The inception of the Chamber originated when a collective of individuals within the Caribbean-American community observed a concerning trend: numerous Caribbean-owned businesses in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area were closing down. In some cases, they were not even making it to the five-year mark. Why was this happening - so quickly and so frequently? We sought to understand the root cause. Through conversations with fellow community members, it became apparent that many were unaware of these businesses' existence, let alone their closures. This was a huge problem...and an opportunity.

Question: How do we help our Caribbean / Caribbean-American businesses to survive and thrive in the DMV?

Answer: Create an entity that works with businesses to ensure that they have access to the resources they need to succeed: funding, training and networking. We needed our own chamber of commerce. That is why CACCE-GWAN, the Caribbean-American Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise for the Greater Washington Area Network, was founded.