BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Chamber of Commerce's 28th Annual Hispanic Business Conference and Expo brought together business leaders at the DoubleTree in Bakersfield, highlighting the growing economic influence of Hispanic entrepreneurs, particularly women.
The networking event comes as Hispanics increasingly drive business growth across the United States, with women leading the charge in entrepreneurship.
"Latinos open businesses at a fast rate than any other demographic, especially women," Veronica Corona said.
Corona serves as chairwoman of the Board of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.
According to the U.S. Latina GDP Report, Hispanic women's economic impact reached $1.3 trillion in 2021, up from $661 billion in 2010.
"A lot of Latinas are entrepreneurs from the ladies selling the tamales in the corner or flowers to the women who are building multimillion-dollar companies—absolutely, I do believe that we are a stronger demographic building businesses and building big businesses," Corona said.
Georgina Puentes exemplifies this entrepreneurial spirit as CFO of The Same Landscape. She and her family leveraged more than 40 years of landscaping experience to launch their own business, though the journey presented challenges.
"It was very challenging as a Hispanic female to establish these relationships with this industry and our contacts," Puentes said.
Despite initial fears about success, Puentes credits community networking events like the Hispanic Business Conference with providing essential resources for her business growth.
Corona emphasized the importance of building professional connections for business success.
"I always like to say that your network is your net-worth. You start building that network because you don't know where those connections can lead you," Corona said.
The conference provided a platform for entrepreneurs to share insights and connect with fellow business leaders throughout Kern County.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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