Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to release annual report on the state’s Hispanic market

PHOENIX 11/3/2009 -

Contact:  Director of Communications James E. Garcia, 602-294-6086, office, 602-460-1374, cell, or media@azhcc.com

The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC) and Salt River Project (SRP), will present the 14^th Annual DATOS 2009: Focus on Arizona’s Hispanic Market.

DATOS 2009: Focus on Arizona’s Hispanic Market provides a detailed overview of the role that Latino consumers and businesses play in Arizona’s economy. DATOS highlights the latest information on purchasing power, birth rates, and other consumer and business trends in the Hispanic community in Arizona and nationwide.

The report will be released at the DATOS Breakfast, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., November 18, 2009, at the Sheraton Hotel, 340 N. 3^rd St., in downtown Phoenix. Dr. Louis Olivas, professor emeritus at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, will present an overview of the report’s findings.

This year’s keynote speaker for the DATOS Breakfast is Miguel Almaguer, Emmy award winning correspondent for NBC News. Almaguer will discuss the recent NBC News with Brian Williams series, “We the People”, which featured reports on the role and influence of Latinos in the United States. He will also talk on the growing influence of the Hispanic market on NBC and the television industry.

Immediately following the release of DATOS 2009, the AZHCC will convene its first DATOS Forecast Council from 10 a.m. until noon. The DATOS Forecast Council is a blue ribbon panel of experts on topics ranging from health care, technology and real estate to arts and education. Using DATOS 2009 and related research, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will issue a “white paper” in late January called DATOS Forecast 2010, detailing the potential implications of the growing Latino market on Arizona’s recovering economy.

Among the highlights in this year’s DATOS 2009:   

·         In Arizona, Hispanics account for 16% ($31.1 billion) of the total state’s buying power and 8.9 percent, $951 billion, of the national total purchasing power. By 2013, the buying power of Hispanics nationwide is projected to reach $1.4 trillion.

·         The Hispanic population in the United States has increased by 11 million since 2000 to 45 million, and Arizona ranks fourth among states for the largest percentage of Hispanics (30%), or 1.9 million of the state’s total.

·         Hispanic adults ages 18-34 nationwide use an average of 1,200 cell phone minutes per month, compared to 950 minutes for the general population.

·         Hispanics accounted for 86% of total growth in school enrollment in Arizona from 1998 to 2008.

Contact: Patty Garcia-Likens, SRP Media Relations, at 602-236-2500,        Patty.Likens@srpnet.com.

Ticket prices: AZHCC Members, table of ten: $900.00; individual tickets, $125.00; non-AZHCC members, table of ten: $1,200.00; and individual tickets, $150.00.

To order tickets, call 602-294-4081 or email susettec@azhcc.com.

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About the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC) – The AZHCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the efforts of the local business community, especially small business owners. Furthermore, the AZHCC provides a voice for Hispanic businesses in the Valley through advocacy efforts at the local, state and national level.