“I love connecting people, business owners, to each other and witnessing genuine connections grow into personal and business relationships,” says Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber (MCHC) President Miguel Lopez. “It gives me great pride and satisfaction seeing an introduction turn into something, even if it’s just a new friendship, but when a business is able to grow and thrive due to the connections made through the chamber, that is an impactful feeling that I don’t think will ever grow old for me.”
MCHC is one of five chambers that compose the Montgomery County Coalition of Chambers. “We are also members of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber, as well as members of the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives,” he says.
The Hispanic population increased from 165,398 to 217,409 between 2010 and 2020. Hispanics now account for 25.2 of residents in Montgomery County. This growth is up 9.57% from 2017, when 23% of the population was Hispanic.
“I've been involved in many organizations/non-profits over the almost 30 years I’ve lived in The Woodlands. I have been involved from the beginning of my career in The Woodlands as a banker, served as Executive Director for the SBDC, started and operated my own business consulting business, and now I’m fortunate enough to serve as the President for the MCHC.”
In the summer of 2022, Lopez and a handful of individuals got together and reactivated the chamber. “For an array of reasons, the chamber had become dormant, and I felt strongly there was a need for it” he says. A special recognition and appreciation goes out to our chairman of the board, Julio Resendez, who has gone above and beyond the duties of a typical chairman with us.
He grew up in Humble and graduated from Humble High School. “Two weeks after graduating from high school I was off to the Marine Corps where I served as a Machine gunner (0331) in an infantry unit stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA. I look back fondly on my four years in the Marines for it was there that I became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Upon my honorable discharge in 1990, and with the assistance of the G.I. Bill, I started at what is now Lone Star College. I took as many classes as I could before transferring to Sam Houston State University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.”
What’s next for MCHC and where do you see the chamber in the next three years?
“Though we have come a long way, we still have much to do,” Lopez said. “A top priority is ensuring we provide value to our membership.. I want to ensure we stay on track as we grow with our community. I would like to see us with a larger staff and hopefully we’ll have our own office space in the area soon. I’d like to produce a good solid four to six signature events a year. Creating an event like Adelante! was a monumental effort for us, but a highly successful one.”
“We want to continue to be a voice for the Hispanic business community, yet at the same time be that bridge that provides opportunities for the Spanish and the non-Spanish communities to work together, thus adding to our thriving local economies,” he said.