Blog

Latin American and Caribbean trade conferences held in Miami often concentrate on the big players -- the multinationals -- and global economic trends. But Trade Americas Expo, which began Thursday, is shifting the focus to small- and medium-sized businesses and creating more business opportunities for them in the hemisphere.

More than 200 business executives, government officials, lawyers and other professionals are attending the two-day event, which features panel discussions, case studies, keynote speakers and the opportunity for executives from smaller enterprises to meet one-on-one with colleagues and representatives from multinationals and trade promotion agencies.

Some 250 private match-making meetings have been set up for Thursday and Friday, said Richard Burns, chairman of the Latin Trade Group, an information and business services company that is hosting the event in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank. READ MORE

NCLR (National Council of La Raza) will celebrate the growing Latino community of the Gulf South and the power of the national Hispanic consumer at the 2013 National Latino Family Expo on July 20–22. NCLR brings this annual event to New Orleans for the first time ever, held in conjunction with the 2013 NCLR Annual Conference at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Children and adults alike will find something educational, entertaining and potentially lifesaving at this completely free event. From dental and health screenings to Zumba classes, celebrity autograph sessions and cooking demonstrations to games and musical entertainment, every member of the family will find something to do. Families can cheer on their favorite dancers in a competition or root for the home team in the COPA-NCLR soccer tournament.

In addition to nationally renowned talent, speakers and entertainers, the Expo will welcome Nickelodeon characters Dora the Explorer and her cousin Diego along with other costumed characters such as Curious George, the Cat in the Hat, Doky, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Buzz Bee from Honey Nut Cheerios and the Lucky Charms Leprechaun. READ MORE

Wal-Mart is by far the largest employer in Latin America finds the latest ranking of the region's employers from Latin Business Chronicle. The list ranks the region's top employers by number of employees in 2012. This is the fourth year the market intelligence service has published the list.

Between Wal-Mart and its affiliate Wal-Mart de Mexico, the company employs 624,025 across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Central America. This is as much as the next four companies on the list combined and is expected to grow as the company plans to conquer new Latin American markets in the coming year.
While state oil companies such as Brazil's Petrobras, Mexico's Pemex, and Venezuela's PDVSA lead the region in revenues, they place lower on the list for number of employees. Petrobras employs a bit over 85,000 people, placing at number 27, while Pemex employs 151,022 and comes in at number 8. PDVSA meanwhile ranks at 13 with 111,342 employees.

The largest increase in the top 10 went to Chilean retailer Cencosud, which saw its number of employees increase by 20 percent last year. The retailer – which counts brands such as Jumbo hypermarkets, Easy home improvements, and Paris department stores – has greatly expanded its presence in the Brazilian and Colombian markets, while doubling down on present investments in Argentina, Chile, and Peru.

Meanwhile, the largest decrease was registered by Mexican homebuilder Corporacion Geo, whose employees were down 30.8 percent, and brought the company from number 67 to 91 in our ranking. This follows a tough year for the company, with revenues down $1.4 billion in 2012. Another Mexican construction company, ICA, registered the ranking's second-largest year over year decline, with a decline of 14.1 percent. READ MORE

Shazam started life as a mobile service for identifying music playing in the real world, before moving into television and advertising, enabling TV viewers to "tag" what they were watching to get related information and offers.

Now the UK-headquartered company is eyeing overseas expansion with a $40m (£26.9m) investment from Latin American mobile operator group America Movil. The two companies will be working together to raise awareness and usage of Shazam in the region.

The investment follows a $32m funding round in June 2011 involving venture capital firms: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Institutional Venture Partners and DN Capital. Already popular then, Shazam's app has continued to spread since. READ MORE

I don’t have to convince you of the power of a professional network, do I? One that is not only inside your current company but that reaches outside of its walls? Or that networking is often listed as one of the most important unwritten rules of success in business? And that research shows that your next business opportunity (and often, job) is more likely to come from a loose connection in your network than from a friend or close colleague? READ MORE

Deloitte is redefining what “inclusion” means in its workforce. The professional services giant in March launched the Deloitte University Leadership Center for Inclusion, which will host training programs, lectures and special events for Deloitte professionals and clients and will reach out to what execs call “thought leaders” to share best practices in diversity among organizations.

During the program’s launch, execs said they intend to “expand the understanding of inclusion” by disrupting the “traditional views of diversity and work/life fit.”

In fact, the firm’s own inclusion “mission statement” notes that diversity within the company reaches beyond the traditional focus on gender, race and ethnicity to include sexual orientation, disability, generations, cultures, military status, well-being and flexibility. The statement notes that an inclusive workplace culture “is a source of opportunity, enrichment and new thinking … where all leaders thrive.” READ MORE

When Ruben Castillo was sworn in as the first Hispanic federal judge in Chicago while in his late 30s, a court clerk said his youth likely meant he would someday take the reins as the district's chief jurist.

The prediction became reality last week as Castillo, now 58, succeeded James Holderman as chief judge for the Northern District of Illinois, the first Hispanic to hold the post.

"The last two weeks moving into this chief judge's chambers has been a little bit surreal for me," said Castillo, sitting in his 25th-floor office at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse behind a desk filled with family photos and souvenirs from his beloved Blackhawks. READ MORE

When the Levi Strauss jeans manufacturing plant in San Antonio closed down in 1990, more than 1100 workers were left to find a new job. Some found low-wage work in the hotel industry, others had to take on two jobs just to make ends meet. But two of the plant’s former workers, Petra Mata and Viola Caseres, turned their misfortune into opportunity.

Mata and Caseres decided to start start turning the tide toward social justice by starting their own local denim fashion line called El Hilo de Justicia, which translated into English means the “thread of justice”. Today the group celebrates a dream come true: their very own home-grown jeans label that empowers women. The sewing cooperative is part of a larger community empowerment organization called Fuerza Unida, that runs several other social justice initiatives such as... READ MORE

Independence Day is a celebration of freedom. What makes this country truly unique and special is not only its people’s diverse ethnicities, but also the freedom we enjoy as Americans to honor our nation’s flag and all it stands for in our own distinct cultural manner.

In that spirit, here are some quick and easy ways to punctuate this great holiday with some sabrosura.

Burgers and corn with a little sabor

Elote is a delicious and easy option to diversify your 4th of July menu. (Wikimedia Commons/SimpleFoodie)
Hamburgers and corn on the cob are the most traditional summer holiday cookout staples, but forget the mustard, relish and pickles and try them instead with salsa rosada.

A popular condiment all over South America, this creamy sauce is a delicious yet simple combination of ketchup, mayo, lime juice, ground pepper and an optional dash of hot sauce guaranteed to give your backyard burgers some Latin flavor. READ MORE

Traditional Media Influences This Consumer Group's Purchase Decisions

Each year, the United States of America celebrates July 4th as the birth of our nation. The founding fathers risked their lives as they fought to create this new country. This July 4th will be celebrated around towns large and small, in cities and villages. Flags, parades and marching bands will highlight Main Street in town, villages and cities large and small.

Three specific retail categories jump into full gear promoting merchandise in hopes of huge sales and profits the weeks prior to this historic celebration. Electronics, groceries and clothing are popular consumer purchasing items during most holidays. The million dollar question for retailers is “What is the best method of communicating merchandise and sales to the target market?”

Most retail operations have a limited promotional budget. Of the six traditional sources of media, companies may select two or three media forms. READ MORE

Today, Google for Entrepreneurs and Manos Accelerator, a newly created startup accelerator based in San Jose, California, announced a new partnership focused on increasing the number of Latinos represented in the entrepreneur community.

Manos Accelerator is a mentorship-driven accelerator program that provides hands-on education, business resources, infrastructure, and deep mentorship for promising startup companies in the heart of downtown San Jose.

"It made perfect sense to establish Manos Accelerator in the Capital of Silicon Valley. We want to create a vibrant community of Latino entrepreneurs that attracts the brightest and most talented. We want all aspiring Latino entrepreneurs in the US and Latin American countries to know that they now have a place to go for turning their innovative ideas into reality," said Edward Avila, Co-founder and CEO of Manos Accelerator. "I'm very excited to have Google for Entrepreneurs in our corner as a partner who shares our vision and has a successful track record of supporting similar organizations from around the world."

"For decades, Silicon Valley has been known as the model for entrepreneurship. But there has been an ongoing gap for Latinos to be active participants of this startup ecosystem," said Dr. Jerry Porras, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. "Manos Accelerator has designed a robust program where they identify and mentor aspiring Latino entrepreneurs who are creating innovative solutions to real-world problems."

Manos Accelerator is not only focused on accelerating the growth of the technology ecosystem but in filling a critical talent gap in the startup market - the development of Latino entrepreneurs. READ MORE

The administration of President Barack Obama and US media have made much ado about the US “pivot” to Asia. What has largely escaped their attention, however, is that China has been lining up economic allies in the erstwhile “backyard” of the US.

Well, just as serious competition ought to awaken one’s creative juices in business, it is time for the US to step up a suitable economic policy for Latin America before it is too late. The difference in approaches by the US and China were brought into focus last week when US Vice-President Joseph Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping made tours of Latin America.

The US’s principal offer to its Latin American neighbours is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which offers Latin American and Asian nations access to the US market on the basis of three conditions: they must deregulate their financial markets, adopt intellectual property provisions that give preference to US firms, and allow private US firms to directly sue governments of countries that sign up to the TPP for violating any of its conditions.

Talk about a heavily conditioned offering. So what is the Chinese approach? On his visit to the region, China’s president offered more than $5.3 billion (R53bn) in financing, with few conditions attached, to its new-found Latin American friends. READ MORE

Mayo Clinic has been named among the country's top hospitals for Hispanics in the Hispanic Network Magazine "Best of the Best" issue.

According to Mayo, the magazine "monitors employers, diversity programs and executive leadership, law enforcement and government agencies, as well as colleges, universities and MBA programs nationwide for their efforts and programs with Hispanic communities in the U.S."

It also reviews "proactive outreach and accessibility for Hispanic communities and other minority populations."

Diverse contributions have been sought by Mayo throughout its history and diversity is increasingly critical to Mayo's and health care's future, said cardiologist Dr. Sharonne Hayes, director of the Mayo Office of Diversity and Inclusion. READ MORE

It’s no secret Latinas are underrepresented in corporate America with only 5 percent sitting on Fortune 500 boards. The fact that of the 20 female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, only four are women of color and none are Latina, paints a pretty grim reality. Despite this disparity, we rounded up 50 Latinas doing their thing at Fortune 500 companies.

Whether working their way up the corporate ladder, or serving on the board, these mujeres prove we’re coming up in top-ranked corporations. READ MORE

Innovative thinking combined with a knack for bringing people together were the cornerstone for Alfonso Barrera to build his company, Hispanic Pro. The building blocks for the organization which now has major sponsors such as Telemundo, Kellogg’s, Verizon, CBS TV, Nielsen and Hoy Newspaper were conceived in Barrera’s mind when he was still an undergraduate student at DePaul University in Chicago. 

Barrera, who grew up in Waukegan, just north of Chicago, studied marketing at DePaul. His curiosity and ability to network as a student soon allowed him to act as a liaison between student clubs and major corporations. HispanicPro (www.hispanicpro.com) acts as a clearing house for Hispanic professional talent and major corporations.

He has built a network of over 56,000 professionals and sends out a weekly informative newsletter with content that offers a wide variety of career tips and advice for recent graduates as well as seasoned professionals. READ MORE

New America Media Q & A with Rose Castillo Guilbault, celebrated author of the memoir, “Farmworker’s Daughter: Growing Up Mexican in America,” has just released a new work with co-author Louis E.V. Nevaer, entitled “The Latinas Guide to Success in the Workplace.” Guilbault spoke to New America Media about the new book, and her own experience growing up as an immigrant in the U.S.

New America Media: Why focus on Latinas in the workplace?

Rose Castillo Guilbault: I’ve been in the business world for a long time, and I always felt that I had no one to talk to or seek advice from. So I kind of conceived it as a book of mentoring. If Latinas come and talk to me with various work-related, career-related questions, these would be the [types of] things that I would tell them.

NAM: What was your own experience in the workplace?

RCG: I went to college -- which was a big step to begin with -- and majored in journalism. Broadcasting was a field where they were welcoming women and minorities, because of affirmative action in the 1970’s.

There just wasn’t anybody at that time that could mentor me. The few of us that were in broadcasting… were all at the same level. We weren’t getting the kind of advice that we probably needed. So often I found myself as the only woman, the only Latina in meetings and boardrooms. It was lonely.

And then when I moved from broadcasting into the corporate world, it was a whole other thing. I was always looking for other women that could help you figure things out. [But] there wasn’t a lot of help along the way -- you have to make your own way. READ MORE

The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, may have sung, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”

Annie Menchaca-Bratton was an early female Latina military enlistee. Enlarge
But it was Tina Menchaca of Toledo who told her 19-year-old daughter, Annie, “A woman is just as strong, and can do anything she wants to do.”

At a time when women joining the military was still a rarity, Annie Menchaca took her mother’s advice to heart and joined the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing in 1978 — the first Latina to enlist there.

During her 35-year career she’s served in Panama, Kuwait, Japan, and Turkey, just to name a few places.

“Latinas in the military?” says the now 54-year-old Senior Master Sgt. Annie Menchaca-Bratton, who plans to retire in December. “There were hardly any women, period.

“It’s still very much a man’s world, but the opportunity for women now is remarkable. The military is still trying to learn to accommodate us. We’re still the minority.”

That’s changing. From 1973 to 2010, the number of active-duty enlisted women in the military has grown from about 42,000 to 167,000, according to a study by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about issues and trends shaping America and the world. READ MORE

Break rooms in McDonald’s restaurants across the country are being transformed into classrooms—part of a grand workforce-training experiment that is showing how investments in the future of your workforce can pay significant dividends, even for a corporate giant.

A few years ago, local owners of McDonald’s franchises realized that some of their most promising workers, particularly Latinos, were hitting a roadblock in their advancement because they were lacking in English-language skills. Some restaurant owners publicized English as Second Language classes in their area, while others offered to pay expenses, but participation and results were spotty.

So Betsy Clark, McDonald’s director of education strategies, set out to find a language-training model that could be deployed successfully at McDonald’s locations nationally. After consulting with ESL experts around the country, she helped design and launch English Under the Arches, a language-acquisition program tailored for franchise owners and their employees. READ MORE

Bob Unanue, president of Goya Foods Inc., may be the country's most understated chief of a $1 billion business.

The 59-year-old executive from Wyckoff, N.J., shuns big titles. "We don't use CEO," he said over dinner at a Manhattan restaurant. Afterward, he rushed back across the Hudson River to join the night-shift workers' Memorial Day weekend barbecue at Goya's headquarters in Secaucus, N.J.

Mr. Unanue's common touch contrasts with Goya's lofty financials. It is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the U.S., with more than $1 billion in revenue, and the 23rd-largest privately held company in the area, according to Crain's. READ MORE

Do you think Tiffany & Co, BMW, Ralph Lauren, Private Banking, AMEX Platinum or The Ritz when you think of Latinos? If not, you may be allowing stereotypes to limit your ability to tap into a segment growing faster than any other within the luxury and upscale categories.

While previous research has already revealed a vibrant luxury market with Hispanics earning $110,000+ (which is growing 8 percent faster than the rest, reporting 221 percent growth in the last decade), the sweet spot has now been revealed by a new study challenging conventional thinking: "America’s New Upscale Segment: Latinos!

The study by AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing, in partnership with Nielsen and Santiago Solutions, is placing the spotlight on the ‘brown elephant’ in the room represented by Latinos. READ MORE