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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Utahs Latino American Chamber of Commerce announced a merger Tuesday.
The union will allow the chambers to combine efforts and programs to better serve the state's Latino business community. Going forward, the two chambers will use the name Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
"With this merger, we can now more effectively serve well over 455,000 Hispanic/Latino community members, as well as well as over 25,000 Hispanic/Latino businesses in Utah," said Juan Pascua, the Hispanic Chamber's executive director, in a press release.
The move comes on the heels of the Hispanic Chamber's relaunch. After nearly closing and drastically cutting its operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber recently announced efforts to rebuild and grow community trust.
Randal Serr, the Hispanic Chamber's interim board chair, said the Latino American Chamber approached the Hispanic Chamber years ago about joining forces but those conversations didn't materialize until the chamber's new board of directors took on the issue.
"Given that Utah's Latino American Chamber of Commerce approached the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce originally, the negotiations really just revolved around what the past conversations were and the roles current participants would assume if and when we merged," Serr said in an email. "Obviously, we are happy with where it ended up, and the good faith on all sides really helped move it forward."
Pascua, who has served as executive director since 2021, will retain his role. Mitchel Garsz Garcia, board chair of the Latino American Chamber, will serve on the newly merged chamber's board of directors and will help the chamber reopen services in Weber County, including a possible office in Ogden in the coming months.
"These communities are deeply embedded within Utah and are a key economic driving force for our state's present and future growth," Garcia said in a press release. "By helping the fastest-growing demographic group in Utah, and in the country, we will only strengthen the economy."
