Mark Martinez, President & CEO

Mark Martinez is the President & CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.  He is responsible for running the largest regional business network in the nation consisting of over 700,000 Hispanic businesses in California.  He oversees the direction and management of the corporation’s resources to accomplish the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce’s vision and goals to promote advocacy, empowerment & education for California’s Hispanic businesses.

Mark served as the CEO for the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce from 2004 to 2012 and as president of the board from 2002-2004.  He was instrumental in directly assisting businesses with use permit issuance and compliance, business relocation, access to capital, technical assistance, legislative advocacy, and vendor selection.  He also developed successful and sustainable chamber programs to include: the Annual Student Financial Aid and College Awareness Workshop, the Small Business Strategic Plan Initiative, the Annual Business Forecast Conference, and the Bilingual Start-up Business Workshops.  

Mark was appointed in 2005 by Mayor Ed Chavez as Planning Commissioner At-Large for the City of Stockton, becoming the first Hispanic in 20 years to sit on the commission.  He also served as Chairman of the Planning Commission in 2008.

In 2006, he was awarded the Chamber Executive of the Year by the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.  The award recognizes the programs and accomplishments of chief executives of Hispanic chamber organizations throughout the state of California.     

Mark was appointed in 2009 by then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve on the California Commission on Disability Access.  The Commission is an independent state commission with responsibility for monitoring disability access compliance and litigation against businesses in California in accordance with Senate Bill 1608.  In this capacity, he serves with members of the State Senate and Assembly, offices of the Attorney General, State Architect, and the California Building Standards Commission.  He has since been re-appointed by Governor Jerry Brown and continues to serve on the commission.

He has received numerous awards to include the 2009 Northern California U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minority Business Champion of the Year for his advocacy work for small business,

El Concilio’s 2010 Amigo Award and the University of the Pacific’s Outstanding Leadership Award.

Mark currently serves or has served on the following boards and committees: California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Legislative Committee, Great Valley Center Board of Directors, University of the Pacific President’s Community Council, Board of Director of the San Joaquin County Workforce Investment Board, and is a member of the American Leadership Forum.

In addition to his Chamber and community involvement, Mark is an owner/partner in Premier Security & Fire Incorporated which specializes in the sale, engineering, monitoring, and maintenance of commercial fire and security systems serving customers throughout the Central Valley.