President of the newly formed Latino Chamber of Commerce, Rich Lopez, says he's excited to begin, adding that the group will act as a bridge to help connect non-Latinos to the rest of the business community.

The main concern of the Latino Chamber of Commerce is to help all markets tap into Latino businesses, and vice versa.

Although a Latino organization was attempted years ago, eventually it faded out.

Lopez says until now, there hasn't been a successfully active group that specifically works with Latinos

He says the chamber will encourage fellow Latinos to speak up, and become more active in Western Colorado.                                                                              

“I visited with a lot of people that have a pulse in the community, and got reassurance that we do need some kind of vehicle. there's a demand for paying attention to the Hispanics," said Lopez.

 After living on the western slope for years, Lopez says he's not only committed, but passionate about making the Latino community stronger.

He also wants the chamber to act as a resource center to solve business problems for Latinos.

The next Western Slope Latino Chamber of Commerce meeting is on March 9th at La Bamba restaurant in downtown Grand Junction.