[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11618]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   STATEMENT IN HONOR OF THE HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF GREATER 
                              KANSAS CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2005

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Hispanic 
Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. Founded in 1977 by 25 
Hispanic business leaders, the Chamber was the first physical office of 
the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
  Since its inception, the Chamber has worked towards the development 
of its members, and worked to develop strong business relationships 
between Hispanic and non-Hispanic businesses in Kansas City. As one of 
the principal advocates for Hispanic businesses in the City, the 
Chamber provides an invaluable resource as it helps local businesses 
build capacity and develop business skills. Their programming includes 
the how-tos of business planning, advertising, sales and marketing, 
procurement and certification. In today's competitive business 
environment, their work is more important that ever.
  Today, the Chamber represents the interests of twelve-hundred 
Hispanic-owned businesses in Metropolitan Kansas City and currently has 
five-hundred members, having grown by three-hundred percent in the last 
three years.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of 
Greater Kansas City, and I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying 
tribute to this historic organization.

                          ____________________