Utah's Lieut. Gov. Spencer J. Cox and Latin-American Chamber of Commerce's President Juan Manuel Ruiz to Inaugurate the 1st Annual Utah Latin Expo On February 28th, 2014
Salt Lake City, Utah (PRWEB) February 20, 2014 -- Lieutenant Governor Spencer J. Cox will cut the ribbon and address the attendees to the 1st Annual Utah Latin Expo who will include hundreds of middle and high school students from several districts such as Salt Lake and Alpine.
The Utah Latin Expo is produced by the Latin American Chamber of Commerce, a not for profit organization founded in 2005, with a mission to foster economic development in Utah by supporting small businesses with access to capital, business training, networking events and contract procurement.
The event produced completely in English and is loaded with activities and entertainment for the entire family. Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring their children of all ages to enjoy:
- The Arts Exhibits with local artists.
- A full day of cultural activities with hundreds of local performers directed by Martha Chavez, our own local prodigy with many years of experience. Mrs. Chavez managed one of the olympic venues during the 2002 games in Salt Lake City.
- A Gastronomy Expo with an amazing array of authentic local restaurants to showcase a wide range of traditional and ethnic food.
- Over 100 vendors exhibiting thousands of products
- The Safety Excellence Awards Gala. We end the event with a recognition of local Latino businesses for their best practices, achievements and success.
The idea of the Utah Latin Expo came to Juan Manuel Ruiz, President of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce while he attended the Hispanic Chamber Academy at the Chicago Booth School of Business. During a discussion about the disparities that exist among the Latino population. High school dropout rates, poor health, teen pregnancy, crime and poverty seemed to be worse than the very conditions found in their countries of origin. President Ruiz thought then "Most Latinos left their 3rd world countries just to move into another 3rd world country inside a world superpower."
Partners of the Utah Latin Expo like Telemundo understand that Latinos tend to buy and sell their products and services almost exclusively among themselves. This creates a small macroeconomy with limited influence on the mainstream macroeconomy. And give the socioeconomic disparities of this population that include lower access to capital and very high levels of poverty, such macroeconomy is limited, slower and with lower money supply than the mainstream, as reported in several articles by the New York Times.
Since the last census, important national publications like the Wall Street Journal have announced that the Latino population is experiencing tremendous population growth in the upper double digits. Forbes Magazine reports that even Latino Businesses are growing as blistering pace. Pamela Perlich, senior research economist for the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research explains, "It's just a matter of time when we white baby boomers start dying off in significant numbers and the generation that takes our place, which is already minority-majority in many communities throughout the state, and certainly nationally, they become the new face of the state and the nation," as quoted in one of the most important newspapers in Utah, the Deseret News.
In the personal and professional experience of President Ruiz, Latinos who improve their english proficiency, go to college and create wealth are less likely to experience abuse, discrimination and racism as well as less likely to suffer from the health, educational and socioeconomic disparities discussed before.
The Utah Latin Expo will provide Latinos with an opportunity to access the more abundant and rich economy of the mainstream community who, at the same time, will have an opportunity to learn more about the beautiful Latin-american culture and traditions, arts and language in a safe and friendly environment.
Juan Manuel Ruiz, Latin American Chamber of Commerce, http://www.utahlatinexpo.com, +1 (801) 404-1209, [email protected]
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