[0:14] Is it? Yeah, it is this morning.

[0:16] Good morning. Good morning and

[0:19] welcome to the Virginia

[0:21] minority Business Commission

[0:24] meeting. I am Senator Angela

[0:24] Williams Graves, representing

[0:26] the 21st Senate District in the

[0:27] Commonwealth of Virginia. And

[0:29] it is wonderful to have you all

[0:33] here. We are going to start

[0:34] with introductions, because it

[0:36] has been a minute since we have

[0:39] met, and we have some new

[0:40] members. And so we'll start all

[0:43] the way to my far right and

[0:45] work our way down.

[0:47] >> Hi everyone. I'm Doctor

[0:49] Byron Cherry.

[0:50] >> Thank you. Anything you want

[0:52] to tell us about yourself,

[0:56] Doctor cherry?

[0:58] >> Doctor.

[0:59] >> If it's red is not working.

[1:01] If it's green is on.

[1:03] >> I bought myself a 26 year

[1:06] Army veteran. Retired colonel.

[1:08] I ran a small business for 15

[1:11] years. I sold it last year.

[1:12] This committee is very

[1:14] important to me because many

[1:17] times I try to come up to the

[1:17] Commonwealth and talk business

[1:20] with them and just get blown

[1:21] off every time. So. So this is

[1:23] very important to me. So but

[1:25] the business for 15 years was

[1:27] very successful. We did well in

[1:28] sold it last year. So we're

[1:30] cyber it company up in Northern

[1:33] Virginia. About 150 employees.

[1:36] We did. Yeah. So okay good.

[1:39] >> Good deal. Good deal. Thank

[1:39] you so much. Thank you for

[1:41] being here. And thank you so

[1:43] much for your service to our

[1:43] country.

[1:44] >> Thank you. You're welcome.

[1:45] >> Good morning. I'm Alfreda

[1:47] jarrett Reynolds. I serve as

[1:48] the director of economic

[1:48] development for Brunswick

[1:50] County in Southside Virginia.

[1:52] This is my first meeting. I'm

[1:54] so excited to be here, to have

[1:55] a seat at the table to see how

[1:57] I can add value to the great

[1:59] things that's already happening

[1:59] within this commission.

[2:01] >> Thank you for being here.

[2:03] >> Thank you.

[2:05] >> Good morning. My name is

[2:08] Doctor Trina Coleman and I am

[2:10] the ceo of Coleman

[2:13] Comprehensive Solutions, a

[2:15] small educational and it

[2:18] consulting firm. I am also a

[2:23] physics professor, but my

[2:25] passion is to do the right

[2:27] thing for the right people at

[2:30] the right time. So being on

[2:37] this commission. Cut off, okay,

[2:39] being a member of the Minority

[2:41] Business Commission is very

[2:42] important. I want to help do

[2:44] some great things in the

[2:46] Commonwealth. I want to bring

[2:47] more exposure to this committee.

[2:49] I don't feel like people know

[2:51] we exist. I think we should be

[2:53] interacting with some of the

[2:55] other organizations and

[2:58] entities within the government

[2:59] of the Commonwealth of Virginia,

[3:03] so I am here to shake things up,

[3:06] hopefully. Thank you.

[3:07] >> Good morning y'all. Delegate

[3:09] Michael Fagan's proudly

[3:11] representing House district 97

[3:13] within Virginia Beach. I'm glad

[3:14] that we are. Legislation that

[3:16] we passed a few years ago was

[3:17] able to restart the Minority

[3:18] Business Commission. As someone

[3:21] who just recently closed their

[3:23] first business, I've learned a

[3:25] lot over the past few years of

[3:26] being a small business owner,

[3:28] and I'm glad I'm able to take

[3:30] that and my experiences there

[3:31] and be a valuable, valuable

[3:33] member of this commission and

[3:36] and also serve as the vice

[3:41] chair as well. So.

[3:44] >> Senator Lamont Bagby.

[3:47] >> Representing, doing.

[3:54] >> I'm not doing all that.

[3:56] >> Stephen Hammond. Hammond

[3:58] Group consulting Richmond

[4:01] native been lobbying the last

[4:04] six years now. I started in

[4:05] this under Lamont Bagby's

[4:07] tutelage as his la. So it's

[4:09] cool to be sitting beside him

[4:11] in this capacity. And so if I

[4:12] can do nothing else but that,

[4:15] that's cool in my book.

[4:20] >> Thank you.

[4:23] >> There we go. All right.

[4:24] Hello, I'm Tiffany Boyle,

[4:25] commissioner of revenue for the

[4:27] city of Newport News, also a

[4:28] small business owner,

[4:33] entrepreneur myself.

[4:34] >> Hello, I'm Kimberly Jackson,

[4:36] I'm the ceo of United Community

[4:39] Solutions, a behavioral health

[4:40] practice here in Virginia. And

[4:42] I currently serve on the board

[4:44] of Social Work. And I was just

[4:45] elected to serve as the

[4:49] director at large of S.B. So

[4:50] for the National Board of

[4:52] Social Work.

[4:54] >> Thank you.

[4:56] >> So now that we have all

[4:58] introduced ourselves and.

[4:58] >> Some about you.

[5:01] >> I did in the beginning, I'm

[5:02] Senator Angela Williams Graves,

[5:03] representing the 21st Senate

[5:05] District, where we do good work

[5:07] on your behalf. And I am the

[5:09] more than likely the outgoing

[5:12] chair of this commission. And

[5:15] we will in our next meeting in

[5:18] the spring, reelect elect new

[5:20] officers for this committee and

[5:23] and get some things done. So we

[5:25] will move right into Delegate

[5:27] Fagan's. Did you have any

[5:29] additional remarks that you

[5:31] wanted to make? All right. So

[5:32] thank you all for being here.

[5:36] We need to adopt the electronic

[5:38] meeting policy that has been

[5:40] online and should have been

[5:43] distributed. Is there any

[5:45] anyone that has questions about

[5:47] the electronic meeting policy?

[5:50] Our electronic meeting policy

[5:50] is a little dated, but

[5:51] hopefully we'll be able to

[5:54] bring it along a little bit by

[5:56] little bit into the 21st

[5:59] century. But does anybody have

[6:03] any questions, any issues. All

[6:06] right Michael, is this a voice

[6:08] vote or voice vote. Yes okay.

[6:09] So I need a motion.

[6:12] >> Please move to report second.

[6:16] >> Okay. All in favor I, I any

[6:20] opposed? All right. We're good.

[6:24] All right. And then we have the

[6:27] 2024 executive summary that has

[6:29] we have to move for the

[6:31] adoption of that. All of that

[6:31] information should have been

[6:33] sent to you all so that you

[6:36] could review it from our last

[6:36] meeting. Are there any

[6:37] questions or discussion

[6:42] regarding it? Nope. I need a

[6:43] motion.

[6:44] >> Move to report.

[6:44] >> Second.

[6:46] >> All in favor of the adoption

[6:48] of the 2024 Executive Summary.

[6:50] Say aye.

[6:50] >> Aye.

[6:54] >> Any opposition? All right.

[6:56] The adoption of the 2024

[6:58] executive summary is accepted.

[7:03] And now I am going to actually

[7:05] turn this over to our vice

[7:06] chair, who will probably be our

[7:09] chair next year for a little

[7:12] bit of an outline over the 2026

[7:14] work plan. I will tell you, he

[7:16] is very ambitious in what he

[7:17] wants to do with this

[7:20] commission, so I am proud to

[7:22] allow him this opportunity to

[7:25] turn over priorities for 2026

[7:27] 2027. And for those of you in

[7:29] the public who MAY not be aware,

[7:31] we reelect officers to

[7:33] commissions every two years as

[7:35] the House elections. Its in

[7:37] line with the House elections.

[7:42] So in in 2026, we will come

[7:46] back and we will reelect

[7:47] officers there. So take it away

[7:48] Delegate.

[7:50] >> Thank you, MADAM Chair. So

[7:53] as we move on to 2026 and we

[7:55] have our we have a really

[7:56] ambitious, of course, General

[7:57] Assembly coming up and looking

[8:00] forward to seeing a lot of the

[8:01] legislation that will be coming

[8:03] across from the House and the

[8:04] Senate side. We'll be looking

[8:06] to meet hopefully around APRIL

[8:09] time frame. But additionally,

[8:10] when we're going into 26, one

[8:12] important things is to look at

[8:14] is how we can actually look at,

[8:16] of course, from the contracts

[8:17] and procurements. And so one of

[8:19] the things I would love to make

[8:21] sure we kind of talked about it

[8:23] in the past is being able to

[8:25] get better data on, on, on the

[8:27] procurement and opportunities

[8:28] that are happening, especially

[8:30] at the, at the locality level.

[8:31] And so, for example, what's

[8:33] happening in Hampton Roads,

[8:33] what's happening in Richmond,

[8:35] southwest Virginia, northern

[8:37] Virginia, to make sure that

[8:38] those localities that that

[8:41] state a a goal, you know, if

[8:42] it's 2%, 5%, whatever that goal

[8:44] has stated that to see if

[8:46] they're actually being able to

[8:48] meet those goals from from

[8:49] minority business contracts,

[8:50] additionally strengthening

[8:51] minority business partnerships,

[8:54] we know there are a lot of

[8:55] great minority business

[8:57] partnerships. Some are exist

[8:59] within specific regional

[9:02] chambers, some are exist

[9:03] outside of chambers and are

[9:04] built to really bring those

[9:06] communities up. And so we'll be

[9:08] looking to strengthen those and

[9:09] additionally expanding our our

[9:12] statewide outreach. There's now

[9:14] is is is the perfect time to

[9:16] make sure that we're reaching

[9:18] out to those, those groups and

[9:20] that maybe we haven't had the

[9:22] opportunity to meet with in the

[9:22] past. Maybe those groups have

[9:24] recently started up. And so and

[9:26] additionally, looking at policy

[9:28] changes are going to be some of

[9:30] the final things we kind of

[9:31] look at to see not just going

[9:34] into after post session, but

[9:36] going into 27 as well. A lot of

[9:38] the great work that we do is is

[9:41] also done, is also done outside

[9:42] of our session. And so I'm

[9:44] excited about the work that

[9:45] we're going to get to do next

[9:47] year and looking forward to

[9:48] seeing, not just in terms of

[9:50] the legislation we get to

[9:51] support and pass, but the the

[9:53] initiatives all across the

[9:54] Commonwealth that we can really

[9:57] help to show that Virginia is

[9:58] one of the best places to start

[9:59] a small business, and

[10:01] especially it's a great place

[10:02] if you're a minority business.

[10:05] And that's why we want to make

[10:07] sure to attract that and not

[10:07] just attract, but inspired that

[10:10] next generation of

[10:10] entrepreneurship that that

[10:12] maybe just needs a little extra

[10:14] spark. And that's one of the

[10:16] best reasons that I believe

[10:18] this commission is here.

[10:24] >> Any comment question to our

[10:29] legislative work plan for 2026

[10:33] or. Yes, doctor Cherry.

[10:34] >> Thank you. Yes. Again,

[10:36] Delegate Fagan's, I really

[10:38] appreciate those comments and

[10:38] everything. As far as the

[10:40] looking forward to getting the

[10:41] percentage of minority

[10:43] businesses and so forth, share

[10:46] contracts. And I'm going to say

[10:48] this to be very honest, okay? I

[10:50] hope we put some teeth to this

[10:51] stuff, because in Northern

[10:52] Virginia I had a pretty

[10:53] successful company that's

[10:54] photography military. But I

[10:56] can't tell you how many times I

[10:58] met with U.S. Senators Tim

[11:00] Kaine and folks up in Northern

[11:03] Virginia who had these meetings

[11:05] and so forth with mine, with

[11:06] minority businesses. But to me,

[11:10] it was just a pony show because

[11:12] we met with them. It was a

[11:14] group of us met 3 or 4 times.

[11:15] They always called us in, and

[11:17] they met at my location one

[11:18] time. But we go through this

[11:20] rigmarole and sell these things,

[11:23] but nothing ever comes to

[11:25] fruition. And there's hope. And

[11:27] in my I'm prayerful that, you

[11:29] know, based on what you said,

[11:31] Delegate Fagan's what the plan

[11:33] is. I hope we accomplish that

[11:34] as far as spreading out the

[11:36] share of minority businesses

[11:37] and so forth across the

[11:38] Commonwealth, because this is a

[11:40] great state to do business in.

[11:41] And I can say I was in

[11:44] contracting, we did well with

[11:45] employees in eight states, 150

[11:46] employees, but I could never

[11:48] penetrate this state for

[11:51] whatever reason. So, so and I

[11:53] just I'm looking forward to

[11:54] working. I was very excited

[11:55] when I was appointed because

[11:57] this means a lot to me, and I

[12:00] hope we do some great things

[12:00] and put some teeth behind this

[12:04] stuff. Thanks a lot.

[12:11] >> So. I'm going to be reality

[12:16] Roxy, in that we are

[12:17] legislative body and we are

[12:19] legislators. Right. And so and

[12:24] this commission meets outside

[12:24] of our normal legislative

[12:26] session, which this year coming

[12:30] up is 60 days. And we are

[12:34] limited in staff and in funding.

[12:35] There is a small budget that we

[12:39] have as a commission for

[12:40] reimbursement and, you know,

[12:41] stipends for everybody. That

[12:44] comes because your time is

[12:46] valuable. And and what we can

[12:49] do. So if you what I would like

[12:51] folks to keep in mind when we

[12:52] start talking about doing

[12:55] different things throughout the

[12:59] Commonwealth, is that these

[13:01] staff members, when we have

[13:02] commission meetings, we have to

[13:05] have staff and also and whether

[13:07] it's these are Senate staffers,

[13:08] next year will be House

[13:10] staffers. But they also we've

[13:14] got what do we have? Lamont 52,

[13:18] 53 or more commissions that are

[13:23] active that meet outside of

[13:24] session. Right. They are

[13:26] meeting outside of session. And

[13:34] so to so we can put forward.

[13:37] Ideas, potential legislation,

[13:39] acts, ask questions about why

[13:40] different things are happening.

[13:42] But I think one of the things

[13:43] that will be beneficial. So

[13:44] this is the other part of

[13:47] reality, Roxy, is that we have

[13:48] a brand new administration

[13:50] coming in that I believe is

[13:52] very small, business friendly,

[13:55] and sometimes what people

[13:57] really don't understand is how

[13:58] the sausage is made in that we

[14:01] have a great idea for a great

[14:03] new sausage, but it takes all

[14:05] of the pieces of the puzzle of

[14:06] all the different organizations

[14:08] and the administration and the

[14:10] the various departments within

[14:12] the Commonwealth to all come

[14:14] together and make that happen.

[14:18] And they all have competing

[14:18] priorities that are important.

[14:20] I've often said to folks I've

[14:23] met with several, I mean, the

[14:23] entire time that I've met with

[14:24] members or constituents,

[14:26] whether it's a constituent or

[14:28] constituent group or an

[14:31] organization, I have never left

[14:32] a meeting feeling like my time

[14:35] was wasted, feeling like my

[14:37] time was like that was a whole

[14:39] waste of my 30 minutes. I'm

[14:39] never going to get back. Never

[14:41] left there feeling that way

[14:42] because everybody comes. If

[14:44] they come here, if they come to

[14:46] us, they're at a point where

[14:48] they need real help or they

[14:49] have real issues, or they're

[14:50] looking for real solutions and

[14:55] not fluff. And so I just want

[14:57] to just kind of let folks know

[15:01] we're part time, and we have to

[15:01] be here with the meetings too.

[15:03] Right. And so and everybody

[15:05] else works. And so if we can

[15:08] put together a framework that

[15:10] in conversations with and

[15:12] meetings with whoever the

[15:14] Secretary will be, that we will

[15:16] more than likely deal with in

[15:17] these different areas that

[15:18] affect the Minority Business

[15:20] Commission, let them know what

[15:22] it is that we see as priorities

[15:23] and what we want to accomplish.

[15:24] And working with the

[15:26] administration who actually

[15:27] does work full time and

[15:28] actually is here every day of

[15:30] the week. Right. And they do

[15:32] this for a living, right? We

[15:34] can I think we can move the

[15:37] needle forward. So just kind of

[15:38] we're not a chamber and we're

[15:41] not a separate organization

[15:44] that has, you know, the we're

[15:48] not that we're legislators, but

[15:49] we are legislators with a lot

[15:51] of power. We are legislators in

[15:55] the majority. And we which

[15:57] means something, which means a

[15:59] lot, right? We and so we're

[16:03] able to put forth a work plan

[16:06] and agenda, priorities and work

[16:07] with the administration. And I

[16:09] believe that through those

[16:12] channels, we can get a lot of

[16:14] things done. So hopefully that

[16:18] helps to kind of. Get a little

[16:20] bit of level of expectation in

[16:23] what we can do and the things

[16:25] that are really beyond our

[16:26] purview that fall into the

[16:27] administrative work that is

[16:31] actually done every single day.

[16:33] Yeah, yeah. Yes.

[16:36] >> Thank you. So, MADAM Chair,

[16:38] what I think I heard you say

[16:43] was we have influence more so

[16:47] than we have power or resources.

[16:50] So I think that the best thing

[16:52] that this commission should be

[16:54] able to do in the short term is

[16:58] come up with a framework to use

[17:00] our influence, not only here in

[17:03] Richmond, but in our respective

[17:05] locales that we come from. With

[17:09] the support of this commission.

[17:12] So if we can come to some

[17:15] synergistic relationship type

[17:18] activities, I think that we can

[17:20] make this presence of this

[17:22] commission known. I know we

[17:23] have a lot of boards and

[17:26] commissions, some of them about

[17:28] eclipse or some, you know, some

[17:32] of them, they're important, I

[17:35] suspect. But this one is really,

[17:36] really, really important in

[17:38] comparison to some of the other

[17:40] ones. And I say that with all

[17:43] sincerity. So I just want to go

[17:46] on the record and say that

[17:46] influence is important. And if

[17:50] we can wrangle that in

[17:51] collectively and individually,

[17:53] then I think that we can help

[17:56] our soon to be chair air quotes.

[17:59] We haven't voted yet with his

[18:01] vision as well.

[18:01] >> Absolutely.

[18:04] >> And I think that was very

[18:06] well said. Thank you. Thank you.

[18:08] Any other comments questions

[18:10] speak now or forever hold your

[18:14] peace. All right. So now we are

[18:19] going to have a presentation by

[18:21] Patricia Bracknell, the founder

[18:23] and ceo of the chamber for

[18:25] Hispanic Progress. And what I

[18:29] can tell you is that she is

[18:31] absolutely amazing. She. Yes.

[18:35] There you go. She is a one

[18:38] woman show all by herself. I

[18:40] every that's that that is

[18:43] amazing. She's she's she's in

[18:45] Hampton Roads but she is

[18:46] everywhere. She's she's very

[18:49] active, very much an advocate

[18:52] for the Hispanic community, but

[18:54] also the Hispanic community as

[18:55] it pertains to them being a

[18:58] part of the fiber of the entire

[19:00] community, not just on an

[19:03] island or in a silo, but she is

[19:06] just an amazing person, an

[19:07] amazing human being. And so

[19:09] thank you so much for being

[19:13] here with us. And we are going

[19:16] to work on the okay.

[19:18] >> All right.

[19:19] >> Well, thank you so much for

[19:21] that introduction. And thank

[19:22] you so much for the invitation

[19:25] and for the work that each one

[19:27] of you is doing and, and

[19:30] bringing forward that small

[19:32] businesses. So with that, good

[19:34] morning. My name is

[19:35] Patricia Bregno, chair

[19:37] Graves vice chair. Thank

[19:39] you so much. And members of

[19:40] the commission for having

[19:43] me this morning. I'm the

[19:44] founder of the chamber for

[19:45] Hispanic Progress. It is an

[19:47] honor to provide this

[19:49] update on the state of the

[19:51] Latino businesses and the

[19:51] economic conditions

[19:53] affecting our community

[19:55] across Hampton Roads in the

[19:57] Commonwealth. As a good

[20:00] military spouse, I always

[20:01] start with the end at front.

[20:04] So if you're taking

[20:05] something out of this

[20:05] conversation with me today,

[20:07] please take the following

[20:09] statement and then we'll

[20:13] get into something else. We

[20:14] need to acknowledge the

[20:19] ongoing Aids, the Ice raids,

[20:20] and enforcement actions

[20:21] currently impacting

[20:23] Virginia immigrants

[20:25] neighborhoods. These

[20:26] actions are creating

[20:28] immediate spread of

[20:29] disruption to our economic

[20:31] ecosystem. Workers are

[20:34] afraid to leave their homes.

[20:35] Businesses are certainly

[20:37] short staffed. Parents fear

[20:41] dropping children at school.

[20:43] Consumer spending drops

[20:46] when families are afraid to

[20:51] be in public projects, and

[20:52] delays an entire sector,

[20:54] losing critical workforce

[20:57] stability. For us, this

[21:02] environment. MISS Graves, and

[21:05] everyone here has jeopardized

[21:07] and his jeopardizing the

[21:08] economic growth,

[21:11] interruption, supply chains,

[21:12] destabilizing our

[21:14] communities and economic

[21:20] welfare in our in Virginia.

[21:22] My organization continues

[21:23] to respond to these

[21:25] challenges through our

[21:26] mission to strengthen the

[21:28] Latino economic engine of

[21:30] Virginia by supporting

[21:31] entrepreneurs, stabilizing

[21:33] families, increasing

[21:34] financial capabilities, and

[21:36] building pathways to long

[21:38] term communities to prosper.

[21:40] So with that, we're going

[21:43] to get into my short

[21:44] presentation. I didn't want

[21:46] to put the slides up

[21:47] because that takes a lot

[21:49] more. So I'm going to walk

[21:51] you through this as fast as

[21:53] I can. Who are we? Who is

[21:55] the chamber for Hispanic

[21:58] Progress? The chp fills a

[22:00] critical regional need as a

[22:01] trusted, bilingual,

[22:04] culturally competent

[22:05] institution serving

[22:07] Hispanic Latino

[22:09] professionals and

[22:10] immigrants and minority

[22:12] communities. And when I say

[22:14] minority communities, we

[22:16] have been connecting and

[22:18] and enhancing relationships

[22:20] with a lot of our growing

[22:20] African community in

[22:22] Hampton Roads. So they

[22:25] identify a lot with with

[22:27] our the way we look and the

[22:28] way we think and the way

[22:30] that we do. So we are

[22:31] expanding those services

[22:33] for communities that have

[22:36] not yet organized. And so

[22:38] we focus on business,

[22:39] economic development,

[22:41] supporting Latino entrepreneurs

[22:43] through training, planning and

[22:46] navigation of the integration

[22:47] of the economic system in

[22:50] Virginia is training community

[22:53] wealth and workforce mobility.

[22:54] Leadership is also one of our

[22:56] biggest points in community

[22:57] empowerment that helps us

[23:00] elevate the Latino

[23:05] representation. Continuing with

[23:07] connecting residents to legal,

[23:09] health and financial

[23:11] resources, policy and

[23:13] systems advocacy is

[23:13] something that we're

[23:15] working very hard to

[23:16] integrate to, to bring the

[23:18] voice of the communities up

[23:20] to Richmond, Creciendo

[23:22] Juntos are growing together

[23:24] is our business development

[23:26] series, and we enhance

[23:28] those services with helping

[23:31] our new entrepreneurs as

[23:34] basic systems, as helping

[23:34] them business, writing

[23:37] their business plans.

[23:39] Contratos con proposito is

[23:41] a purpose of the business

[23:42] contracts, where we teach

[23:44] them how they can protect

[23:46] their work and their

[23:46] services and their

[23:48] companies. Sometimes a free

[23:52] cost financial literacy is

[23:54] a program that we are

[23:58] launching in 2026, where we

[23:59] have a trusted resources for

[24:02] the community to learn to build

[24:04] wealth and services and

[24:07] financial growth for their for

[24:10] their small companies. Our

[24:13] annual Latino Business Expo

[24:13] is launching in 2026. It

[24:15] will be the first one in

[24:18] the Hampton Roads area. I'm

[24:20] sure there is one when when

[24:22] I talk about these projects,

[24:23] I want you to expand your

[24:26] vision to the similar

[24:30] amount in population of

[24:33] Latinos in Hampton Roads to

[24:37] Alexandria. We're competitive.

[24:40] We are that force. We are and

[24:44] have the same voting. I guess

[24:47] power without without using

[24:50] that word too seriously. In

[24:54] Hampton Roads. The Latino

[24:58] gdp in the country is now

[25:01] $4.1 trillion, which is

[25:03] it's so empowering to for

[25:06] you to think that if you if

[25:08] we don't care about the ice

[25:10] and the current practices

[25:13] of immigration as a human

[25:15] aspect, we added care as an

[25:17] economic engine and how

[25:19] this is going to affect

[25:23] each one of us in this room.

[25:26] Latino growth, Latino gdp

[25:27] growth 2.5 times faster than

[25:31] the us economy. So that

[25:33] economy compares us to the

[25:34] fifth largest economy in

[25:37] the world. If you measure

[25:38] that independently. So

[25:41] that's the empowerment that

[25:43] you have as a part of your

[25:45] embedded communities. It's

[25:47] this power of purchasing,

[25:48] the power of creating

[25:50] businesses and the power of

[25:56] growing. Latino communities.

[25:58] Bring the power in Virginia.

[26:01] And the aspect of not a

[26:03] single we're not, we're not

[26:04] we don't believe we're

[26:05] better than anybody. We're

[26:07] just numbers don't lie. So

[26:09] we're presenting numbers.

[26:13] Latinos make up 11.2% of

[26:14] Virginia's population.

[26:16] Nearly 1 million residents.

[26:18] Hispanic owned businesses

[26:20] contribute $6.3 billion

[26:22] annually to Virginia's economy.

[26:26] Virginia is home is home to

[26:29] approximately 19,000 Latino

[26:31] owned business. And we're

[26:32] growing every day. We're trying

[26:36] to bring those what I call

[26:38] Facebook economies and small

[26:40] businesses. We're trying to

[26:41] integrate them, to bring them

[26:43] into a formal setting of a

[26:45] business. So hopefully we're

[26:47] that number will increase by

[26:49] the end of this year. Latino

[26:51] owned businesses are growing

[26:54] 34% faster than non-Latino

[26:58] firms. Latino households

[27:01] generate 3030 billion

[27:02] emergency powers across the

[27:05] state. That's an enormous

[27:09] amount of resources and tax

[27:12] generating. Income for the

[27:14] state. Latinos are

[27:15] essential to Virginia

[27:16] workforce and construction,

[27:19] trades, logistics, food service,

[27:21] childcare, hospitality, which

[27:23] affects a lot of our Hampton

[27:28] Roads area in healthcare

[27:30] supporting roles. And this is

[27:33] just on the on the on the labor

[27:35] and services area. I don't know

[27:38] if you guys know this, but

[27:39] Hampton Roads contains one

[27:41] of the fastest growing

[27:42] Latino populations in the

[27:44] Commonwealth, and we're

[27:47] growing. And with that,

[27:49] Newport News is our growing,

[27:50] our fastest growing

[27:52] community. So get ready for

[28:00] us. More than 3500 Latino

[28:01] owned businesses in the

[28:03] metro area are. This is

[28:06] some indicators of how the

[28:07] construction in the trades,

[28:09] in the logistics, in the

[28:10] warehouse and the child

[28:11] care and all of that

[28:14] contributes to the daily

[28:16] empowerment of the Virginia

[28:20] Economic infrastructure. We

[28:22] have a growth of Latino. And

[28:24] this is very interesting that I

[28:25] found out through a lot of my

[28:28] research, is that Latino grown

[28:29] and professional in high school

[28:32] jobs, Latinos are increasingly

[28:34] present in professional,

[28:36] technical and high skill

[28:39] occupations. Under health

[28:41] care, about 7% of the

[28:43] physicians in Virginia now

[28:45] are Latinos. And we need

[28:48] more because our population

[28:51] is growing. And nurses,

[28:53] even though our current

[28:57] administration is taking

[28:59] some of that away,

[28:59] physician assistants,

[29:03] mental health professionals,

[29:05] lawyers, Latinos represent 8%

[29:08] of all attorneys in the United

[29:10] States. We need more more

[29:11] immigration law, more

[29:16] family law. I want to close

[29:22] a little bit with a. A call

[29:25] in, in a lot of the

[29:25] vulnerability of the

[29:27] community that is the my

[29:29] community is experiencing right

[29:31] now, and that is in the

[29:33] resources and in the capability

[29:35] and the networks that each one

[29:38] of you have in your respective

[29:40] areas to think about the ways

[29:42] that things are progressing

[29:46] right now for us and in not

[29:48] just in Hampton Roads and not

[29:53] just in Virginia, but I, I need

[29:55] you guys to see us as that

[29:58] engine that we are. And we're

[30:00] not longer we're not longer a

[30:03] backdrop. And it's it's why I'm

[30:06] here. And I'm so happy that

[30:07] this space has been open for me,

[30:10] because in the last three weeks

[30:13] we have had business closing in

[30:15] Virginia Beach and in and in

[30:19] Norfolk due to the Ice raids.

[30:21] And this is going to continue

[30:23] to happen in our economies that

[30:25] are going to suffer. And so we

[30:28] got to be proactive and not

[30:32] reactive. And we still have

[30:36] three more years to endure

[30:40] whatever is coming our way. And

[30:43] so if I'm here, I'm I'm a face

[30:45] of someone of a resource to all

[30:47] of you. And if there's

[30:49] anything that we can do to,

[30:51] you know, help me, help you

[30:54] to help me, that is that is

[30:59] how I want to make this

[31:01] conversation. So with that in

[31:04] mind, thank you for the

[31:06] opportunity to present this

[31:08] report. Chp looks forward

[31:10] to organizing and ongoing

[31:12] partnerships with all of

[31:13] you in mostly with the

[31:15] Virginia minority Business

[31:16] Commission, as we work together

[31:18] to build a stronger and more

[31:21] inclusive and more prosperous

[31:23] Commonwealth in Virginia. So if

[31:24] there's any questions, is

[31:27] anything that I can help you

[31:29] clarify? Sure.

[31:32] >> MADAM Chair. I'm sorry,

[31:34] MADAM Chair. Forgive me. Just.

[31:37] Did you say you had 19,000

[31:37] Latino businesses in

[31:39] Commonwealth? Wow. That's

[31:41] impressive. That's all. Thank

[31:45] you. That's pretty. Pretty.

[31:46] >> Thank you, MADAM Chair.

[31:49] First. Of course. I definitely

[31:51] would like to echo our chairs.

[31:53] Comments. Patricia, you have

[31:55] been a fierce advocate, not

[31:57] just in Virginia Beach, Norfolk,

[31:59] all across Hampton Roads, and

[32:02] not just in the business state.

[32:04] You have continually advocated

[32:05] for the Hispanic Latino

[32:07] community in Hampton Roads and

[32:08] across the Commonwealth. And I

[32:10] just want to say thank you for

[32:11] coming up here and providing

[32:13] this. Second, I'd like to ask

[32:16] and in terms of what have you

[32:17] seen as maybe the successes or

[32:20] what can the Commonwealth do in

[32:23] a, in a better capacity moving

[32:24] into the future from seeing

[32:26] this? The individuals that are

[32:28] within the community that start

[32:30] their business on Facebook or

[32:31] garage and or in a garage and

[32:34] have a great idea and want to

[32:35] have that turn into a

[32:36] legitimate business, that what

[32:38] have you seen that has worked

[32:40] and what what are some of the

[32:42] things that the Commonwealth

[32:44] could do better to, to help out

[32:45] those those entrepreneurs that

[32:46] are that have that spark and

[32:49] want to grow it from an idea to

[32:50] a business?

[32:52] >> Yes. So thank you for that

[32:53] question. And and the

[32:58] opportunity to address it. I'm

[32:59] going to break it out because

[33:01] there's so many needs in the

[33:04] community because it's a very

[33:06] it's a very resilient community.

[33:06] But it's also they're trying to

[33:09] do things right and opening

[33:11] spaces for them to do business

[33:14] right is very important. Okay.

[33:16] For example, some certified

[33:20] businesses, we cannot get a lot

[33:21] a high percentage of our

[33:24] businesses to be certified

[33:26] because you have to be a us

[33:28] citizen. And sometimes they're

[33:30] they're legal residents, but

[33:32] they haven't gone through the

[33:34] process of becoming citizens.

[33:38] And so if the state can come

[33:40] with a program that we can

[33:42] change that to bring those

[33:43] communities forward, and I'm

[33:44] just not speaking for the

[33:46] Latino community. It's across

[33:48] all the all the immigrant

[33:51] communities. And in Virginia,

[33:52] it's important that we we take

[33:58] a look at that again. Access to

[34:02] financial assistance and

[34:03] financial literacy for business

[34:05] and business development and

[34:07] growth is very important. And

[34:08] what's more important is

[34:10] legislation that allows

[34:14] those members that have

[34:16] Itins to become part of

[34:21] that development, because

[34:24] if I did not have it was

[34:26] not a us citizen, and I

[34:28] wanted to open a business

[34:30] and I wanted to do it right,

[34:34] I can go and obtain it from

[34:37] the irs and proceed to pay

[34:39] the taxes and proceed to do

[34:40] everything. But sometimes the

[34:43] distinctions between the itins

[34:47] and the the citizenship, even

[34:49] though they're both paying

[34:53] taxes at the same rate, it's

[34:55] illogical when they don't both

[34:57] have the same access to

[35:02] business loans or do

[35:04] opportunities that the other

[35:09] ones do. So that is to there

[35:10] are very important they come to

[35:12] mind right now. And I think

[35:13] those are two that the

[35:15] Commission can really take a

[35:19] look at and work towards making

[35:22] some of those changes.

[35:23] >> Right.

[35:25] >> You know, I just want to

[35:33] say that. I really

[35:37] apologize for the way that

[35:41] the us administration is

[35:45] treating minorities and

[35:46] immigrants in, in this

[35:49] country. It breaks my heart

[35:51] whenever I see and hear about

[35:53] the different things that are

[35:54] happening with Ice raids and

[35:57] how folks are being treated for

[36:00] for no reason at all, just

[36:02] because they might look

[36:05] different or sound different,

[36:06] and without taking into

[36:08] consideration any respect of

[36:11] what their legal status MAY or

[36:13] MAY not be, of what due process

[36:15] is supposed to look like in

[36:16] this country. For everyone

[36:18] who's who's on American soil.

[36:21] And that is not happening. And

[36:23] it is creating unfortunately,

[36:25] this us versus them kind of

[36:28] mentality among some folks. But

[36:30] I think that if we stick

[36:34] together as minorities, all

[36:35] minorities, and we pool our

[36:38] resources together, that we

[36:39] will ultimately be stronger

[36:42] together than we ever could be

[36:44] separately. And you reminded us

[36:45] that we got three more years of

[36:48] this nonsense, but okay. It's

[36:50] it's yeah, it's been nine

[36:56] months of dog years, so yeah.

[36:59] >> MADAM Chair, if I MAY, is

[37:02] this very important that this

[37:06] disruption of the economy is

[37:09] creating is resulting in the

[37:12] least responsible residents of

[37:15] our Commonwealth, in their

[37:18] children? We have parents that

[37:20] are terrified of taking their

[37:23] children to school, because

[37:24] that's where parents are being

[37:27] picked up from the school drop

[37:30] off lane. And so now kids are

[37:33] not going to school. The school

[37:37] districts are coming after them

[37:39] because they're not sending

[37:41] their kids to school. But the

[37:42] school districts are not

[37:43] reacting to the needs.

[37:47] They're not being honest

[37:47] about what's happening. And

[37:49] so they're not giving them

[37:50] the opportunity to have

[37:52] online classes. I mean,

[37:54] this is a man created Covid

[37:59] for us, and they're still

[38:01] with the conceptual

[38:03] learning that we did

[38:04] through the health crisis.

[38:06] This is this is a health

[38:08] human crisis for us. And so

[38:11] there are so many aspects

[38:13] of these practices that are

[38:15] creating in the economic

[38:17] side and the human side, in

[38:21] the legal side. So I invite

[38:23] all of you to learn a

[38:24] little bit more about what

[38:24] my community is going

[38:29] through and think outside

[38:32] the box and stand in my

[38:32] shoes for one minute and

[38:37] just see the need, the need.

[38:40] And we have a power. We we

[38:44] have a power to vote. We

[38:46] have a power to elect those

[38:48] that support us.

[38:49] >> Absolutely.

[38:53] >> Any other comments?

[38:59] >> Is. Okay? Is any part of

[39:00] your presentation? Are you

[39:02] able to send us that so we can

[39:03] get it up? Okay, great. I'll

[39:05] get Michael to get with you

[39:08] after and then we can get what

[39:09] whatever you approve. For us to

[39:11] be able to upload publicly that

[39:15] we can share to, to.

[39:19] >> Target on my back already.

[39:21] >> Well, we got your back. We

[39:22] got your back. Thank you so

[39:24] much. Thank you for being here.

[39:26] All right. Do we have any

[39:29] public comment? Any public

[39:30] comment? All right. No public

[39:32] comment. All right. Well, that

[39:33] being said, thank you all again

[39:35] for being here. I hope you had

[39:38] a great Thanksgiving. I hope if

[39:38] you're celebrating Christmas,

[39:40] you have a great Christmas,

[39:40] Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, whatever it

[39:42] is that you celebrate, I hope

[39:44] that you enjoy it to the

[39:45] fullest and that we will see

[39:48] you around. The Capitol session

[39:49] starts on JANUARY the 14th, and

[39:51] we will be going all the way

[39:53] through MARCH the 14th or the

[39:55] 15th, whatever day that is on

[39:56] that Saturday. And so if you

[39:58] all have any issues, questions

[39:58] or concerns, please feel free

[40:00] to reach out. Thank you all for

[40:03] your service. And on that I

[40:03] need a motion to adjourn.

[40:06] >> Move to adjourn. Second.

[40:09] >> We are adjourned. Thank you.

December 3, 2025 - Virginia Minority Business Commission - SR C (311) - 10:00 am - Dec 3rd, 2025

Agenda

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