CDFI Friendly South Bend was proud to sponsor the 2026 Latin Business Expo in Elkhart on September 23, and our Executive Director Sam Centellas was invited to deliver the luncheon keynote.
Now in its sixth year, the bilingual event brought together business owners, community leaders, and resource providers. Organized by Yolo Lopez DeMarco of Yolo Vox, the Expo featured five luncheon speakers and 15 vendors, with opportunities to connect before and after lunch. Its focus was on celebrating Latino businesses and building connections across the broader community.
That purpose aligns with our work at CDFI Friendly. Business owners need relationships with people who can help them understand their options, find useful resources, and access the capital to move forward. Events like this create a place to start those conversations.
Sam’s presentation was focused on goal setting, and setting a goal requires measuring performance before, during and after. That is how we help business grow, but understanding where they are, where the owner wants to go, and if access to capital is needed for that goal, coaching the business owner to get that capital and reach that goal!
Thank you to Yolo and everyone who helped make the Expo possible. We were glad to support the event and look forward to helping turn those connections into opportunities for local businesses.
Watch the ABC57 News Story on the 2026 LBE HERE
