Las Vegas Latin Chamber gets successor to longtime leader
July 21, 2016 - 3:42 pm
When Peter Guzman became president of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce in January, he was only the second to do so in its 40-plus years of existence. In his first seven months at the helm of the largest Latino business group in the state, the Chamber has launched a newsletter, created a “Bagels &Politicos” event to connect members with local politicians, and moved a charter school into the chamber’s headquarters.
The Latin Chamber, incorporated in 1976, today boasts a membership of 1,500 and has grown 40 percent in the last decade, according to Guzman.
The idea for the Chamber originally came out of a local “Cuban Circle” social club made up of Cuban immigrants that fled their home country after Fidel Castro took power.
The idea behind the chamber was to form a group of Latino business people and impact the community business wise as well as both socially and politically, according to Otto Merida, 70, the Chamber’s immediate past president.
In the early 1960s, Merida was one of more than 14,000 Cuban children brought to the United States from Cuba as part of Operation Peter Pan, which was coordinated by the Catholic Church with U.S. aid. Merida initially landed in Miami but moved to Las Vegas in the early 1970s.
Merida, who retired from his post as chamber president after 40 years, said he has always been concerned about finding the right successor.
He now holds the title of president emeritus, attending important functions and assisting the Chamber’s foundation which oversees student scholarships and a senior center.
Merida said he was impressed by Guzman’s prowess leading the Valley Center Opportunity Zone, a partnership between the local Urban and Latin Chambers of Commerce that administers grants to small businesses.
“I always thought that he would be the perfect person,” Merida said.
Guzman, 49, was born in Coral Gables, Florida, to a Cuban father and Cuban-American mother.
At age 2, Guzman’s family moved out West, first to Lake Tahoe, before settling in East Las Vegas — away from the snow.
Guzman, who has a background as a real estate broker and owns a holding company, was involved with the Chamber’s board for more than 13 years before becoming president in January.
Guzman is married to his high school sweetheart, Mercy. The two have a son named Jovani and a daughter named Tatiana.
Guzman first met Merida, who he considers a close friend and mentor, when he was 16. At the time, his now wife was working at the Latin Chamber and introduced the two.
”There’s no doubt that he laid down the foundation for success,” said Guzman.
A desire to represent small businesses in all aspects, including politically, led to the creation of the “Bagels and Politicos event,” Guzman said.
So far, the event has hosted Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto and Cresent Hardy, R-Nev., among others.
“Small businesses need to know what is going on in the political world,” said Guzman.
The freshman Chamber president said he’s had an entrepreneurial spirit all his life.
“I really was that kid, you know, selling lemonade and selling food on the corner,“ said Guzman.
Guzman’s initial interest in real estate grew out of his desire to move out of his parents’ house as a newlywed. After saving up with his wife while working as a hotel valet at age 21, Guzman negotiated and bought a house two doors down from his parents. Guzman sold the house two years later and realized that he wanted to get into real estate, he said.
Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter.