Virtual Ribbon Cut on Website to Empower Latino Entrepreneurs

CEO of Western Union Joins Business Leaders at Dallas Launch of
National Hispanic Business Information Clearinghouse
DALLAS--(Business Wire)--
A new, online resource to help Hispanic entrepreneurs overcome
such historic barriers as access to capital, markets, management
skills and technology launched today in Dallas, before an audience
that included dozens of Dallas-area business leaders as well as
Western Union President and Chief Executive Officer Christina A. Gold.

The National Hispanic Business Information Clearinghouse (NHBIC),
located at www.nhbic.org, helps aspiring and current business owners
navigate the legal, licensing, permitting, accounting, contracting,
human resource, marketing and sales challenges associated with running
a successful business.

"The American Dream provides Latinos and other minorities with the
inspiration to start and build a business, but what has been lacking
has been a source of sound fundamental advice on precisely how to get
that done," said Salvador Gomez, president and CEO of Source One
Management, Inc., and founder of the NHBIC. "The NHBIC was designed to
be that source, and we expect it to have a tremendous impact on not
only the Hispanic business community but also the U.S. small business
landscape and the economy as a whole."

More than a static website, the NHBIC features professionally
pre-screened and categorized business content, available for free in
both Spanish and English and customized with resources specific to the
greater Dallas area. The Dallas site is the second (following Denver,
Colo.) of what will ultimately be 15 locally customized versions of
the NHBIC nationwide.

"Furthermore, the NHBIC is also just the first in what will become
a series of online portals designed specifically for ethnic audiences.
Additional clearinghouses will be launched in coming years to serve
African-American, Asian and possibly other communities," noted Michael
L Barrera, president of the NHBIC and former president and CEO of the
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The presence of Ms. Gold at the launch event, a luncheon hosted by
the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, reflected the role of
Western Union as the primary corporate sponsor of the NHBIC program.
The website's development has been funded primarily by Our World, Our
Family, Western Union's $50 million, five-year initiative to empower
communities around the world. It has also been supported by a $3.3
million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

"One of Western Union's cornerstone values is helping diverse
individuals and communities around the world realize their potential
and improve their futures through business innovation, job training,
financial literacy and other practical but critical skills," said Ms.
Gold. "The NHBIC serves this mission by helping to empower a
population that has always had an entrepreneurial ethic but frequently
lacked access to fundamental information, best practices and
training."

About NHBIC

The National Hispanic Business Information Clearinghouse (BIC)
provides critical business information on access to capital, equal
access to markets, and management training to support the startup and
growth of Hispanic businesses throughout the United States. For more
information, visit www.nhbic.org.

Michael Burns & Associates Inc.
Keith Hobbs, 214-521-8596 x226
khobbs@mbapr.com
or
InterMountain Corporate Affairs
Drew Kramer, 303-534-5409 x113
dkramer@intermountainca.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008