Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation hosted its ten anniversary celebration. Over the years Executive Director Guillermo Velazquez and his staff at the center have helped thousands of families have access to a better life in the Pittsburgh region through economic development.
Luis von Ahn, Duolingo Founder and native Guatemalan, was the featured speaker with government officials, Hispanic community VIPs, and entrepreneurs in attendance. Velazquez is the recepient of the 2022 Allegheny County Bar Association’s El Sol Award and a board member of the Pittsburgh Metro Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“PHDC will continue working, committed to our mission, to reach more people and help them to achieve success and a better life. We wish to keep working for many more years to create success stories that can inspire generations to come!” said Executive Director Guillermo Velazquez.

PHDC staff at the anniversary celebration.
The Corporacion Hispana operates a business incubator, a housing initiative, and an employment program.
- The Business Incubator guides entrepreneurs to assess their business ideas and plan, launch, market, and operate their businesses. Multi-lingual staff also help Latino entrepreneurs to overcome language and cultural barriers.
- PHDC’s Housing Initiative works with real estate companies, landlords, and credit institutions to access housing for Latinos otherwise shut out of the rental or real estate market due to immigrant status, language barriers, and absence of credit history.
- PHDC’s Employment program creates multilingual job listings from local employers and assists Latinos to apply for jobs, draft resumes, prepare for interviews, schedule lab tests, obtain background checks.
We congratulate the PHDC and Guillermo Velazquez on their oustanding milestone and the impact they are creating for Hispanics in the region!