A local advertising professional in Sonoma County has taken his passion for entrepreneurship into facilitating resources for underserved small business owners, a venture that got the attention of his counterparts in the Latino business community in California.
Hector Velazquez, who leads Sonoma County’s Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will receive the Chamber Executive of the Year Award from the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce at the group’s 47th annual convention in Oakland from Aug. 19 to 21.
One of Velazquez’s first initiatives at the top of Sonoma County’s Hispanic Chamber was Mercado Rosa. He said this monthly event, located at the fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, aims not only to attract new local vendors but to help them bring their businesses into compliance with local and county permitting.
Velazquez, 52, recalled that when Mercado Rosa was launched, 150 businesses signed up for the event, but only 50% made it due to a lack of permits. The Chamber later organized a workshop on how to become a vendor in this new market in town. They expected 20 people to attend, but 60 arrived looking to learn how to obtain their permits to sell.
“That’s really exciting,” he said. “We’re seeing new members who are coming in, from tamale vendors to those selling aguas frescas. In years past, we didn’t have that kind of engagement with those entrepreneurs.”
Rebecca Hermosillo, Sonoma County’s District 1 Supervisor, thinks the tide is turning in how people do business in the county as resources become more accessible to the community. She added that the alliances Velazquez formed with local organizations, the Sonoma County Economic Development Collaborative (EDC), and the City of Santa Rosa have identified gaps and helped entrepreneurs access the services they need.
“That was unique,” she said. “He’s done a really good job, and it’s a well-deserved recognition.”
Velazquez said they intentionally had the local Hispanic Chamber partner with the EDC to extend its reach with local groups and nonprofits to create tangible change. He noted that as agricultural work slows down across the region, some former farmworkers arrive in Sonoma County looking to become vendors, only to learn they need permits to operate.
“They are just looking for other ways to make money,” he said. “A person from the Sacramento area who used to work growing grapes came to Cloverdale. We advise him on what to do so he can sell at the local farmers markets.”
After Velazquez became executive director of the Hispanic Chamber in Jan. 2025, he relocated its offices from Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa to downtown. The Chamber is now located at the Business One Stop Shop (BOSS) at 350 E Street, home to Velazquez’s initiative aimed at streamlining permitting for underserved and minority small business owners.
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Contractor David Lopez, left, talks with project manager Hector Velazquez, right, about where to run internet cables during the renovation of the new BOSS (Business One Stop Shop) offices at 350 E St. in Santa Rosa Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
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Contractor David Lopez, left, talks with project manager Hector Velazquez, right, about where to run internet cables during the renovation of the new BOSS (Business One Stop Shop) offices at 350 E St. in Santa Rosa Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
The nonprofit dubbed BOSS was backed by up to $4.5 million from Sonoma Clean Power, Sonoma County’s public power agency, and has become his signature project during his tenure at the Hispanic Chamber.
The 19,346-square-foot space, which offers coworking offices and services for entrepreneurs who struggle to navigate local bureaucracy, has drawn the interest of regional Latino leadership.
Veronica Vences, vice president of Economic Justice and Opportunity at the Latino Community Foundation, noted the enormous contributions Latino entrepreneurship can make in Sonoma County, where Hispanics or Latinos make up more than 30% of the population. She added that she is finally starting to see some traction in supporting small businesses with both capital and culturally relevant resources.
“Hector (Velazquez) is a reflection of that,” she said. “He has been very intentional in how he builds partnerships… That’s why the BOSS project happened. It was because of his leadership.”
Velazquez, a Mexican immigrant from Guadalajara, started working as an account executive at Wells Fargo in the early 2000s while launching his first Spanish-language advertising business to cater to local Latino supermarkets. That venture led to his first small business, Nexo Advertising —now Nexo Media— which grew over the years as he took on clients like Jarritos, a multimillion-dollar Mexican brand sold across the United States. Three years ago, Sonoma Clean Power began contracting Velazquez for multimedia and marketing services, strengthening a relationship that would later help spearhead BOSS.
He believes projects like Mercado Rosa and BOSS can foster tangible economic growth while championing the entrepreneurial spirit of the Latino community. He added that the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Sonoma County has been active since 1988, and that previous executive directors and leaders all contributed to this moment of recognition.
Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat
Hector Velazquez, executive director of the Sonoma County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, works in the studio of his media company in Santa Rosa where he produces podcasts, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)
Julian Cañete, president and CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, said Velazquez was chosen from leadership across 135 chambers statewide in recognition of his commitment to growing Sonoma County’s business community.
Cañete said the group’s Chamber Executive of the Year Award “is for those who are making strides, like setting up BOSS to share resources with the Latino community that isn’t reached by mainstream organizations.”
He said Hispanic chambers have had a positive economic impact across California as long as they’ve been around, serving Latino entrepreneurs by understanding their culture and language barriers. However, he said that one of the persistent challenges is helping these small ventures grow.
“A lot of it comes down to making sure that that knowledge is being given to our small businesses,” Cañete said.
For Hermosillo, the existing gaps in equity and access to capital remain burdensome for new business owners.
“This is an acknowledgement that there is more to be done in our community,” she said.
Velazquez credits the team working alongside him at the Sonoma County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for the statewide recognition.
“It’s no small thing,” he said. “This really carries weight, but I didn’t do it alone.”
Velazquez lives in Windsor with his wife, Anacani, and their six children. He will receive the award during the 47th Annual Statewide Convention and Expo of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce on Aug. 21 at the Oakland Marriott City Center, located at 1001 Broadway.
