Leading by Example: Mauricio Vásquez and the Importance of Montgomery County’s Hispanic Business Community
This year, during National Hispanic Heritage Month, MCEDC will spotlight Montgomery County Hispanic business leaders and their contributions to our community.
Almost 21% of Montgomery County’s population—over 200,000 people—identifies as Hispanic, and this number continues to grow each year. This makes the work of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County (HCCMC) essential to the county’s economic success. The HCCMC supports Hispanic businesses by mentoring entrepreneurs and professionals across industries, connecting them with critical resources such as access to capital, technical assistance, and new markets, and creating opportunities to showcase their work, celebrate their achievements, and build strong networks. In doing so, the HCCMC ensures that Hispanic companies are not navigating the business ecosystem alone.
Mauricio Vásquez serves as the Executive Director of the HCCMC, a role he has led since the summer of 2024. Vásquez’s journey to leading the Chamber was anything but planned. He previously worked as Chief Technology Officer and Project Manager at AQUAS, supporting the international expansion of the company. When the pandemic struck in 2020, he began volunteering his skills to support the Chamber, revamping its website, launching the newsletter, and managing social media to help members stay connected. In 2021, Vásquez became the Chamber’s Director of Programs, where he helped launch networking events, workshops, and signature initiatives such as the Hispanic Leadership Awards Gala (2022) and the Maryland Contractor Summit (2023). “It has been an unexpected but deeply rewarding journey,” Vásquez says. “My vision is to expand the Chamber and create more initiatives that empower Hispanic entrepreneurs, celebrate their achievements, and build lasting opportunities for our community.”
Vásquez’s Hispanic heritage plays a central role in how he leads. Growing up outside the U.S., he saw firsthand the challenges of building networks and accessing opportunities. “Early in my career, I missed opportunities simply because I wasn’t connected or didn’t know how to navigate the system,” he reflects. Now he focuses on forging partnerships, cultivating trust-based relationships, and creating opportunities that uplift not only HCCMC members but the broader Montgomery County community.
Vásquez is passionate about empowering the Hispanic community and providing them with the resources they need to flourish through his work with the community and with Latino youth via the Chamber’s Foundation. “By sharing my own journey and creating platforms for others, I want the next generation to know they belong at every decision-making table, and that their voices and talents are essential to shaping the future,” he said.
Vásquez’s role at HCCMC has given him a front-row seat to the richness of the county’s Hispanic business community. He is inspired by local trailblazers like Diego Uriburu, Executive Director at Gaithersburg-based Identity Youth, who continues to uplift youth in our county through no-cost programs and services, and by innovative companies like ZemiTek in Bethesda, that is delivering enterprise-level IT solutions with global reach. He’s also energized by the many Hispanic-owned construction firms driving projects across the county, and by local restaurants whose authentic flavors make Montgomery County a destination for food lovers. The HCCMC celebrates these businesses every year at its Hispanic Leadership Awards Gala, which will be held on October 16th. The gala presents an opportunity to showcase the strength of Hispanic businesses in Montgomery County and highlight the next generation of leaders.
Montgomery County is home to four out of ten of the most diverse cities in the United States and
the contributions of its Hispanic business community play an important role in its success. From innovative startups to established firms, these companies are driving economic growth in our communities. As Vásquez stressed, “Few places match the diversity of Montgomery County, and it is this very diversity that fuels our resilience, growth, and success.