"I was one of the founders, and this," he said, gesturing to the crowd that filled the Governor's Ballroom at the Hilton Austin, "was my dream."
Saturday night's event is an allegory of economic and population growth as much as it was a celebration of an organization.
Started in 1973 by 24 Latino business people that included Martinez, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has experienced explosive growth over its almost 40 years of existence and has been a constant — if often overlooked — presence in the region's economic development.
Last month's release of U.S. Census Bureau figures confirmed what even the most minimally observant person could see: Latinos are fueling the region's population boom. As the American-Statesman's Juan Castillo and Claire Osborn reported in Sunday's editions, Latinos account for 31.4 percent of the 1.7 million population in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties.
The implications of those numbers run the gamut of society's endeavors. Though a large Hispanic underclass garners much press and political attention, the growth of Central Texas' Hispanic middle class has been phenomenal, and its continued growth is key to the region's economic health.
Andy Martinez — no relation to Gilbert Martinez — president of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, estimates that the Latino buying power in the five-county area is $9 billion annually. READ MORE
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