In an effort to advance the formation and growth of Hispanic businesses in Northeast Ohio, the NEOHCC established an educational arm in 1996 called the Hispanic Business & Community Development Corporation which is now known as the Hispanic Business Center (HBC) and formally recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization. Servicing hundreds of individuals in need, the Center provides business consultation, seminars and workshops.
The Center provides technical assistance and training to individuals looking to start, build, or grow their businesses. The Center has grown into a comprehensive business support center, serving over 300 clients annually. The Center has earned a reputation for quality programming, serving, and appealing to not just Latino-owned businesses but to many throughout northeast Ohio. The services have since grown to offer training to Community Development Organizations as a way to revitalize and stabilize retail districts in an effort to alleviate neighborhood blight and poverty. The Center has also aligned its everyday work to carry out the key strategies of La Villa Hispana community redevelopment project – Economic Development, Arts & Culture, and Community Engagement. This project is a community led creative-place making initiative.