Jesse Noriega has some big plans and hopes for the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GQCHCC).
The East Moline man, who has been the chamber’s executive director for about a month, recently outlined some of his goals for the organization during an interview with the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal. Some of those goals and plans include:
- Get more businesses and groups to join the GQCHCC, which currently has about 200 members. In fact, over the past week or so Mr. Noriega has helped sign up 15 new chamber members and continues to meet with potential members almost daily.
- Increase the chamber’s presence on social media. This includes highlight the work of the chamber and spotlighting and promoting local businesses on its social media. Many of those messages can be seen on the chamber’s Facebook page. “We’re trying to facelift everything on social media,” he told the QCBJ.
- Hire more employees in the chamber office. The new executive director recently hired Sebastian Mireles as the chamber’s programs and operations manager, and will also hire a part-time worker. Also, he wants to see new members taking on leadership roles on the board of directors. He said the additional workers will greatly help him. Mr. Noriega added that when Janessa Calderon was GQCHCC’s executive director, she faced the tough task of getting many jobs done without the help of staff. Ms. Calderon resigned from the position last fall.
- The GQCHCC’s annual Gala celebration, which has been held in April in past years, will continue this year. However, it likely will be held in the fall, he added.
- But the “true goal” that is helping drive the new leader is helping local businesses thrive and expand. Mr. Noriega said he wants to offer his services to help current businesses grow and create new businesses in the region. “We are here to help them along the way,” he added.
More big and small goals will be announced in the near future when the GQCHCC hosts a mixer event at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline. The event, which will be open to the public, is designed to introduce the 52-year-old Mr. Noriega to the community. It also will be an opportunity for Mr. Noriega to tell the community about some of his plans, goals and projects for the future.
During the QCBJ’s interview on Tuesday, March 18, he said that one of those projects will be the launching of a new Hispanic YouTube channel that will be produced in the community.
There will be many more projects in the coming weeks and months, he said. Since starting the new job on Monday, Feb. 17, he added that it’s important that he get off to a running start. Members of the GQCHCC Board of Directors appeared to know that when he was hired.
“Jesse, who served several terms on the board of directors, most recently as chairman, has played a pivotal role for GQCHCC over the years. As a Quad Cities native, he brings over two decades of leadership experience, a wealth of community knowledge and engagement, and great appreciation and commitment for the Hispanic Chamber and the Greater Quad Cities community,” the board said in a Facebook statement announcing Mr. Noriega’s hiring in February.
Some of his community connections include: his family members came to the Quad Cities many years ago to work on railroad lines; he has relatives who are included in the Hero Street Monument in Silvis; and he has many years of experience in the local business community.
Some of that experience has included working for the Isle of Capri Bettendorf, as a manager of local businesses including ACE Cleaning of the Quad Cities, and as a youth soccer coach for 24 years, to name a few.
“I have tons of management experience. … I decided that I’m doing OK so I want to give back to businesses in the community,” he said, adding that his family members encouraged him to get more involved with the community and the chamber. (Mr. Noriega and his wife, Terrain, have three children: Eliseo, Aden and Cataleya.)
But even with that experience and willingness to help, he said things got off to a somewhat rocky start on the job because of a tragedy.
When he started as executive director, the goal was to have Sergio Mendoza help him with the transition to the job. Mr. Mendoza, an employee with Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, a board member and part-time employee with the GQCHCC, knew many of the inner workings of the office, such as computer passwords and the location of many office files. However, Mr. Mendoza unexpectedly died on Jan. 14.
That meant Mr. Noriega started the job a few weeks later trying to figure out passwords, and everything else about the office.
“When I started here on that first day, we were locked out of the computers. … The first couple of weeks were pretty hectic,” he said.
But hectic times have turned into productive times. The new executive director said the community can expect big things in the coming weeks.
“You know, when I started, the board said ‘You are pretty darn ambitious. Can you handle this?’ I’m hungry. … I feel we are firing on all cylinders. I don’t want to slow down,” he said.
