The Indianapolis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC) was founded in 1981 as a nonprofit institution devoted to promoting Hispanic business. While this community was relatively young, the IHCC was small. In 1980, about 9,000 Hispanics lived in the Indianapolis area. By 1987, IHCC had only 40 members. Yet this number represented a majority of the Hispanic-owned business that existed at the time, which IHCC estimated at 50 to 60. IHCC aimed to “get all of the Hispanic businesses in the metropolitan area to associate with the group” and planned “to present a united front in the city’s business community.”
In 1995, IHCC gained the IRS nonprofit status for business leagues and chambers of commerce. The organization, however, remained a volunteer organization. Although the burgeoning Hispanic market was changing the face of business in central Indiana, IHCC also remained unorganized and relatively inactive. Between 1980 and 2000, the Hispanic population in Marion County had more than tripled to 33,290 and from less than 1 percent to 4 percent of the population. Growth was so rapid that Hispanic-owned businesses proved difficult to track and then recruit into the membership of the IHCC without professional staff.
In 2001, IHCC’s board pledged to bring new life to the organization. It drafted and publicized a set of goals, hosted networking events, performed its first audit, and drew up by-laws. The organization also hired its first executive director. That same year IHCC also completed a collaborative agreement with the Greater Indianapolis aimed at meeting the challenges of the growing Hispanic population.
In 2003, IHCC became a cofounding member of , formed as an umbrella organization of local Hispanic organizations. La Plaza serves as a catalyst in promoting the growth and economic development of the Hispanic community. IHCC’s affiliation, therefore, seemed logical. It could not become an official part of La Plaza, however, because of its 501(c)(6) status. It instead became the Hispanic Business Council under the umbrella of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in 2005. The organizations integrated to “give Hispanic business owners access to more resources and opportunities for growth.”
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