Salazar selected to head U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Utah businessman Don Salazar has been named chairman of the board of directors of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), the organization announced recently. Salazar is the president and CEO of Creative Times Inc., an Ogden construction company he helped found in 1994.

Utah businessman Don Salazar has been named chairman of the board of directors of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), the organization announced recently. Salazar is the president and CEO of Creative Times Inc., an Ogden construction company he helped found in 1994.

Salazar was installed in his new leadership role at the organization’s national convention in October. His term will last two years.

“I thank my fellow board members and the entirety of the USHCC for the tremendous honor of being inaugurated as chairman of the board,” said Salazar. “Under my term, the USHCC will continue to advocate on behalf of its members, so that bridges are built between corporate America and the Hispanic small-business community. Having finally accomplished an equal amount of men and women on our board, we will keep advancing gender parity and multiculturalism, both within our organization and across the globe.”

“We are thrilled to be under the stewardship of none other than Don Salazar. Don is illustrative of the things we stand for, as he has always been a hard-working leader willing to think outside of the box,” said USHCC president and CEO Javier Palomarez. “From founding Creative Times Inc. to being a key player in getting us to host our national convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2014, Don has proven himself to be a trailblazer. Additionally, he was one of our most ardent advocates for gender parity at the highest level of our association.”

Outgoing chairman Raymond Arroyo will continue serving on the board of directors as a voting member and Peter Villegas will assume Salazar’s previous position as chair-elect.

“We are exceptionally proud of Don for the work he accomplished during his time in Utah with the Ogden and Salt Lake Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce branches,” said Alex Guzman, chairman of the board of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (UHCC). “He is a very successful business owner and a self-made individual who places priority in supporting the community and empowering business owners. His commitment to the Hispanic business community has been remarkable to date.”

“Don is truly a man of the people who understands our business community,” said Francisco Sotelo, president and CEO of the UHCC. “His vast business knowledge, experience and extraordinary leadership will be an asset to businesses across the nation and abroad. I am positive his distinct charismatic and humble approach to business will go a long way in Washington, D.C., and the rest of the nation.”

In addition to his positions at CTI, UHCC and USHCC, Salazar serves on the advisory board at Zions Bank and was previously chair of the Ogden Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, president of the Northern Utah Public Employees Association and was on the governor-appointed State Council on Workforce Services, the Weber State University National Advisory Board and the Weber State University Arts and Humanities Board.

CTI is a multi-million-dollar design-build construction company that has designed and built government and public-sector buildings in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, North Dakota and elsewhere. Salazar has been named Utah Minority Small Businessman of the Year and is a Utah Achievement/Community Service Award recipient and CTI has been named SBA contractor of the year.