesses in Omaha and Council Bluffs that are also members of the Fremont Chamber. Torres said they are a small but mighty team and they do things that attract people from outside the community.

For the Latin American Business Banquet, the chamber sought sponsors for the event and sponsorships sold out quickly.

Sponsors include Lincoln Premium Poultry, Christensen Lumber Co., Diers, Los Mezcales Ortiz Mexican Bar and Grill, Allo, Artesan Bread, MaxD Designs, Printing & More, Center for Rural Affairs, Pinnacle Bank, Methodist Fremont Health, Epicentro Tienda Mexicana, Erika Martinez, RVR Bank, Lincoln Federal Savings Bank, FNBO and Fremont Beef Company.

“Really, right away, all the sponsorships were sold almost immediately,” Torres said, adding that she first asked the big supporters of the Spanish Networking Group and they jumped at the chance. “At one point we were just making up sponsorships because people still wanted to participate. (What a) beautiful thing!’

Awards to be given during the event will be: Amigo de la comunidad — Fremont Police Lt. Ed Watts; Newcomer – Hello, Paul Heinemann; Harmony Catalyst Award — Evelyn Martinez; Trailblazer del año — Dan Moran; and Spanish Business of the Year — Típico Helado.

Watts is proactive with the Spanish-speaking community and the Spanish Networking Group, Wilberding said. Watts reached out to Torres and Director of Marketing and Communications Devin Brashear through a chamber event and stepped up and asked how he could support the community, better connect with them and how he could be available as an ally. Chamber staff and members have even taken Watts to the various businesses so he can connect with the owners.

Among the many things Moran does, he is a teacher at Washington Elementary School and brought the Duel Language Program to Fremont Public Schools. It also offers stickers that businesses can put on their windows, inviting Spanish learners to practice their Spanish at that business, Torres said.

Martinez is a bilingual public health worker. She was one of the first advocates involved in the Spanish Networking Group, helping to connect people to resources.

Allo had been a chamber member for a while, but when Heinemann came along, he became involved in the Hispanic Networking Group and asked how he and Allo could help the Hispanic community. Heinemann also brings his Spanish-speaking employees with him to the networking meetings, Torres said.

The business of the year, Típico Helado, is from Omaha, but as soon as they came to Fremont, they contacted the chamber to find out who to contact in the community and how to be active in the chamber, Torres said. The public loves them, Sha added.

The Hispanic Network Group and Hispanic Council are something that make the Fremont chamber unique, Wilberding said. The Chamber is very active and also has bilingual diplomats or a group of ambassadors who go to businesses to recruit and retain members in the Fremont community.

Other chambers have contacted Fremont to learn what they do and how they do it, Torres said.

It’s a group effort, Torres said. She has support from her boss and the staff is welcoming and inviting to everyone who walks in the door.

Chamber staff speak, understand or study Spanish, and if someone cannot understand the visitor, they are not turned away. The staff will help figure it out, Torres said. Over the past few years, community members have simply walked in off the street seeking help with in-house and out-of-house matters.

As part of the chamber’s welcoming nature, Director of Marketing and Communications Devin Brashear pointed out that the chamber also hosted a Raffle Night. It was a culturally inclusive event, she said.

There was a wide variety of participants, including children, adults, those who speak Spanish fluently and those who may still need a little practice.

“Having that connection, that safe space for everyone to be together and for people to be genuinely interested in learning more and playing this culturally native game … was really cool,” Brashear said.

There will be several more Lotería Night events this coming year and the community has invested in making events more inclusive.

“I think Fremont has always had this Hispanic and Latino community that hasn’t always been glorious, and I think we just have people in positions of power who are like, ‘we’re going to make a change,’ and you can tell people are very appreciative for that, they’re super supportive, and it’s really nice to finally see the bloom come,” Torres said.

The camaraderie and gathering with like-minded people is really powerful and cool, Wilberding said, and the banquet also gives them a chance to connect with some people who don’t come to other chamber events.

“That’s what we want to do here in the chamber, we’re here to help,” Wilberding said. “That’s our goal, to help businesses be the best, grow and be successful. We have to be a hand in that, we can help with that, and when we can’t reach a certain community and help them understand how we can support them, this is an amazing way to do it.”

Dress code for the event is officially recommended but not mandatory. There will be a cocktail party with live music by a mariachi band, dinner and a formal program that includes the award ceremony.

The banquet is a celebration of the culture and diverse businesses that are doing amazing things and diversifying what it means to be Fremont, Wilberding said.

There is a diversity at chamber events that is amazing to see, Torres said.

The Spanish Networking Group meets regularly in Fremont. The next meeting is 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Christensen Family YMCA Camp, 3402 W. Military Ave.

Sponsored by Agri-City Insurance, emcee is Dan Moran, Fremont Public Schools — Washington Elementary, who will talk about the school’s duel language program. For more information, contact Torres at 402-721-2641 or [email protected].