Joaquin Salamanca

Managing Partner
Fusion Technology Partners, LLC

Joaquín is an award-winning, widely respected technologist, artist and strategist. He posesses an uncanny ability to create meaningful connections between people, ideas, media and technology.

A career shaped by Silicon Valley and the .com boom, Salamanca has been involved with numerous technologies and has built and transformed many businesses and brands.

In his role as Managing Partner of Fusion Technology Partners, LLC, Salamanca is responsible for overseeing strategy, marketing, and business development; all while maintaining the integrity of clients’ Interactive and e-business initiatives with consistent brand experience and user-centric technology/creative.

Joaquín was one of the first Information Architects for the largest Internet start-up in Chicago (Classified Ventures), he helped build and expand national web site businesses including cars.com, apartments.com, and HomeScape.com. These national online brands consistently rank at the top of their respective industries and two of these three online offerings were recently awarded "The Webby Award." Hailed and proclaimed “the online equivalent of an Oscar” by the New York Times and Time Magazine, The Webby Awards is the leading international honors for web site excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality.

Joaquín has received interview requests, recognition and citations come from ABC-TV (WLS), Crain's Chicago Businiess, Dinero Magazine, IDSA, NYArt Directors Club, AIGA, Broadcast Designers Association, American Center for Design, Communication Arts, Fast Company, Forbes.com, Interactive Advertising Bureau, NBC-TV, TeleMundo, and Wired Magazine.

Just recently, Joaquín was nominated by the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Hispanic Committee for "Hispanic Interactive Advertising Pioneer" an honor given to only 10 individuals who have played a major role in pioneering hispanic interactive advertising.

He also serves, is an active member of, or consults for numerous educational, leadership institutions, arts/cultural, business, diversity, community and philanthropic organizations.

These include: Community Leader and Founder of Instituto de Justicia Social, The Annual Make the Connection! Hispanic Business Expo, The Annual Seminary Salutes, Casa Jesus, Catholics for Quigley Seminary, Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, Chicago Latino Film Festival, Chicago-United, (CTC) Community Business Technology Center, HACIA (Hispanic American Construction Industry Association), HACE (Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement), HBA (Hispanic Bankers Association), IHCC (Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), ILLCF (The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation), ILCC (International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago), LCP (Latino Coalition for Prevention), LVCC (Little Village Chamber of Commerce), LVEJO (Little Village Environmental Justice Organization), MLI (Metropolitan Leadership Institute), MAPO (Mexican-American Police Organization), Misericordia Heart of Mercy, NAA (New America Alliance), Orange Crush S.A.G., Project LEAD (Latino Education for the Advancement of Democracy), Quigley Alumni Association, Spanish Coalition for Jobs, Inc., UNO (United Neighborhood Organization), United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Vive La Hispanidad (Honorary Committee Member), St Agnes of Bohemia Advisory Board Member

In 2007 Joaquin was an Aldermanic/City Council Candidate for Chicago's 22nd Ward (Little Village/Lawndale) community.

Salamanca's formal education is in Business Administration (Internet Marketing) from Loyola University of Chicago.