Front Page || Main Index || Corpus Christi News || Business || Texas || Sports || Entertainment || Selena
Tuesday, Jul. 21, 1998
Hispanic chamber honors local leaders
Ortiz urges unity to preserve jobs, attract more of them
By JEFFREY TOMICH
Staff WriterThe Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce honored several leaders in the Hispanic business community during its 58th annual banquet Monday night at the Omni Bayfront Hotel.
Award winners were:
Business Woman of the Year: Shelley R. Hinojosa, president and chief executive of Shelley & Associates, vice president of Loe-Del Inc. and an associate with American Communication Network and co-owner of Gemini Printing Inc.
Business Man of the Year: Jesse M. Barrera, president and chief executive of Barrera Consultants and senior vice president of Barrera Associates Inc.
Corporate Hispanic Business Advocate of the Year: Gonzalo Sarabia, general manager of the bilingual magazine Nosotros.
Government Hispanic Business Advocate of the Year: Dr. Maria Luisa Garza, founder and chief executive of the Gulf Coast Council of La Raza.
International Business Award: Carlos H. Gonzalez, manager of the Corpus Christi Trade Center and owner of Amerifina.
Local Corporation of the Year: NationsBank.
U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, was keynote speaker at the banquet. He drew on the evening's theme, ``Unity through Diversity'' and urged the several hundred Hispanic chamber members and guests who filled the hotel ballroom to come together to help the city grow.
``I think as long as we're persistent and as long as we work together, we're going to go places,'' he said.
Ortiz mentioned Corpus Christi's port, its rail access and the Interstate 69 project under way, and also touched on the area's military presence and the chance of future base closures.
``Yeah, we might have another one,'' he said. ``But we're looking at other projects that, if they work out, could bring more jobs to the community.''
Ortiz said there's work to be done at the federal level to ensure a strong military. On a recent trip to Bosnia, he discovered that many of the soldiers there weren't planning to re-enlist, he said.
South Texans should be mindful of issues and problems that are important to the military, such as housing, pensions and health care, he said.
``People don't seem to understand the sacrifices the military has to go through,'' Ortiz said. ``If this continues, the draft might come back. I don't want to see the draft come back, so we need to support the military.''
Staff writer Jeffrey Tomich can be reached at 886-4316 or by e-mail at tomichj@scripps.com.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web