The Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GQCHCC) is about to get a new home and a lot more room to grow.
The chamber is leaving its long-time office in Moline for a much bigger office space in downtown Silvis.
Plans are now in the works to move from its current location at 709 4th Ave., Moline, to 908 1st Ave., Silvis. That new site is currently a vacant storefront that used to be home to QC Custom Tees, said Jesse Noriega, who joined GQCHCC as its executive director in February.
Interior renovations on the storefront should begin in August and be completed in 30 to 60 days. Once that work is done, GQCHCC will move into its new office home. The move will likely come this fall.
“Our current place doesn’t even have enough room for our board members. … We are growing,” Mr. Noriega said Friday, July 25, shortly before officially announcing the move during the chamber’s After Hours: Culture and Connection Mixer at the Putnam Museum and Science Center in Davenport.
One of the main reasons for the move will be the added space. Mr. Noriega estimates that GQCHCC’s current office space in Moline has less than 1,000 square feet. The Silvis building will have about 4,000 square feet. That space will be big enough to host future mixer events, business meetings and social gatherings, he told the crowd.
“Silvis has really opened the doors for us. … This is going to be a big move for us,” he added.
Planning for the chamber’s relocation to Silvis has been in the works for months. During the GQCHCC’s social mixer in April, Silvis Mayor Robert Cervantes told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal that the chamber was making plans to move to his community.
After the July 26 mixer, Mr. Cervantes called the upcoming change for the chamber a “great move” for Silvis and the chamber.
In addition to the move, Mr. Noriega also told the crowd that the new chamber office will have an added feature – a coffee and energy drink business. Lifted Energy, which has been operating its drink business for about two years at 2430 16th St., Moline, will expand its operations and add a second location within the new chamber office in Silvis. The new Lifted Energy location will open when interior renovations have been completed at 908 1st Ave.
“It was a dream of mine to open a drink shop. … Business has been good and we started thinking about opening a second shop,” said Kristine Garcia, one of the owners of Lifted Energy.
In addition to coffee, Lifted Energy also offers Old Towne Bakery doughnuts and many kinds of energy drinks. Some of those drinks include: Sunrise (peach and mango), Yeti ( watermelon, kiwi and white chocolate) and Peak (Kiwi and strawberry.)
Mr. Noriega also used the mixer event to announce two other developments with the chamber:
- The chamber’s website site at gqchcc.com has been updated.
- The chamber’s annual gala celebration has been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17, at the Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport.
