MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — Para leer esto en español, haga clic aquí
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (MBACC) will host its first-ever Hispanic business mixer on Thursday, but an organizer explains you don’t have to be a Hispanic business to attend, as the economic impact reaches across the area.
In August, ABC15 reported Yaritza Tinoco was taking on the new role of Community Engagement Manager, using her skills in both English and Spanish.
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“I’ve had the opportunity to kind of go out into the community, speak to Hispanic business owners, kind of learn what keeps them away from participating and a lot of it is the language barrier,” Tinoco explained, which is part of the reason she organized the event. “I just want for every Hispanic business owner—well, for any business owner, you don’t have to be Hispanic—to understand the importance of networking, the importance of resources that the chamber does have to offer.”
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Hispanic-owned businesses grew more than 8% from 2020 to 2021, bringing in nearly $573 billion and employing three million people.
While they don’t break that down to the local level, the South Carolina Minority Affairs Commission reports the population tripled from 2000 to 2020, saying as people move and start families here they’re “poised to continue growing at break-neck speeds for the foreseeable future.”
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A restaurant part of the growth, Cinco de Mayo on Kings Highway, is the host of the first-ever mixer.
“I have a friend, they always pushed me, ‘hey, you need to start your own business. You need to go for it.’ So that’s why we decided to come to Myrtle Beach and start our own business,” owner Evelyn Gonzalez said.
Four years after making the move with her family from Tennessee, she reflected on not knowing anyone in the area, and credited a lot of their success to networking and word of mouth.
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“My husband, he does radio, so he’s the first one to meet Yaritza,” she said, explaining her goal of hosting, to share that success in networking. “That’s why we’re here, and I’d like to meet more Hispanic-or other businesses, not only Hispanic.”
The mixer will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday.
