About Us

President’s Message

I am honored to be selected to serve as President of the Hispanic Business Association and to work with such a capable group as the people who serve on its Board. I bring a renewed commitment to maintain our organizational integrity and credibility, to make our mission statement meaningful by building on our accomplishments and by enhancing our outreach efforts to the Hispanic youth in order to build a stronger sense of community for all the citizens of Idaho.

Board of Directors

Alice Mondragón Whitney is HBA's Board President and the Diverse Markets Community Relations Banker for Zions Bank. . Before joining Zions Bank, Alice was Director of the Small Business Development Department for SAGE Community Resources. She worked with women, minority and working poor entrepreneurs to help them develop the necessary skills to be successful in business. Her bilingual abilities have helped her to successfully target Hispanic communities that are traditionally under served. Previously, Alice was a commercial and residential banker with Southland Financial and Far West Mortgage. She was also the founding president and owner of the first woman-owned aviation instrument facility on the west coast.

Alice’s community involvement has included; Board President during planning and construction of the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho, past Advisory Board member for the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), a founding member of the Hispanic Financial Education Coalition and was instrumental in the formation of the Idaho Individual Development Account program for the State of Idaho. Currently Alice sits on the Boards of the Idaho Hispanic Chamber, College of Western Idaho Foundation Board, Mayor of Nampa Hispanic Business Coalition, Meridian Chamber. She has been instrumental in creating a partnership with MicroEnterprise Training & Assistance program which provides bilingual business training classes.

Ken Cortez was born in 1962 in San Jose, California, 12 years later relocated to Idaho with his father, Richard Cortez, founder of Metalcraft, Inc. Ken grew up in Meridian, graduated from Meridian High School, and attended Boise State University.

He is currently the President and owner of Metalcraft, Inc. Ken has a uniquely diverse involvement in our community. He volunteers his time as a Little League Umpire at youth baseball and softball games, and is also the Tournament Director for the Jalapeno Open which raises scholarship money for Hispanic students. Ken currently is a member of the Selland College Advisory Board. He also has been appointed to the Commission of Hispanic affairs by Governor Butch Otter as well as a Board Member of Hispanic Business Association.

He is a passionate American who wants to have a positive impact on our youth and community. Ken is bless with an incredible wife and children, and is thankful every day for the opportunity to live watch his family grow in the GREAT STATE OF IDAHO.

Sam Haws, Coming Soon!

John Edwards was raised in Heyburn, Idaho and graduated from Minidoka High School in 1974. After graduation, he went to work for the J.R. Simplot Company at the Heyburn plant and entered the electrical maintenance training program. John has been an electrician for almost 33 years. He started Edwards Electric Inc., an electrical contracting and service company, in 1993. Edwards has been an active member of the Hispanic Business Association (HBA) since 1997 and most recently served as President.

John Edwards also serves on the Boise City Electrical Board. He has been married to his wife, Mary, for 29 years and has two grown children.

Kirby Ortiz is the Co-owner and General Manager of Gem State Communications, a Motorola Two–Way Radio and Wireless Communications dealer.

For over 25 years Gem State has provided wireless communications sales and support to the Public Safety, Healthcare, Industrial and Service Industries of Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon.

He was born and spent his formative years in Raton, New Mexico. Upon graduation from Madison Memorial High School in Madison, Ohio, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served a tour in Vietnam in 1969 as a field radio operator. He graduated from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio in 1976 with a B.S. in Business Administration. From 1983 to 1993 he worked as a sales executive for Motorola Communications and Electronics.

Kirby has served on the board of directors of the HBA since 1993 and has chaired the Scholarship Committee since its first award in 1993.

He also serves on the board of Sage Community Resources.

Kirby and his wife Sara have been married 31 years, have three grown children and have lived in Boise for 30 years. In his spare time his passions are racquetball, reading non-fiction history and spending time in the great Idaho outdoors.

Freddy Rosario was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. Upon graduation from High School there, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and served for 10 years. For his last duty station, he came to Idaho in April 1994 to serve at Mountain Home AFB until separating in 1995. At which time he and his wife decided to stay and make Idaho their home. They moved to Boise, ID in 1998, and finally settled in Meridian, ID in their present home. Freddy has been an employee for the Federal Government since 1998, and works at the Centennial Job Corps Center in Nampa, ID as a Computer Services Technical Instructor.

On his spare time, he also runs R. I. Enterprises, a successful Computer Consulting, Service and Sales business. His business also develops and hosts web sites for small businesses and non-profit organizations, to include web design, development and hosting from informational to complete e-commerce web sites for local and out of state clients. His company has expanded and now brokers a plethora of telecommunication and home services to include; local and long distance services, high speed Internet, major wireless carriers with the latest handsets and devices, top satellite TV services, home security services, the latest in digital phone services with video phone technology and now energy services (electricity and gas) throughout the United States, Canada, and 21 other countries on 4 continents throughout the world.

Freddy and his wife Sonya celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary in July 2010.

Freddy has been serving on the board of directors for the HBA since 1999. He has also served on several other boards, such as; IMAGE de Idaho and Treasure Valley Community Television, and has been associated with many other organizations in the area.