Lizabeth Ardisana was elected Chairperson of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (MHCC) becoming the first woman to lead the chamber's 30-member board of directors. The MHCC announced new executive board members at its annual Corporate Recognition Reception held at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport Hotel on December 5.

Ardisana is the CEO of ASG Renaissance, a woman- and Hispanic-owned technical and communication services firm with offices in Southfield and Dearborn, Mich., Lake Forest, Calif., and Washington, D.C. ASG Renaissance provides marketing services such as public relations and sales support and technical services such as engineering and information technology.

Other members of the MHCC Executive Board of Directors include:

• Ric Gonzalez, President, Gonzalez Design Group elected vice chair

• Brenda Schneider, First Vice President and Director of Business and
  Development Services, Comerica Bank, continues as corporate vice chair

• Jesse Lopez, President and CEO, Marisa Industries/BAE Industries, Inc.
  elected secretary

• Carlos Hurches, President, Scion Steel re-elected treasurer

Ardisana has been a member of the executive board of the MHCC for three years and chairs the chamber's business development committee and annual "Fiesta Hispana" fundraiser. As the chair of the business development committee, Ardisana works with area companies to increase the number of Hispanic suppliers they do business with and helped launch "Tercer Jueves" (Third Thursdays) -- a networking event hosted by the chamber's member companies. Ardisana also serves on the board of Focus: Hope and the Board of Trustees at Kettering University, where Ardisana formed a "Hispanic Committee" to develop ways to recruit Hispanic students for work and study programs in engineering.

The MHCC also recognized several important supporters at its tenth annual Corporate Recognition Reception on Friday. Ardisana was among those recognized and received the chamber's Leadership award.

Other award recipients included:

• Standard Federal, Corporation of the Year

• Jesse Lopez, Member of the Year

• Gordon Santiago, Small Business of the Year

• Raquel "Rocky" Egusquiza, Amiga Award

The Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is incorporated as a 501c (6), not-for-profit membership association dedicated to promoting economic development in the Hispanic community through the growth of its member companies. The organization is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and is governed by a 30-member Board of Directors. Day-to-day operations are the responsibility of an administrative staff comprised of full-time association professionals.

In more than a decade of operation, ASG Renaissance has evolved into one of the fastest-growing private firms in Michigan. Of the company's approximately 250 associates, 48 percent are women and 21 percent are minorities and those numbers are increasing. In 2002, the company's annual sales reached nearly $30 million. Among its services, ASG Renaissance provides technical support to help organizations like Ford Motor Company, DaimlerChrysler and Glaxco Smith Klein strengthen their minority supply chain.

In October, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce named Ardisana the Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year in Region IV.