The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce’s International Business Council will discuss ways to strengthen business relationships with immigrants of Guatemalan origin at its monthly meeting on Thursday.
The meeting, sponsored by SunTrust Bank, will take place from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at The INCubator, located at 100 Cherokee Blvd. International food will be provided at this free event. Attendees are invited to come early and stay late for networking.
Velvet Hernandez-Johnson, program implementation manager for Hispanic markets at Unum, will deliver the keynote presentation. The discussion will cover the following points of interest:
? Historical and demographic overviews of Guatemala
? Guatemalan business culture
? Tips for developing enduring relationships with business people of Guatemalan origin
A native of Guatemala, Ms. Hernandez-Johnson relocated to the U.S. in 1994 to pursue her college education. Velvet holds a bachelors degree in Marketing and International Business from Harding University and an MBA from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She has been with Unum for nearly 10 years and most recently served as a lead quality assurance consultant in the Unum Benefits Center.
“With National Hispanic Heritage Month taking place this September, the International Business Council is delighted to devote its monthly meeting to a country which represents one of the largest Latino populations in our area,” said Christian Patiño, president of the International Business Council. "Part of celebrating diversity is applauding leadership in local communities of international origin, and Ms. Hernandez-Johnson certainly falls into that category. Her contributions to Chattanooga’s Latino communities over the last several years recently earned her a nomination for La Paz Chattanooga’s Latino Leader of the Year Award. The International Business Council is looking forward to extending that recognition by bringing her insights to the greater business community at our September meeting.”