HACIA welcomes a new Board Member

Chicago, Ill. – The Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA) announces the appointment of its Board of Directors for the 2015-2016 term.

The current Board of Directors are the following: Board President – Ivan Solis, Solis Construction; Executive Vice President – Javier Diaz, Seven-D Construction; Vice President –Jose Duarte, Blackwood Group, LLC.; Secretary – Sandi Llano, Sandi Llano & Associates, Inc.; and Treasurer – Antonio Robledo, BMO Harris Bank.

The following Board Member was newly elected to serve for the next one-year term: Board Member – Mary Ann Van Hook, Lothan Van Hook DeStefano Architecture, LLC. The rest of the current Board Members are as follows – Jose Meraz, Premier Plumbing Supply Co., Inc.; Gerry Alvarado, Geralex Janitorial Services; Gabriel Dziekiewicz, DesignBridge, Ltd.; Jamie H. Guerrero, Leon Construction Company; Jose Meraz, Premier Plumbing Supply Co., Inc., Christopher T. Miller, Kelley Kronenberg; Martha Morelos, Art Dose; Jorge a. Moreno, Civcon Services, Inc., Gerardo P. Sanchez, Sanchez & Associates, P.C., David M. Suarez, Suarez Electric, Inc.

Board Officer Biographies

Ivan Solis is President of Solis Construction, Inc., an Illinois company incorporated in 1994. Solis performs General Contractor and Carpentry services. Solis’ clients include owners, management companies, condominium associations, schools, both private and public, and major general contractors. Solis is certified as a MBE/DBE with the city of Chicago. Ivan has been an active member of HACIA since 2002. He has been involved with community organizations where he has performed pro-bono work.

Javier Diaz is Founder, incorporator and sole shareholder of Seven D Construction Company. He is an Estimator, field supervisor and general superintendent of all worked performed in and out of the office. He has received the 2007 City of Chicago’s Outstanding Civil Contractor of the Year award and the 2006 Outstanding MBE Contractor award.

Jose Duarte is Founder and Principal at Blackwood Group, a full service builder/general contractor with design-build capabilities in both residential and commercial areas. Duarte is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois with over 12 years’ experience in engineering, program and construction management. In recent years, Jose has managed $25 million dollars of luxury and mixed use residential projects in Chicago. Duarte is also a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Accredited Professional.

Sandi Llano is owner and President of Sandi Llano & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in matters relating DBE/MBE/WBE programs. Sandi was has more than 30 years of experience in this field, having been Metra’s DBE Director from 1984 – 2010. Sandi Llano & Associates, Inc. has been in business since 2011, and has performed work for both the public sector and the private sector.

Antonio Robledo is Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager at BMO Harris Bank. With over 14 years of experience at the company, Antonio works to support and advise companies with revenue size of up to $75 million in various industries including: contractors, manufactures, distributors and service companies.

Founded in 1979 as an advocacy organization, HACIA provides technical assistance to MBE, WBE and DBE firms with the goal of developing long-term sustainability and capacity. HACIA represents more than 300 companies that include everything from professional service firms to construction related businesses, collectively employing approximately 7,000 workers with an annual economic impact of over $400 million. Also, HACIA provides business management assistance services and training to its members.

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