Washington, DC – The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), the
national advocate for almost 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses—named Southwest
Airlines the official airline of its 30th Annual National Convention & Business Expo which
will be celebrated this year Sept. 16-19 in Denver, Colorado.
“It is an honor to be named the official airline of this annual business event. The US
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) will gather more than 3,000 business owners in
an important conversation about the economy,” said Christine Ortega, Corporate
Community Affairs Manager for Southwest Airlines. “We are proud to contribute to this
organization and to be part of the effort to spur economic growth in our nation.”
Ortega also serves on the Senior Executive Corporate Advisory Board providing advice
and input to USHCC leaders as needed. In support of the event, Southwest Airlines
will team with the Chamber to offer the Chamber’s members information about specific
products like Business Select and DING! that can save the business travelers time
and money. In addition, Southwest Airlines will provide five lucky Chamber members with
complimentary airfare to the convention when they register online at
www.ushcc.com/convention by September 4, 2009.
In addition to support of organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Southwest
Airlines provides assistance to minority owned businesses who want to become certified
suppliers of the airline through its Supplier Diversity program. Richard Moore, Southwest
Airlines’ Director of Supplier Diversity, serves as the liaison through the chamber's
Procurement Executive Corporate Advisory Board.
“We are very proud to have Southwest Airlines as the official airline of the United States
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s annual convention,” said David C. Lizárraga, Chairman
of the Board of the USHCC. “Southwest Airlines has been a key partner for many years and
their dedication to and support of the Hispanic business community is strong. We look
forward to this opportunity to continue strengthening our longstanding corporate
relationship as it gives our members the freedom to fly.”

About the USHCC’s 30th Annual National Convention & Business Expo
Founded in 1979, the USHCC has held an annual convention each year, visiting various
cities across the United States and Puerto Rico over the past thirty years. It is known as the
most important national event for the Hispanic Business community on an annual basis.
The USHCC’s 30th aAnnual Convention is made possible with the support of Wells Fargo,
its official Alianza partner; Southwest Airlines, the official airline of the USHCC’s 30th
Annual National Convention; and Sprint, its official wireless provider. For an updated list of
partners and potential sponsorhip information, visit www.ushcc.com/convention/.
About Southwest Airlines
After nearly 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare carrier,
continues to stand above other airlines—offering a reliable product with exemplary
Customer Service, and and without punitive fees. Southwest Airlines is the most productive
airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience with all premium
leather seats and plenty of legroom. Southwest recently updated its gate areas and improved
its boarding procedure to make flying Southwest Airlines even more convenient. Southwest
Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned,
currently serves 65 cities (adding Boston Logan and Milwakee later this year) in 33 states.
Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more
than 35,000 Employees systemwide.