NEWBURGH – Two studies conducted by Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress address the needs of the growing Hispanic and Latino business community in urban areas of the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Released in partnership with Community Capital of New York, the reports identify obstacles to success for Hispanic and Latino business owners and entrepreneurs and recommend strategies for individuals seeking to start or grow a business.
Pattern’s Senior Vice President for Research, Development and Community Planning Joseph Czajka said they identified specific issues.
“One of the recommendations were based on solving some of the language
barriers and having bi-lingual people associated with business and business
lending within other institutions,” Czajka said. “We also
recommended a regional approach as far Latino and Hispanic businesses
coming together to share best practices in what was working within their
communities.”
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney helped secure funding from the US Department of Commerce for the first of the reports, which focuses on six cities with growing Hispanic populations – Beacon, Kingston, Middletown, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie and Port Jervis. The second report, funded by New York State Electric and Gas aimed to assist four villages with large Hispanic populations – Brewster, Liberty, Monticello and Walden.
