GA Hispanic Chamber of Commerce celebrating 40 years, restaurant owner shares what drives him

As the state gets ready to celebrate 40 years of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, numbers show more Hispanic businesses are contributing to Georgia’s economy.

But they’re not just contributing to the state’s business, they’re also giving back.

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Restaurant owner Diego Velasquez knows why he got into the restaurant business. He told Channel 2′s Jorge Estevez that while it was scary at first, he’s been in business on his own for more than 15 years and is still working and growing.

As for why, he said it was “so that people can bring in kind of fun with your family and feel safe. It’s part of my philosophy, when people are away from their families, I provide a sense of family here.”

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And “here” is one of his restaurants. Velasquez owns Tacos and Tequila, which has six restaurants across North Georgia employing more than 125 people.

He’s been a member of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for 10 years and credits the organization for helping him grow.

“They have a lot of experience with all of their small businesses and they share those secrets with me and they are a very great partner,” Velasquez told Channel 2 Action News.

The relationships he’s built with the Chamber have helped him expand Tacos and Tequilas to where they are now.

“If you have a great family, a great nuclear, I mean you feel like the support behind you, that is the kind of support I want to give these people,” Velasquez said. “These people are my second family.”

For Velasquez, heaven is being able to share his success with his staff.

“Let’s keep going, keep going and keep helping my guys, making sure that they do well and grow together,” he said.

The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce offers more than 120 business courses and 33 workshops. As for Tacos and Tequila, Velasquez says he’s looking forward to his next restaurant.

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