\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.northcentralmass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LIDER-5-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNew Latino Business Council Responds to Surging Entrepreneurship and Persistent Gaps in Access to Capital and Networks.<\/p>\n
(North Central Massachusetts) – The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce officially launched LIDER, the Chamber\u2019s new Latino Business Council, at a kick-off event held Tuesday, July 8, 2026 at the Chamber offices in Fitchburg. LIDER – which stands for Latino Initiative for Development of Entrepreneurship and Resources – is designed to connect Latino entrepreneurs and business leaders across the region to the networks, capital, education, and opportunities they need to grow their businesses and strengthen the regional economy.
\n<\/p>\n
LIDER is a program of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, operating alongside established councils including the Manufacturing Council, HR Council, Women\u2019s Leadership Connection, and Future Leaders Group. Members who join through LIDER gain access to the full breadth of the Chamber\u2019s network of 650+ businesses, 27 communities, and more than five decades of regional relationships, along with a community within it that reflects the Latino business experience.<\/p>\n
The name was chosen deliberately. In Spanish, “l\u00edder” means leader and is pronounced exactly like the English word. The initiative is designed to do precisely that: develop leaders, business leaders, community leaders, and the next generation of voices shaping the economic future of North Central Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
The initiative comes at a moment of significant momentum for Latino entrepreneurship. Latinos represent more than 30 percent of the population in Fitchburg and approximately 18 percent in Leominster, well above the statewide average of 12.6 percent. Latino entrepreneurs are also starting businesses at three times the rate of the general population. Nationally, Latino-owned businesses grew 44 percent between 2018 and 2023, even as the number of white-owned businesses slightly declined. Despite that growth, Latino-owned businesses continue to face significant and persistent gaps in access to capital and networks, barriers that LIDER is designed to help address.<\/p>\n
The stakes extend beyond the Latino business community. Latino entrepreneurs in this region are potential customers, suppliers, vendors, and workforce partners for every Chamber member. Closing the gaps in access to capital and networks is not just an equity issue. It is an economic growth issue for the entire region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Latino business community is not new to us, and we are not new to them,\u201d said Roy M. Nascimento, CCE, IOM, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. \u201cLIDER is about formalizing and deepening that relationship, creating a dedicated home within the Chamber where Latino entrepreneurs can connect, grow, and lead. The talent and drive are already here. LIDER gives it a place to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maribel Cruz, Chair of the LIDER steering committee and Director of Housing and Development for the City of Fitchburg, helped guide the formation of the council. Cruz has spent her career at the intersection of economic development, community revitalization, and small business support, including years working directly with the Chamber\u2019s North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation.<\/p>\n
\u201cLIDER represents an important step toward greater Latino representation within our business community. The Chamber\u2019s support, leadership, and network create opportunities for the Latino community to become more connected and engaged in all that the Chamber offers while helping Latino entrepreneurs and businesses grow and thrive,\u201d said Maribel Cruz, Chair of the LIDER steering committee.<\/p>\n
LIDER\u2019s programming will focus on the practical needs of Latino business owners at every stage of growth, including networking events, workshops on financial literacy and access to capital, and professional development on topics such as government procurement and business growth strategies. The initiative is also designed to serve as a welcoming front door to the Chamber for Latino entrepreneurs who may not yet be members.<\/p>\n
The July 8 kick-off drew Latino business owners and professionals, Chamber members, community and civic leaders, and elected officials to the Chamber offices in Fitchburg for the official launch announcement and a networking reception. Latino business owners, businesses looking to connect with the Latino business community, and others interested in LIDER are encouraged to visit northcentralmass.com, where a dedicated LIDER webpage with programming details, membership information, and upcoming events will be available as the council continues to build out its programming.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Latino Business Council Responds to Surging Entrepreneurship and Persistent Gaps in Access to Capital and Networks. (North Central Massachusetts) – The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce officially launched LIDER, the Chamber\u2019s new Latino Business Council, at a kick-off event held Tuesday, July 8, 2026 at the Chamber offices in Fitchburg. LIDER – which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n