Abogados de Inmigracion

"We're committed to reaching out to our business owners, and by being involved with the group, we feel this gives us one more way to accomplish our goal," she said.

The first networking get-together, at Watercolors restaurant in the Radisson Bridge Resort of Boca Raton, attracted 75 business professionals, said Consuelo Inestrosa, the chamber's director of special events.

"About 65 percent of the attendees were from Latin American backgrounds. They felt comfortable being with professionals from their same culture who speak their same language," she said.

Participants came from other communities, as far north as Boynton Beach and as far south as Coral Gables, according to Inestrosa, who is from Venezuela.

The chamber is among the first to start a group specifically for Hispanics in south Palm Beach County. Neither the Greater Boynton Beach or Greater Delray Beach chambers have programs for Hispanic business professionals.

"We're in the process of looking at minority businesses that are members and evaluating whether there is something different we need to do," said Bill Wood, president of the Delray Beach chamber.

Jorge Goyanes, chairman of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County, said they've been a presence in the county for more than 20 years, and some of the most influential Hispanics are among its 312 members. He said their members and events are listed on their Web site, www.palmbeachhispanicchamber.com.

"Hispanics like to mingle with Hispanics, and what makes a chamber is the people," he said. "One of the reasons our group is so successful is that when you go to one of our events, the people are established and have connections."

Goyanes, whose group has monthly networking sessions in Boca Raton and other events, doesn't blame the Boca Raton chamber for reaching out.

"I don't say it's too late," he said.

"I think everyone is jumping on the Hispanic wagon, so it does make economic sense."

Troy McLellan, the Boca Raton chamber's executive vice president and chief operating officer, said they just followed the move of Hispanic professionals into the county.

"We were very much aware of a northern migration of the Latin population from Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We, as a chamber, wanted to respond to that and fill a need that the Latin population might have from a business standpoint. Get ahead of the curve, so to speak," McLellan said.

Angel Goitia, a Cuban-American architect with Barretta & Associates in Boynton Beach, attended the gathering with two colleagues, including firm President Jim Barretta.

"It was an opportunity for us to do some marketing in a network-type environment. We made some connections which might turn into working relationships," said Goitia,who is planning to attend the next get-together June 7.

McLellan said it would be another networking session.

"We launch these programs with a social because we want people to meet one another. We'll have monthly events until the end of the year, which could be after hours or lunches," he said.