Alfonso Cornejo has been just elected the new President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati.

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Mexico

How long have you been living in Cincinnati

16 years

Can you tell us more about yourself - are you married, children?

I've been married for 33 years to my wife, Marilyn, and we have 3 children: Tanya (married), Ian (married), and Angela.

What do you do for living?

I am a business consultant providing companies with advice in two areas: Human Resources and Business Development Initiatives for Latin America.

You have been just elected the new President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati (HCCGC). Can you tell us more about HCCGC?

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1996 and thanks to the leadership of Mr. Roberto Peraza, our President for the last 5 years, our membership has grown from less than 10 members to about 150 today. Half of our members are companies and half are individuals. One very important thing is to consider that the HCCGC runs with 100% volunteer effort, i.e. nobody in the entire board gets any compensation. As a consequence of this way of operating, sometimes we experience difficulties.

What are its main objectives?

The main objective of HCCGC is to support Hispanic businesses and companies that support Hispanic initiatives and their employees. We are doing it by providing services that would not only help members establish new businesses but also expand them. For example, we would bring in experts from other Hispanic countries that could provide advice to our members on how to export goods to Latin America, particularly to Central America. We see more export potential there because of the Central America Free Trade Agreement. That agreement would break down trade barriers between the United States and five Central American countries.

What are your goals for 2005 as the new president of HCCGC?

I would like to double our membership to 300 in the next 2 years.

You're also the co-founder of Cincy-Cincy Festival. Can you tell us why did you start it in 2004 and what do you plan for 2005?

The 2005 Cincy-Cinco Event will take place in Coney Island on April 30 and May 1. Plans are already underway for the preparation of this event. I wanted to create a truly family Hispanic Festival and to bring the entire community together in a celebratory way. We are very pleased with the reception we got last year and this year is going to be awesome. Something very important to notice is that 100% of the profits will be distributed among charity organizations that support Latino initiatives.

The most exciting trip of your life?

Traveling to the different countries in Latin America

Your favorite Latin food?

Without doubt -> Peruvian Ceviche

What advise would you give to new Latinos moving to Cincinnati?

Cincinnati is a great place to live and has a high quality of life. We have everything here. Now we are having more Latin Culture events and this is the perfect combination.