Right time, right place: American Mexican Chamber created

Francisco Del Toro is the co-owner of La Providencia, a boutique shop in Passaic that sells authentic goods from Mexico that celebrate Mexican culture.

You may be surprised to learn these three facts:

• Because of a distribution system that reaches more than half of the U.S., La Providencia is a multimillion-dollar business.
• Del Toro and La Providencia are far from unique. He is among the thousands of business owners in New Jersey who help the state do $10.9 billion in trade with Mexico — or more than the entire U.S. does with Portugal.
• Del Toro was born in Chicago.

All of these facts — combined with the threat of tariffs and a rush to judgment on immigration — helped lead to the recent creation of the American Mexican Regional Chamber of Commerce, which had its inaugural event in April at El Asadero Mexican Grill in Rochelle Park.

Del Toro and dozens of other business leaders from the region — tired of being misunderstood on immigration issues and unfairly targeted in trade wars — decided the time was right to create an organization that would represent their immense economic impact on the state as well as their basic right to do business and live in the U.S.

Del Toro, in his initial speech as the founder, president and member of the board of directors, told an overflow crowd of more than 125 at the event that they must be united moving forward — and fight misperceptions with facts.

“We need to let people know how much we contribute — and not just to the economy, but to culture,” he told BINJE at the event. “We need to raise our voice with data, showing our impact. And let people know that we’re not going anywhere.

“Many of us were born here. We are second- and third-generation residents. We’re not Mexicans anymore; we are Mexican Americans.”

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The event drew a high-end crowd of dignitaries and state officials, including Andrew Gross of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Bill Noonan of Choose New Jersey, Emy Quispe from the Governor’s Office, Luis de la Hoz of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and Mariana Diaz, the head of the Consulate of Mexico regional office in New Brunswick.

Diaz, whose office just celebrated its two-year anniversary, said the time is right for an American Mexican Chamber.

“It’s nice to say how well we work together, and how good we are for the state of New Jersey or for the United States, but I think it’s important to really show, in terms of numbers, what we contribute: In 2023, it was nearly $11 billion,” she said.

“And our connections, culturally, are even deeper. We are more intertwined than many people are aware of.”

Diaz said it’s not only the right time for a chamber, but the right place.

“Fortunately, this is a state that is really open and is very welcoming to anyone who wants to grow,” she said. “We have the right ecosystem for businesses to develop.”

Gross and Noonan couldn’t agree more.

Gross, the director of international innovation and partnerships at the NJEDA, addressed the crowd in both Spanish and English. The effort symbolized his words.

“New Jersey is home to one of the largest Mexican American communities in the Northeast, thanks to the strong economic situation, a high quality of life and, of course, an embrace of this community,” he said. “While we live in complex and turbulent times, this is precisely the moment when we must turn to our neighbors and build strong resilience alliances.

“New Jersey is very proud to stand with Mexico as a strategic economic partner. And, whether it’s business, trade, investment, sports or tourism, our relationship with Mexico and the economic success of Mexican Americans in this state will remain paramount. New Jersey will always be a welcoming home for the Mexican American community. Let’s keep that momentum going.”

De la Hoz serves as the chairman of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber. And, while the chamber represents 21 Spanish-speaking countries, he recognizes the importance that businesses connected to Mexico — by far the biggest trading partner for New Jersey among Latin American nations — play in New Jersey.

“It is a very important partnership and connection,” he said.

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The relationship between New Jersey and Mexico can be curious at times.

Italian American and Irish American businesses are a huge part of the fabric of New Jersey. Their founders, who came to U.S. with little only to find their footing with businesses — many of which could be traced to their ethnicity — are rightfully glorified for their entrepreneurial spirit.

As is their culture.

St. Patrick’s Day seemingly is celebrated by everyone. New Jersey is one of just two dozen states to recognize Columbus Day as an official state holiday.

So, why is Cinco de Mayo seen by many as little more than a reason to eat and drink in a party atmosphere?

And why isn’t the Mexican American business community revered for its efforts? The numbers certainly are deserving.

In 2023, New Jersey imported $7.6 billion worth of Mexican products. And, while the number of exports to Mexico is less than half of that, it should be noted that the $3.3 billion worth of exports to Mexico make it the second-largest export market for the state.

Mexican businesses also play a large part in the great impact of the Hispanic business community in New Jersey.

Hispanics own 16.8% of all businesses in the state — and continually are noted as the group with the fastest-growing segment of small businesses in the state.

It’s clear that growth has been happening for a generation. The 20 founding members of the AMRCC combine for annual revenues of more than $650 million.

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The population of New Jersey recently topped 9.5 million for the first time. Hispanics represent at least 21% of the total.

Here are two data points that are not reported nearly as much:

• More than 58% of Hispanics in New Jersey were born in the U.S.
• Nearly 10% of all veterans in New Jersey are Hispanic.

Del Toro and others can’t understand why this isn’t recognized as much. It’s one of his goals for the Chamber.

“It’s why I choose to be the president — because people don’t know,” he said. “They think all Mexicans here are from Tijuana. And, yes, some are from Mexico. But a lot of us were born here. We have our lives here.”

And, while his business celebrates Mexican culture — no different than an Italian restaurant — Del Toro said it caters to people like him, second- and third-generation residents.

“My business has had great success because I’m not focused on Mexicans and I’m not focused on Americans — I’m focused on Mexican Americans,” he said. “We are millions strong.”

The chamber’s inaugural event certainly showed the duality. Most of the speeches were given in Spanish and English — but it opened with a salute to the flag: the Pledge of Allegiance.

“This is our country, as much as it’s anyone else’s country,” Del Tor said. “We love this great nation of ours. And we want to make a better life for our children just as our fathers and grandfathers did for us.”