Meet The Team

Board Chair & Founder

Veronica Navarro

​Veronica Navarro is a professional Real Estate Agent in the state of South Carolina and Georgia, where her bilingual fluency in Spanish and English has made her a go-to resource for customers, clients, and colleagues. She is a member of the National Association of Realtors, and serves as council member on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee with the South Carolina Association of Realtors. For the past 12 years she has led and managed a residential construction business in Okatie, SC. As Office Manager she has assisted thousands of homeowners, home builders, residential inspectors, construction field managers and home warranty service personnel. She started her education at The Technical College of the Lowcountry and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

Born and raised in Guanajuato Mexico, Veronica migrated to the US when she was 11 years old and has been a resident in the beautiful Lowcountry for over 30 years. Her cultural background, passion for leadership, and professionalism has motivated her to create an organization where members of the Hispanic community can access valuable resources that would impact their business in the Lowcountry, and to lay the foundation for the future generation of leaders. 

Veronica is aware of the demographic changes in this region and has a deep understanding on how inaction will have a negative impact in the economic development of the Lowcountry.

Board Vice Chair

Alex Gonzalez

Alex Gonzalez is a Network Engineer working in the Lowcountry for over 20 years. Throughout this time, Alex has been involved in various projects in the Lowcountry, both in the public and private sectors, helping Recreation Centers, Schools, Domestic Violence Associations, Shelters, Hotels, Lawyers, Hospitals, Dental Offices, Auto Dealerships, Government contractors and many other industries; to design, configure and maintain their network environment and IT needs.

Born and raised in Uruguay, South America, Alex migrated to the US when he was 19 years old and instantly felt in love with the Lowcountry. He, along with his girlfriend at the time (now wife), decided this was the perfect place for them to raise their children one day and reside for the rest of their life.

Now that their two children are grown, Alex is excited to be a board member of the Hispanic Business Association of the Lowcountry and be part of the projects and ideas that will benefit our Hispanic community and in turn, our Lowcountry community as a whole. He recognizes there will be many hurdles to overcome and welcomes the challenge.

Board Secretary

Elisa Shantal King

Elisa holds a background in Information Technology, having obtained her degree from Armstrong Atlantic State University (known today as Georgia Southern University) in Savannah, GA in 2012, and going on to secure a challenging programming App Developer position in Bluffton, SC.

Following her success in this role, Elisa pursued her entrepreneurial spirit, co-founding a thriving Used Vehicle Dealership in Savannah, GA, alongside her husband in 2015. As the current business manager of Savannah Auto Trader, she has been instrumental in the growth and success of the business.

Elisa is filled with enthusiasm as she embarks on her new role as a board member of the Hispanic Business Association of the Lowcountry. She embraces and is fully aware of the immense impact this association will make on the Hispanic community. With open arms, she welcomes the forthcoming challenges, seeing them as stepping stone toward a brighter future for all. Elisa is determined to help bridge the gap and empower her community, leveraging the resources and support offered by this association.

Board Member

Gustavo Rattia

Gustavo is a versatile artist specializing in portrait and commercial photography, encompassing both motion and still imagery. With a degree in System Engineering, he has always been actively engaged in artistic endeavors within the realms of theater and music. Since graduating from college, Gustavo has dedicated himself professionally to photography and cinematography. His journey commenced with notable involvement in various theater plays, and in 2003, he embarked on a musical path as a bass singer with Rapsodia Chamber Choir. This musical pursuit took him to international competitions in Germany, China, Austria and other countries.

Gustavo's academic studies include direction, production and postproduction for film. Gustavo also holds awards from National Institute of Cinematography and local organizations in Venezuela, and his professional background includes more than 15 years of experience in the film production business, 6 years as a Production Coordinator for the Hilton Head Island local TV station. Additionally, he holds membership with the Professional Photographers of America. In 2016, Gustavo and his wife Rossany Rodriguez founded Oceano Blue LLC, a media production and photography company renowned for its exceptional service to local and national businesses and organizations. Notably, Oceano Blue LLC was honored with the 2022 Oyster Awards for Chamber Member of the Year and the 2022 Pearl Award as Business of the Year. Furthermore, Gustavo and his wife established Oceano TV as a branch of Oceano Blue LLC, dedicated to providing Hispanic digital television services to the region.

Treasurer

Negly Osorio

Originally from Venezuela, she studied social communication with a degree in economic journalism at the University of Los Andes in Venezuela. As a journalist, she worked in press, radio, and television. 

At 22 years old, with a degree in communications, and having dipped her toe a little into this area, she decided to explore her path as a bakery owner, learning to use her hands to make wedding and birthday cakes. A part of her life that she refers to as "it wasn't part of the plan, but I was surprised by the wonders that my hands create." Chasing love and a dream, she came to the United States seven years ago, not speaking English but knowing that helping, informing, and communicating were the basis of her essence.

She worked in a bakery while learning the language and one day someone she calls a "mentor" told her "you should work for a bank, you are great talking with people, you would help your Hispanic Community a lot". That is how today she works as a Financial Services Representative at First Citizens Bank, serving the community of Bluffton and Hilton Head. Helping consumers and business owners with their financial needs. 

As she herself says "If someone had taught me from day one the importance of understanding the financial system, my life might have been a little different" so her mission is to guide, orient and help her clients in the Hispanic community and helping them to integrate into the Lowcountry society.

President

Alex Navarro

Alex Navarro is President of the Hispanic Business Association of the Lowcountry, a Managing Principal at Ram Construction SC LLC, a small family-owned residential construction business and Founder of LatinoLinks LLC, a digital marketing consulting agency. Born and raised in Mexico, he migrated to the US when he was 16 years old. After graduating high school, he searched for his next challenge by joining The United States Marine Corps. During his journey with the Marines, while stationed in Parris Island, Alex received several certificates of commendations and metals from his superior officers reflecting his dedication to duty, outstanding performance, and his passion for leadership. 

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At the end of his active duty, he moved to College Station, Texas where he worked as an Administrative Assistant at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and continued his college education to obtain a Real Estate license in the state of Texas and in the state of California. 

 After 25 years of marriage and having been blessed with 2 children, Alex is currently seeking the opportunity to help existing business owners and new entrepreneurs to achieve their goals. He is currently a volunteer at SCORE where he serves as a Business Mentor and he is also a member of the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs Hispanic Advisory Committee.

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Alex’s priority is to expedite the development of future generations leaders and business owners, particularly those in the Hispanic community. 

Board Member

Vacant 2024

We are lookig for Volunteers, we are looking for Leaders