Janessa Calderon Named New Director of Quad-Cities Hispanic Chamber
Janessa Calderon’s young, fast-growing career has led her to exactly the perfect place.
The driven, 26-year-old native of Muscatine, Iowa, is the new executive director (and the youngest Latina in the job) of the Greater Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce (GQCHCC). After more than two years working for the nonprofit, the board promoted Calderon to the position – its only paid staff — effective Dec. 1, 2020.
Janessa Calderon is the new executive director of Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m very excited about it,” she said Monday. Calderon succeeds Zenaida Landeros, the first Latina executive director of the chamber, who resigned this past spring to become executive director of the Black Hawk College Quad-Cities Foundation.
Founded in October 2008, the GQCHCC has a mission to support, promote and enhance the growth and success of local businesses and to leverage the community’s assets, contributions and unique Hispanic cultural identity to generate new business. With about 300 members, the Q-C Hispanic Chamber supports and promotes the success of its members through networking, advocacy and leadership.
The group not only includes businesses, but area nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and individuals of any background in the greater Quad-Cities region.
Calderon has served several leadership roles for the Hispanic Chamber since 2018 — beginning as the programs and events manager and growing into the membership engagement coordinator in 2019. As executive director, one of her priorities is to be the hub of resources for any level of the chamber’s business members.
Calderon aims to help any business market to the Q-C’s growing Latino community and beyond. One of her goals as executive director is to enhance the reach of the Hispanic Chamber in the community and begin different forms of partnerships that will aid in the Q-C efforts to work in unison.
“In this role, I can carry out the chamber’s mission for our community and the business leaders that thrive in it. I can now better help small business owners by creating online events for the problems they need solved,” Calderon said. “In this role, I can be the point of contact for our corporate members and show them how they can make a difference in our community and in return help them build long-lasting partnerships.”
Calderon is a 26-year-old graduate of Moline High School and St. Ambrose.
She also has been involved with the chamber of by leading volunteer panels such as their Membership Engagement Committee, Ambassador Committee, Marketing Committee, and annual Gala Committee.
Calderon is a lifelong resident of the Midwest and graduated from St. Ambrose University – with a bachelor’s in strategic communications, then earning her Master of Organizational Leadership degree from the College of Business in 2019.
After getting her undergraduate degree, she worked from 2017-18 for St. Ambrose as a Hispanic outreach admissions counselor, working to increase Hispanic enrollment at the private Davenport school.
That’s where she met the Hispanic chamber, which was “very welcoming,” Calderon said Monday. “They introduced me to everyone in the community, which is kind of how this whole thing started.”
“It was really great to get to know them and meet them, and Zenaida invited me to a lot of their speaker series and other events,” she said of Landeros, the former boss. “Zenaida acted as the connector, so I was able to build more relationships that way and kind of went off on my own.”
When she started in 2018, the staff grew, and things have contracted this year during Covid.
“During the pandemic, a lot of businesses are trying to restructure,” Calderon said. “The board has done a great job, and all the committees, in supporting what I have going on, or any needs that I have. In a way, I would consider the board more than just a board, in terms of what they do to help out.”
“Janessa is a bright and thriving Latina who has demonstrated professionalism and a strong work ethic during her time with the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,” Melinda Alatorre, the board vice chair, said Monday. “We are very impressed by the strong leadership she has shown, especially during the unfortunate pandemic.”
The chamber members — like other community businesses nationally – “are facing unforeseen challenges during this pandemic,” Alatorre (assistant vice president at TBK Bank) said. “Many have had to balance their budget to be able to pay bills, while some have had to apply for financial assistance. Some businesses have had to change hours or close their doors causing employee turnover or layoffs.
Melinda Alatorre is the vice chair of the Hispanic chamber board of directors.
“Businesses today are challenged to find a way to operate digitally or create new strategies that allow them to follow social distancing guidelines and still be profitable,” she said. “Like all of us, the work from home-life balance is another challenge. Priorities have shifted and it is important to be mindful of one’s own mental health while working from home and taking care of kids that are remote learning or elderly family members who are at greater risk.
“It is important as a community to support one another. At the GQCHCC, we hope to provide resources to our members that will do just that,” Alatorre said.
The chamber has been in a transition period during this pandemic, the board member said. “Janessa was gracious enough to take on additional responsibilities with assistance from board members, who are volunteers. All non-profits who rely on memberships and donations have had to scale back on staffing during this time.
“We hope to add more staff to the GQCHCC once our resources and memberships are back to normal,” Alatorre said. “Now that the board has promoted Janessa as the new executive director, we will be able to move forward with our initiatives for 2021.”
“We have seen a slight decrease in membership but are doing fairly well given the circumstances,” she added Monday. “Our main goal is to incorporate businesses in the Latino community and grow a stronger Hispanic Chamber presence.”
Aiding the transition to new leadership
When Landeros left for Black Hawk, a lot of the board members helped Calderon transition to the new position. “In a way, I was interim executive director, kind of helping out and assisting – just because I’m already familiar with the chamber,” Calderon said. “That was pretty easy. On areas I wasn’t too sure about, the board definitely stepped up and helped me.
“I believed we got closer as a board and it was a great bonding experience for us,” she said.
The annual GQCHCC gala was originally pushed back from April to September, but was postponed again due to Covid, and likely won’t happen until September 2021, she said.
Zenaida Landeros, former chamber director, became executive director of the Black Hawk College Foundation this past spring.
During this challenging year, “It’s been a really great bonding experience to talk to businesses more,” Calderon said. “I connect with them and ask what challenges are you facing today; what resources do you feel like you need from me? Do you have questions about anything?”
“I was already close to them before Covid, and that’s something I really value with the job – being able to talk to a small-business owner, ask them what’s going on with their family life or their business. How some of the challenges are going and what I can do to help them. I think that’s something I appreciated in this role and would like to really continue that work.
“With Covid, it was a scary situation and the entire world going through a pandemic, so being there with them and experiencing that with them, has allowed me to take more of a leadership role and help them with the needs they might have,” she said.
The chamber website, at www.gqchcc.com, has a Covid-19 resources page (with documents in Spanish and English) that is updated as needed, Calderon said, including resources specific to Iowa and Illinois, and mental health.
“I make sure to always update those resources as they come along,” she said. “I stay active in the community.”
Online, the chamber has hosted virtual “Cafecito” (or coffee) events to educate business owners on a variety of topics, Calderon said, and many of the videos are available on the site. They include applying for grants.
Now, there are a little under 300 members of the chamber, which has stayed pretty stable over the years.
“That speaks volumes of our membership retention and how our members are feeling valued and cared for,” Calderon said. “The goal is always to increase community outreach to work better and to work in unison. There’s no specific goal or number to try and reach, but the more people I can help contact, with help with resources – anything I can do to help our small business or nonprofits, or medium-sized business, is really what my goal is.”
She’s been working remotely three days a week and is in the office (709 4th Ave., Moline) two days a week, when she can schedule in-person meetings. Calderon is the only office staff person.
“The Hispanic chamber is important because we act as a connector to the Latino community we have access to,” she said. “It’s important to have corporate members involved, so we can build long-lasting relationships in the community.
“It’s important for small businesses to get involved so they can get any bilingual translation or other services they might need,” Calderon
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was founded in 2008.
said. “The main thing is, I pride myself on being a hub of resources, in building those relationships with each individual and making sure each of our chamber members is feeling supported. That’s something I really have appreciated in growing into the role.”
“For people feeling seen, valued and heard, that’s really my main priority as executive director,” she added.
Calderon also is enjoying working with Moline-based Mercado on Fifth, as they plan to open a new business incubator by late 2021 at 423 12th St., Moline.
In late 2019, Mercado, with real estate development group West Gateway Partners LLC, bought the 100-year-old former Car Shop Inc. at 423 12th St., Moline, next to the organization’s outdoor property.
Mercado and West Gateway, both managed by members of the Ontiveros family, are renovating the 6,300-square-foot building into a business incubator and event space at a cost of over $500,000, including a new outdoor patio.
This will allow Mercado’s food and retail vendors year-round opportunities to sell their products, rain or shine. Mercado executive director Melissa Freidhof-Rodgers also anticipates using the space for small-business training, mentorship, and for private events.
Landeros started BHC job in June
Zenaida Landeros came to the Black Hawk College Foundation with more than eight years of experience in fundraising, community outreach and nonprofit administration. She had worked for GQCHCC since 2012, becoming its executive director in 2018.
She graduated from BHC in 2005 and Augustana College in 2007. Landeros earned an executive master of nonprofit administration degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2017.
“As a BHC alum, I’m proud to be working with the community that helped me succeed,” she said in June.
“The Black Hawk College Foundation Board is excited to have Zenaida Landeros as our executive director,” said Greg Ryckaert, board chairman.
“We are looking forward to Zenaida’s exemplary leadership skills to move the Black Hawk College Foundation forward with collaboration and outreach with our donors and partners,” he added.
For more information, visit www.foundation.bhc.edu or contact Landeros at 309-796-5052 or landerosz@bhc.edu.
Calderon’s office number is 563-214-5160 and email is janessa@gqchcc.com.
To become a member or to learn more about the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s upcoming events, programs and initiatives, visit www.gqchcc.com.
