Jaime di Paulo

Jaime di Paulo

President & Chief Executive Officer

Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Jaime di Paulo is President & CEO of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), the leading Hispanic business networking, advocacy, and development organization in the Midwest. Under his leadership since 2019, the IHCC team intensified its commitment to assisting the Latino business community, providing direct assistance, and working closely in collaboration with all stakeholders.

As CEO, di Paulo has sought to multiply the networks with various Chambers of Commerce locally and nationally, working with them to bring resources to the small business community. In 2020, IHCC created and helped retain 18,092 total jobs –a number that exceeded the 2019 figure by 42 times. Additionally, the IHCC’s assistance to small businesses to access financial resources increased by 315% from 2019 and a total of $88.1M to the present date. This is the total dollar amount of contracts awarded, revenue growth, business loans from the Small Business Administration, private lenders, business grants, etc. This increase is mainly because of the IHCC

team’s rapid response throughout its programs, including:

• Illinois SBDC Illinois PTAC SBTRC

• Illinois Tollway Technical Assistance Program

• Cook County COVID-19: Small Business Assistance Program

Jaime di Paulo Integrated the first cohort for the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program: Entrepreneurship Initiative, City Learning, and Action Lab serving as chair of the cohort. He provided relevant insights on the local economy, main macroeconomic trends, and research opportunities for the program. The first Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Steering Committee designed specific policies to advance the Latino economy in the region.

In 2020, di Paulo became a distinguished member of The Economic Club of Chicago, a prestigious organization dedicated to bringing together the most influential men and women in the economic circle of Chicago, the third most important city in the United States. Also, the Government of Mexico, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officially recognized him as one of the most influential Mexican Americans in the Midwest, the second most important economic region in the country.

In association with 1871 –one of the best business incubators in the country, di Paulo has tried to strengthen the LATINX Incubator program, enabling young Hispanic tech companies to develop as innovators in technology and present their ideas to prominent equity holders, allowing them to gain capital funds.

At IHCC, di Paulo promoted the first Roundtable of Women CEOs, bringing together influential Hispanics to connect, collaborate, and create many new opportunities. In 2020, he made an old dream come true by establishing a critical alliance with the Black Chamber of Commerce of Illinois (BCCI). The purpose was to bring together the Congressmen of Illinois in a conference and participate more actively as minorities in the 2020 legislative schedule. In 2021, di Paulo testified before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Small Business about the relevance of supporting small businesses and the work of the Illinois Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce.

In recognition of di Paulo’s hard work and tireless efforts to bring new opportunities to Latino entrepreneurs, Jaime has been named the 2022 American Mexican Association’s Leader of the Year. This award showcases Jaime’s dedication to his community, as well as his presence in the Latino community as a whole.

Jaime di Paulo has been very involved in the promotion of educating our Latino entrepreneurs and setting them up with resources to scale their businesses, as well as providing crucial insights for those seeking to start a business. 

Because of these efforts, Jaime di Paulo was also awarded Dominican University’s 2023 James W. Haugh Award for Entrepreneurship, an award presented to di Paulo for his consistent efforts to provide small business owners with the right tools and education to succeed. These accolades are not without the help of the IHCC staff, which keep the organization’s services going, and provide the key avenues for Jaime's (and the Chamber’s) continued success.

By assuming as CEO of IHCC, di Paulo established four priorities:

• Turn the Chamber into a meeting point for the big Latino businesses in the State of Illinois.

• Multiplying the ways to train Hispanics with small businesses.

• Ensuring that Hispanic companies can have all the information to access credit and Government contracts.

• Bringing together minorities in the State of Illinois to access better business opportunities.

With constant work and the support of a team of professionals with the same mission, he continues to make significant progress.