Mr. Fuentes founded the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in response to the tremendous growth of Florida’s Hispanic population. Today the organization has grown to 38 chapters and manages a database of over 80,000 minority owned businesses. The Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is the only statewide Economic Development organization serving the needs of the Hispanic community.
Mr. Fuentes is also the President & CEO of Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO). Hispanic CREO’s mission is to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic children by empowering families through parental choice in education. Hispanic CREO achieves this by providing parents with free information and resources, which help them to become advocates for their children.
Mr. Fuentes, of Cuban descent, received his degree in Business Administration from Iona College, located in New Rochelle, New York. After graduating, he began his career as an Investment Associate with Merrill Lynch from 1990-1992. For the next six years, Mr. Fuentes continued his career on Wall Street as an Investment Banker. Then in 1999, he joined the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce as a Membership Specialist focused on the Hispanic market. During this time, Mr. Fuentes recognized the need for an organization exclusively dedicated to the Hispanic business market, and thus, he founded the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
He currently serves on the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, the Board of Directors for Florida Kidcare, Chairman of Latin CEO and most recent appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist as a Commissioner for a Blueprint for Juvenile Justice reform. Mr Fuentes is also ranked as one of Florida’s 100 Most Influential Leaders by Florida Trend Magazine.
Mr. Fuentes resides in Wellington, Florida with his wife and two kids, Nicholas and Gabriella.