Nuestro equipo
Personal de la cámara
Jennifer Aguilar
Jennifer Aguilar is the Executive Director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to promote and support the growth and success of businesses in Little Village and to leverage the community’s unique cultural identity to generate new opportunities. Jennifer oversees the overall planning, coordination and execution of all Little Village Chamber of Commerce and Little Village Special Service Area #25 staff, operations, programs, projects, and services.
Jennifer has over ten years of experience successfully maintaining company brand image and reputation through public and private stakeholder relationship management and forward thinking. Previously, Jennifer held the role of Community Outreach Specialist at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Network during six years, where she worked with underserved communities in Illinois and Northwest Indiana to spread the word about the importance of organ & tissue donation. Jennifer was also a Marketing Specialist for Hispanic Cheese Makers- Nuestro Queso during five years, where she managed promotional events and campaigns, and established the management process for private label clients. The experience she has gained throughout her career has allowed her to build her capacity as a leader and grow her knowledge of nonprofit management, business marketing, and strategic planning.
Jennifer was born and raised in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, where she currently resides. Her biggest passion is giving back to her community though her work with the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. Jennifer previously served as board Secretary for the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, board director for the Foundation of Little Village, and board member of the Association of Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation. Jennifer is also a founding member of DePaul University’s Latinx Alumni Chapter Committee. In 2022, Jennifer was selected by business publication Negocios Now as one of their "Los 26 de la 26" (The 26 of 26th Street) list of young leaders in the Little Village community.
Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in political science & history from DePaul University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy and strategic writing and advancement for nonprofits from DePaul University’s School of Public Service. Jennifer’s other passions include traveling, attending live music events, and exploring the city’s diverse culinary scene.
Blanca R. Soto
Blanca R. Soto is currently the Chief Operating Office of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. LVCC is a membership organization that has represented Chicago's local businesses' interests for more than 30 years. Its mission is to promote and support businesses' growth and success in Little Village and leverage the community's unique cultural identity to generate new opportunities. Before her appointment, Blanca served as LVCC Managing Director for eight years and Executive Director for two years. Blanca has been instrumental in strengthening business and community relations while effectively executing the Chambers signature events, including one of the largest and most recognized Mexican Independence Day Parades in the nation. In her role, Blanca has promoted the 26th street commercial corridor's economic development by supporting small business owners through the multiple stages of business development by offering workshops, training, access to capital, networking, and referrals. She continuously works to promote the local shop ethos that drives the economic engine of Little Village. Blanca also guides the City of Chicago SSA 25 (Special Service Area #25) with their work to create and maintain a clean, attractive, and competitive commercial corridor by participating in public meetings and the SSA decision-making process. As a Little Village resident and working with the Little Village Chamber of Commerce for a decade, it has cemented Blanca's roots deep within the community. Her years of service and dedication have strengthened relationships between residents and local business owners. The Little Village Chamber of Commerce was recognized for its work and awarded the prestigious United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 2018 Chamber of the Year Award.
Sarai Guerrero
Sarai is the new Director of Events and Memberships at the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. Little Village is the second-largest business corridor in the City of Chicago, with over 1,000 businesses that contribute over $900 million to the state's economy and serve over 85,000 residents. The mission of LVCC is to support, promote and enhance the growth and success of local businesses and leverage the community's assets, contributions, and unique Mexican and cultural identity to generate new business opportunities.
Sarai has a background in both assisting small businesses and event planning in the Chicago community after working at the Economic Strategies Development Center (ESDC) in Pilsen. There she provided technical assistance to businesses owners providing support in marketing and grant applications during COVID-19. Just before joining the team at ESDC, she worked on strategy logistics, event-planning, and media relations at Jasculca/Terman & Associates Inc.
Sarai holds community close and has a passion for engaging and networking to carry on the LVCC mission and make a difference in the community.
She currently resides in the Chicago southwest area and enjoys spending her time with her big family and running through the city with her running club.
Junta de LVCC
Directores de la cámara ejecutiva
Antonio R. Guillen
Antonio R .Guillen SVP of Business Development for Wintrust Bank Pilsen/Little Village & Logan Square. Antonio has over 35 years’ experience in the banking industry. Antonio's expertise is business banking, specifically lending to small to medium size businesses and commercial real estate financing and development. Antonio spends much of his out in the field building relationships and supporting Community Organizations; his vast experience allows him to guide and mentor many local businesses. Antonio also serves as the President of the Hispanic Bankers Association (HBA) and currently serves on several other boards including Little Village Chamber of Commerce (LVCC), Humboldt Park Health (HPH), Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Alivio Medical Center, Bernie Mac Foundation (BMF), and is a Member of the Latino Advisory Council (LAC) for Catholic Charites, he is a past Board Member of many other non-for-profits. Antonio is a Chicago native and married with five children, he joined Wintrust in July of 2010.
Roman Ruiz
Roman Ruiz es Gerente de Sucursal y Desarrollo Comunitario de Second Federal a Division of Self-Help Federal Credit Union. Con más de 17 años de experiencia en banca minorista y préstamos hipotecarios, está al frente de la sucursal insignia con un exceso de $91 millones en depósitos y más de 6.600 miembros. La sucursal se encuentra en el corazón de la comunidad Little Village de Chicago, que se compone principalmente de inmigrantes mexicanos. La comunidad resistente cuenta con el segundo ingreso fiscal más alto de la ciudad. En 2013, Second Federal se convirtió en parte de una de las instituciones financieras de desarrollo comunitario más grandes del país, Self-Help Federal Credit Union. Con el cambio, se produjo "un compromiso [renovado] de ofrecer ahorros seguros y asequibles y cuentas de transacciones con precios transparentes y un conjunto completo de préstamos (pequeños dólares, ciudadanía, consumidores no garantizados, automóviles e hipotecas) a menudo a prestatarios que no podían acceder servicios responsables en otros lugares ". La organización ha prestado más de 180 millones de dólares a comunidades desatendidas en el área de Chicago. Roman entiende las dificultades que enfrentan muchos de sus clientes, ya que emigró a los Estados Unidos desde México a los nueve años y fue criado por una madre soltera. Tiene una licenciatura de la Northeastern Illinois University, es becario de Liderazgo de la Red de Finanzas de Oportunidades 2017 y es Negocio Now Latinos 40 menores de 40 años para 2017. Su compromiso cívico incluye estar en la junta directiva de San Jose Obrero Mission, SER Central States y La Cámara de Comercio de Little Village.
Jason Roberts
La familia de Jason Roberts emigró del Caribe para buscar mejores oportunidades en Estados Unidos. El primer trabajo de su padre en Estados Unidos fue conducir un taxi en Nueva York, mientras que su madre trabajaba como niñera. Su padre luego estudió en el New York Community College y después de graduarse comenzó su carrera en la banca. Más tarde siguió su espíritu emprendedor y comenzó su primer concesionario automotriz y Jason Roberts se unió a él poco después como portero de lavado de pisos en el departamento de servicio en 1988.
Jason Roberts comenzó su carrera automotriz, trabajando como portero en el primer concesionario de su padre, mientras todavía estaba en la escuela secundaria. Jason Roberts se graduó de la escuela secundaria y dejó el negocio de su padre para asistir a la Universidad Estatal de Ohio. Allí estudió Economía de la Empresa y después de completar su cuarto año, regresó para vender autos en el concesionario de su Padre. Jason ha ocupado todos los puestos clave en el negocio de su padre, desde portero hasta vendedor, y ahora es el socio gerente de Advantage Chevrolet de Hodgkins. Desde que se convirtió en Socio Director, han expandido su negocio de un concesionario a tres actualmente.
Jason es un apasionado de retribuir a la comunidad a la que sirve. Él ha sido un orgulloso patrocinador de la campaña de becas de Little Village desde 2007. Ha patrocinado la Little Village Little Baseball League desde 2012. Jason Roberts también estableció el Walkathon anual de Chevrolet Pretty in Pink Advantage para la lucha contra el cáncer de mama en 2010. Él fuertemente cree que un negocio es una extensión del vecindario al que sirve y debe apoyar a la comunidad de todo corazón. Son esos valores los que él cree que han permitido que su negocio crezca y prospere a través del entorno económico en constante cambio.
Mayra Khan
Mayra Khan es una ejecutiva de operaciones y desarrollo empresarial experimentada con una pasión por la innovación y el espíritu empresarial. Durante los últimos 10 años, se ha desempeñado como socia gerente en Nova Driving School, donde ha hecho crecer el negocio de $50k a más de $2 Mil en ingresos. Ella ha expandido la participación de mercado de Nova en el mercado de educación vial de Chicago al mantener un fuerte enfoque en la excelencia en la enseñanza y el compromiso de brindar un servicio al cliente superior.
Directores de la Junta
Mario Gamino
Responsible, motivated, and organized individual that likes to be challenged. Being a member will further allow me to contribute to the continued growth and success of the community and its organizations. My management, sales, and work experience will allow me to contribute and be an asset for the people within the community. Experienced Outbound Sales Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Skilled in Banking, Credit Analysis, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Lending, and Merchant Services. Strong sales professional with twenty-three years of retail and management experience. I began my career at PNC Bank in 2007 and have held several rolls including Business Development Officer for the Experiential Chicago/Wisconsin team and have been the Branch Manager at the Little Village location since 2021.
Marco A. Rodriguez
Marco A. Rodriguez is an innovative and energized leader in business operations, recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a rising star. Marco is the Senior Vice President for San Jose Imports, Inc a 25-year importer and wholesaler of confectionary products from Mexico and Latin America. Marco is directly responsible for redeveloping the company supply chain in Mexico and the US, while restructuring the sales department to expand reach in target areas to effectively increase sales. Marco also manages the day-to-day operations of the Dulcelandia Candy Store brand, as well as its e-commerce website. Marco effectively implemented a dual language advertising campaign focused on news media and influencers to expand reach and drive new consumer traffic to each physical retail store location as well as the newly redesigned e-commerce site. Marco also updated and streamlined the customer experience in each physical store location while simultaneously opening new physical store locations in high traffic areas with a focus on the general market to bring a bit of Mexican culture to all neighborhoods. Prior to joining San Jose Imports, Inc., Marco was the operations manger at Lobo De Mar Restaurant where he increased sales during his tenure as a direct result of having initiated a multi-media advertising campaign to attract new customers. Marco also managed food costs below 10% while establishing systematically independent supply chains, improving efficiency and wait times by implementing new operational programs. Marco received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago, is a member of the Board of the ACERO Charter School Network, a Board Member of the Loyola GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade), and a Member of Crain’s Chicago Business 20 in their 20s 2017.
Abad Lopez
Abad Lopez was born in the Little Village community where he attended Eli Whitney Elementary School. Abad Lopez is an equity partner with the law firm of Dykema Gossett PLLC, a national law firm with 13 offices in Illinois, California, Michigan, Texas, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C. Abad leads Dykema’s Chicago labor and employment practice and is also a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. During his 20 years of experience, Abad’s practice has focused on providing labor and employment counseling and litigation advice to public and private employers. Abad’s clients include among the largest private and public employers in the U.S., focusing on issues relating to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, non-competition agreements, employee privacy, and wage and hour practices, among other matters. Abad was previously on the Board of the Hispanic National Bar Foundation, which focuses on providing mentoring and financial support to Latino college students interested in pursuing a legal career. Abad obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Directores honorarios de la junta
Mike Moreno
Mike Moreno
Inmigrando a los Estados Unidos en 1960. Mike Moreno es el fundador de Moreno's Liquors, que ha sido un elemento básico de la comunidad de Little Village durante más de 41 años. Durante este tiempo también jugó un papel clave en la unión de las organizaciones de comerciantes latinos de la comunidad para unirse a la Cámara de Comercio de Little Village. Como presidente de la Cámara de 1987 a 1991, Mike Moreno ayudó en la creación del emblemático arco del vecindario y ha estado muy involucrado en el activismo comunitario y el trabajo de caridad. También se desempeñó como comisionado SSA #25 a mediados de la década de 2000
Salvador Pedroza
Salvador Pedroza
Salvador Pedroza emigró a los Estados Unidos desde Ocampo Guanajuato, México en 1974. Actualmente reside en el estado de IL con su esposa de Imelda. Salvador e Imelda han estado casados durante 28 años y tienen tres hijos Salvador Jr. (27) Ivan (26) y Alejandro (24). También tienen 3 nietos Marcel (9), Alejandro Jr. (6) y Sofía (4).
Salvador es el presidente de Economy Commercial Roofing, una compañía de techos con licencia y garantía que estableció en 1988. Durante los últimos 29 años, Salvador Pedroza ha brindado servicios expertos de techado en el área metropolitana de Chicago.
Salvador está involucrado en varias organizaciones comunitarias. Durante los últimos 29 años, ha sido miembro de la Junta de la Cámara de Comercio de Little Village, la cámara mexicoamericana más grande del Medio Oeste. También ocupó el cargo de Presidente de la Junta de 2003-2007. Presidente de 2007-2015.
Salvador también es asesor de la Junta Local de Juntos Podemos (Together We Can). También fue miembro de la junta del General Woods Boys & Girls Club, presidente del Club Compañeros Unidos de Ocampo Guanajuato. Durante varios años, mientras residía en la ciudad de Chicago, Salvador organizó y participó en clubes comunitarios de bloques.
Salvador Pedroza se ha comprometido con la comunidad por más de 30 años.
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