For 20 years, the Hispanic Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City has worked hard to help small business owners make their dreams come true.
So after all of that time and effort, if anyone is entitled to take a night off and party, it’s the HEDC.
The nonprofit celebrated its 20th anniversary on Nov. 13 at the 28 Event Space in Kansas City. A large crowd filled the hall to remember the HEDC’s achievements and salute the staff members and volunteers who built the organization.
“Twenty years is a long time, and it’s taken a lot of volunteers and staff members,” said Christina Long, the HEDC’s board chairwoman.
Carlos Salazar, one of the HEDC’s past executive directors, talked about the early days of the organization and how its leaders hustled to land DST as an anchor tenant for the Westside Business Park—a major coup for the area.
Not that big business is the only focus of the HEDC. A lot of its business development work is done with small and emerging companies. The nonprofit offers an array of programs—microloans, financial literacy courses, FastTrac training—that are designed to assist small business owners and build up the workforce.
Unlike a lot of nonprofits, the HEDC has an asset base of approximately $2 million, which means it has a staying power and a capacity that should serve it well for another 20 years.
“This is a fantastic organization, and it’s going to be around for a while,” Salazar said.
