Latino Business Alliance’s program equips Latino leaders

The Latino Business Alliance is gearing up for its fifth cohort of the Latino Microenterprise Development Program (LMDP), empowering Latino individuals in the Willamette Valley to launch and grow their businesses.

The Latino Business Alliance developed the LMDP in partnership with Chemeketa Community College, Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments, Advanced Economic Solutions, and SEDCOR. These partners proved instrumental in securing funding for the program. In order to receive grant funding from Business Oregon, they leveraged a $100,000 revolving micro loan fund that they set aside for the program.

This 12-week program offers one class per week from 6-8 p.m. at the Chemeketa Center for Business & Industry. The Latino Business Alliance provides dinner for participants, accommodating for many who come directly from work. “You can’t learn very much when you’re hungry,” said Angelina Martinez, director of operations at the Latino Business Alliance.

The program offers a variety of courses, including insurance, human resources, payroll and marketing. Chemeketa sources business professors and experienced professionals to teach courses. The Latino Business Alliance president, David Rheinholdt, shares his years of experience teaching the course on insurance.

The LMDP hosted its first cohort back in 2022 and has had three more since. The third cohort had 47 graduates, and the program only continues to grow. This fifth cohort will take place either in Salem or Woodburn. Martinez said participants will make the drive no matter the location. “People are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they need for their businesses,” she said.

A graduation ceremony closes out each 12-week session, celebrating the hard work participants put in to improve and expand their businesses. The program offers a low-interest-rate business loan ranging from $1,000-15,000 that graduates can apply for to help kickstart their business. 

Graduates are also placed in a monthly LMDP Support Group. Martinez arranges a speaker based on what the group wants to learn that month. However, sometimes business owners simply want mutual support. “You get a little relief when somebody else listens to what you have to say, and they understand what you’re going through,” Martinez said.

Fernando Lopez, owner of Arrows Home Air, participated in the first cohort. He said the program was instrumental in helping him start his business. “It helped me have a game plan of how I wanted to launch myself and what I wanted to do. It was a great blueprint,” Lopez said. “Once I completed the program, I was able to qualify for a loan from the LMDP, and that helped me tremendously,” he said. The loan allowed him to purchase the equipment he needed to get started.

The LMDP fills a unique gap in Salem’s business community, providing an invaluable service to Latino business people. “As we looked around for different educational resources for them, we couldn’t really find ones that fit their needs,” said José Gonzalez, vice president of the Latino Business Alliance. With 12 weeks of quality business education, LMDP participants receive lasting support to make significant contributions to their own wellbeing and the Salem community as a whole.