JUNE 1, 2012 AT THE PARK HYATT WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GWHCC) will celebrate its 36th Annual Gala on June 1st at the Park Hyatt Washington. The Gala serves as an opportunity for the Chamber to highlight the importance of the local Hispanic business community and to celebrate the Chamber's accomplishments and future plans with its stakeholders.

In addition to highlighting the Chamber's work, this year's Gala will be dedicated to honoring the founders who first began representing and advocating for local Hispanic businesses. Jose Antonio Font, a successful Cuban-American businessman and principal at Font International Corporation, founded the Chamber in 1976 and will be present at the Gala along with many other founding members and early contributors. "I am very pleased to come back to Washington, DC to celebrate the Chamber's 36th anniversary. This organization has continued to bring opportunities to Hispanic businesses and I am pleased to know that what started more than three decades ago continues to have an impact on the economic well being of our community."

This year the Chamber has the privilege of having two gala chairs that are incredibly supportive of the Chamber's mission. One of them is GWHCC Vice chair, Mario Acosta-Velez, Director of Government and External Affairs for Verizon, Washington, DC. "Verizon has a long-term relationship with GWHCC and we support the Chamber's initiatives that promote the growth of Hispanic businesses," Mr. Acosta-Velez comments. "Verizon, through its communications solutions, uses technology to connect people, ideas and opportunities that help small businesses innovate, drive productivity and meet the challenges of the future."

Carl Hairston, Administrative Vice President & Regional Manager at M&T Bank joins Mr. Acosta-Velez. "I am honored to be the co-chair of the GWHCC Gala this year. At M&T Bank, we strongly believe in the strength of diversity in our workforce as well as in the clients we serve," says Mr. Hairston. "We support the Chamber's work facilitating the success of Hispanic enterprises and the community at-large".

The 36th Annual Gala is made possible by the support of the following sponsors: Platinum Sponsors – Lanigan, Ryan, Malcolm & Doyle, Verizon and Walmart; Silver Sponsors – Goya Foods and M&T Bank; Bronze Sponsors – American Airlines, Erie Insurance, Events DC, John Marshall Bank, Keystone Plus Construction, PNC Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers; Table Sponsors – Aeromexico, CENTECH Group and Destination DC.

About the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

GWHCC is a membership driven organization that supports the economic development of the Washington metropolitan area by facilitating the success of Latino and other minority-owned businesses through networking, advocacy and education. The Chamber was founded in 1976 and is a 501(C) 6 organization. For additional information visit our website www.gwhcc.org

SOURCE Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce