President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Queens
With the element of risk always an inevitable part of opening a business, many Queens shop owners are getting a helping hand from Eduardo Giraldo, President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Queens (HCCQ).
Named the Minority Small Business Champion of the Year by the United States Business Administration on April 20, the non-profit organization has spent the past decade doing everything in its power to guide local Hispanic business owners towards success in an area that, according to Giraldo, has proven to be a rather tough terrain for many people.
Leading the HCCQ since his predecessor, President Ernest Cury, departed in 2003, Giraldo has remained focused on unifying the local Hispanic business community and in recent years, has helped the organization to build what has now become a rather impressive resume.
Since Teo Osorio (now retired) founded the organization in 1997, the HCCQ has been associated with over 100 corporate partners throughout Queens, including a variety of banks, law offices and restaurants. Several corporate titans also joining the organization’s efforts are Con Edison, Staples, Commerce Bank, Citibank and State Farm Insurance, HCCQ’s newest associate.
Giraldo also notes that there are a lot of local business owners who choose to focus on individual backgrounds and branch off into their own communities (Cuban, Colombian, etc). He says that uniting as one voice is a key step for a Hispanic business community that hopes to flourish in the area for years to come.
Although his commitment to the non-profit organization may sometimes feel like a full-time job, it’s a responsibility Giraldo balances with Abetex International Brokers, an insurance company he founded in March 1994 after his time as a Manager for Mutual of New York and a Director of Marketing position at AIG.
Giraldo lives in East Elmhurst with his wife of seven years, Patricia and his three sons, Richard who is 20 and Eduardo and Sebastian, 10 and seven, respectively.
