Local community leaders, staff and supporters of the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce gathered Friday, May 22, for a ribbon-cutting to open its new larger offices, at 908 1st Ave., downtown Silvis.
“Today is a proud day for the greater Quad Cities,” chamber executive director Jesse Noriega said. “We all have different backgrounds. We come from different cities. We all have different experiences. But we're all standing here together. That's what a strong community looks like. For many people, a chamber is just a business organization. For us, it's personal. Each chamber represents sacrifice. It represents hard work. It represents entrepreneurs who took risk in themselves and their families.
“People who work long hours, obstacles, and continue moving forward even when things get difficult,” he said. “This chamber represents belief that opportunities should belong to everyone who's willing to work for it. While our name says Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, our mission has always been for the bigger community. Because our community, you're not alone. We believe in partnership. We believe in inclusion. We believe when small businesses succeed, the entire community becomes stronger.
“When entrepreneurs grow, jobs grow. When businesses thrive, families thrive,” Noriega added. “When people come together and share a vision, regions move forward. So it's all about momentum. Momentum for entrepreneurs opening their doors for the first time. Momentum for leaders who refuse to let the region stand still. Momentum for collaborations across cities, counties of all different backgrounds, and the momentum for the future of the greater Quad Cities.
"As executive director, I want you all to know that we're not here to simply exist. We're here to lead. We're here to advocate, and we're here to create lasting presence throughout this region.
“To every entrepreneur and young leader that is watching today, never underestimate the value of your voice, your culture, or your vision,” he said. “Your future belongs to people who are willing to build it. Today, we celebrate those people, and we celebrate our moments together.”
The move from Moline’s Floreciente neighborhood is huge for the 18-year-old group, Noriega (who became head in early 2025) said later.
“When I was hired, I did not have the intention of being the little chamber no more or the small chamber,” he said. “When I first started, I've noticed a lot of the outlying areas don't have a chamber to represent them. And there's a large Latino and minority African-American and other communities out there that just don't have a chamber of their own. And I was like, let's do it for all of them.”
Noriega has plans to expand the chamber throughout eastern and central Iowa, including Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, which has already begun.
“They've actually hunted us down and said, hey, I've seen some stuff that you guys have done. How can we be part of this?” he said. “Even one of the chambers out there had asked me to speak to one of their groups called the Latin Trade Network.
"And they're like, hey, you know, we've been watching you, seeing all the stuff you're doing, it's amazing. Will you come speak for us? And then they're like, hey, we need something like you here because we don't have any representation as a chamber. So that's kind of how it all started.”
Small but mighty staff
Sebastian Mireles, program and operations manager at the GQCHCC, is the only other full-time employee, starting in March 2025. Then, Noriega had told him plans to move from the chamber’s small, 1,000-square-foot Moline location, at 709 4th Ave.
“From the day that I was hired on, I knew that we were creating something larger than ourselves, something that would not only benefit us, but benefit the community at large,” Mireles said. “While the Moline location was home to the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce since 2019 and served its purpose to the community, we knew that we were going to outgrow it fast. And with everything that we wanted to implement with the Chamber, the search for our new home began within the first couple of months on the job.”
The 4,100-square-foot Silvis location, owned by QC Custom Tees, was totally renovated since last fall (by East Moline-based Mayorga Home Improvements) at a cost of $60,000, and the building will soon include Moore Caffeine, an international coffee and energy drink shop run by Noriega’s wife, Terrian, to open in June with a stage and event space. (It’s named in honor of her brother, David Moore, who died suddenly two years ago from a heart attack.)
“Watching this place transform, little by little, the vision came to life,” Mireles said. “And the moment that our new sign up front went up, it felt like home. Well, this journey has been a long one. We are so excited for everyone, for the future that it holds and what we'll be able to provide for the community. From small business seminars to networking events to simply stopping by for a cup of coffee, this space was for you, was built for you.” He credited Noriega for being “a visionary.”
Luis Cruz, board chair for the GQCHCC, also praised Noriega.
“My focus and mindset has always been to help local businesses thrive, with opportunities that are out there that people may otherwise not be familiar with. So I first met Jesse when I did join the Hispanic Chamber as a board member. And I could just tell from the get-go just the passion that he had for the work that we do right here in the Quad Cities,” he said. “He holds a vision for the mission to support, promote and enhance growth within the local communities right here.
"And now looking forward to expanding out into Muscatine, Des Moines and other places. So he has recognized his roots right here in the Quad Cities and how that has flourished. And he wants to make sure that he provides the same thing for everybody else in our communities here. So it's been a great pleasure working with Jesse Noriega.
“You can sense the hard work, dedication for making sure that, as he took on this role, that he wanted to make sure that he was re-engaging with a lot of our members and expanding to new members,” Cruz said of the chamber’s 220 members. “Now to expanding to a facility like this, which will ultimately open up doors to help collaborate, engage with community partners right here. And I'm just looking forward to it.”
Representing Illinois Hispanic businesses
Marcela Cartagena, chief of staff of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, brought two other staff from Chicago Friday, representing 120,000 Latino-owned businesses in the state, one of the fastest growing demographics of small businesses.
“It’s truly an honor to join you as we celebrate this exciting milestone for the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Today is much more than opening a new office. It's a reflection of growth, resilience, and the continued advancement of Latino businesses and community throughout the Quad Cities in the region,” she said. “It takes a lot of courage to start a business. We've seen it firsthand."
"This ceremony represents the entrepreneurs who take the risk, the families who invest in their communities, and the leaders who dedicate themselves to creating opportunities for others.
“This new space will serve as a hub, a connection for advocacy, collaboration and economic empowerment for many years,” Cartagena said. IHCC has been around 36 years, and is the third-largest Hispanic Chamber in the U.S.
“We know firsthand the critical role that local chambers play in strengthening in our business ecosystem,” she said. “Hispanic-owned businesses continue to be one of the fastest growing segments of our economy. And organizations like this one ensure that these businesses have the support and the resources that they need in order to grow. We're very proud to stand alongside you guys, our partners in this work. Together we're building stronger pipelines for entrepreneurship, expanding access to capital and opportunity, and ensuring that all small businesses, not only Hispanic business, but all small businesses, have a seat at every table where decisions are being made.
“I want to specially recognize leadership. The staff, Sebastian, the board members, all the partners, supporters whose vision and commitment made this possible,” Cartagena added.
“Achievements like this one don't happen overnight. Jesse, I know you have worked really hard to get here. We have had many conversations with IHCC and thank you for being our friend and we are here to support you. We're very proud of you and Sebastian as well.”
Cartagena said later that Hispanic business growth is accelerating “because Latinos are fighters – they come here with ideas and the willingness to achieve the American dream.”
“They work very hard and as a chamber, it’s our responsibility and our duty to help them, educate them, connect with them and help them grow,” she said. There are many local Hispanic chambers, like in the QC, across Illinois.
“More than anything, there are many neighborhood chambers of commerce and we encourage small businesses to join those chambers,” Cartagena said. “We’re really excited about this chamber. This area is thriving; there are a whole bunch of Latino businesses and they need to connect.”
The new upscale location has lots of colorful art and a good-sized conference room, not only for board meetings, but training and classes, Noriega said.
“There'll be also one-on-one business assessments that we'll do for other businesses and so forth throughout the community that we'll go review their place, have them come in, we'll show them up on the screen and kind of what we've seen and what we did to kind of help them get to the next stages,” he said.
Noriega has learned much from the state Hispanic chamber, and felt great about having them at the ribbon-cutting.
“They've been very instrumental in really making sure that I'm doing it the right way,” he said.
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