Robert Rodriguez will become president of chamber in January
By Sheila Sanchez, Special to the Dispatch
Gilroy – As the Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, a young Latino man – who hopes to serve as mayor someday – makes no excuses for his assessment of Hispanic-owned businesses and those served by the organization.
The Gilroy native says about 65 percent of businesses in the Garlic City are Hispanic-owned enterprises, but not enough is being done for them.
“We’re trying to wake up the little giant that we have here in Gilroy,” said 27-year-old Robert Rodriguez, vice president of the chamber. “We want people to know who we are.”
Rodriguez believes adequately representing his people will boost the city’s economy and create jobs while better educating Gilroyans about hardworking Hispanics. And that, he said, is one reason he aspires to become mayor.
The 6-foot, 2-inch tall Rodriguez cites former Councilman Charlie Morales as an inspiration.
“Charlie Morales’ political rise from nothing to a political figure gave the Hispanic community a positive figure to look up to,” Rodriguez said. “Mr. Morales has left his mark where future Hispanic leaders could obtain or surpass his political accomplishments. I hope to accomplish more than what Mr. Morales has done within this community, continuing the educational after-school programs, gang suppression and affordable housing.”
But before he gets to work on those lofty goals, he has his work cut out at the chamber.
With the help of a 12-member volunteer executive committee, the husky-looking Rodriguez is working hard to set new goals for the agency. He would like the chamber to conduct more fundraisers that benefit the Hispanic community, bring back the old Gilroy Hispanic Cultural Festival and sponsor concerts featuring local Latin bands such as “Malo,” or Morgan Hill’s Tigres del Norte, to raise funds to benefit Hispanic students.
“The reason I volunteer my time for the chamber is because I believe in its cause,” he said.
Rodriguez, who has a brother and three sisters, lives at home with his parents, Valerie and Richard Rodriguez, second-generation Gilroyans.
A month after he graduated from Gilroy High School in 1997, he went to work as a non-uniformed security officer for the Gilroy Unified School District where he supervised and patrolled campus grounds and investigated drug and weapons complaints.
When the chamber changed officers in January, Rodriguez was appointed vice president, a position that requires him to serve on the Gilroy Gang Task Force, focusing on suppressing gangs and promoting various safety programs.
Rodriguez wants to market the chamber and get the community involved in its mission to promote business, industry and education and to contribute to the growth of the Hispanic community. During the last 16 years, the chamber has given more than $65,000 to Hispanic students, much of it coming from the organization’s annual Ambassador’s Scholarship Ball. The chamber also helps the Puente Program at Gavilan College, to get kids ready for advanced education.
Raul Vega, president of the chamber, said Rodriguez has a passion for volunteerism and the community. “Whatever he does he does from the heart.”
“The whole downtown area is made up of Hispanic-owned businesses. We’re a very united group. We want to help our community. We always have needs and sometimes not all businesses are treated equally,” Vega said.
Rodriguez is also the circulation office manager for South Valley Newspapers, which publishes the Gilroy Dispatch, the Hollister Free Lance and the Morgan Hill Times.
Walt Glines, circulation director for South Valley Newspapers and Rodriguez’s boss, says he couldn’t ask for a more caring and compassionate employee. “It’s not Hispanics, white, blacks … he cares for everyone,” Glines said.
Glines admires Rodriguez’s volunteerism taking vacation time to work at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
“He’s an ambassador of good will. We’re lucky to have a person like him working for us. He represents the newspapers well. He has a way of dealing with people that sets them at ease.”
His mother, Valerie, says Rodriguez has been a leader since he was a small boy. “Different teachers told me throughout grade school that Robert would not be a follower,” Valerie says. “He really likes to be involved, big or small. He really likes to see changes happen, especially here in Gilroy. God blessed him with a good heart.”
During his free time, Rodriguez, who’s a certified spinning instructor, teaches indoor cycling at the Gilroy Health and Fitness club on Church Street, where he challenges his students to push themselves. He will soon start teaching its boot camp class.
Rodriguez is also planning to enroll at San Jose State University in the future to study counseling.
“The saddest thing in life is wasted talent,” Rodriguez says. “I do the best to help my community because I love the Hispanic people and I enjoy serving and working for them. We need to paint our own picture and not let others paint it for you. I know that the things I do today will shape the rest of my life.”
For more information on the chamber please contact Diana Monica Rios, 221-3978.
