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One out of 4 Floridians are Latino. The Sunshine State is home to the third largest Hispanic population in the country, and by 2028 the majority of the Florida's population will come from an ethnic or racial minority group. But how are the state's Latinos faring economically?

A new report by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) focuses on the issue. There is good news — Latinos are obtaining college degrees at faster rates, have higher rates of employment than other groups and are opening businesses at a brisk pace.

But there are also sobering numbers. Latino household wealth is vastly lower than that of non-Latino white households, and the poverty rate is nearly double that of whites.

Here are some key findings: READ MORE AT NBC NEWS

When AutoNation put Tania Eubanks in charge of a Ford dealership in Houston four years ago, only one salesperson spoke Spanish.

That didn't make sense to Eubanks in a city where Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing ethnic group, accounting for 44 percent of its 2 million residents in the 2010 census.

"We weren't catering to those customers. We weren't prepared for them," Eubanks said. "If I wanted to make a big impact right away, our main focus was the Hispanic market." READ MORE AT AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

As an extrovert, you likely find it easy(er) to attend and engage with fellow professionals at networking events. But, do you ever feel like your initial networking success doesn’t translate into partners or clients.

Take your networking prowess to the next step with these tips on building quality connections:

1. Listen.

Remember, networking is a two-way street. While it’s important to lay out your “elevator speech,” it’s equally important to hear from the other person. In determining the quality of a contact, you have to know how your businesses complement each other, what services you or they could provide to your partnership, and what their networking goals are. Don’t forget – people like to feel heard and understood!

2. Recognize.

While you are listening and observing, recognize the person on the other end of your conversation. A few weeks ago, I posted a blog with networking tips for introverts. I encourage you to check it out and thoughtfully consider it and how your tactics may change based on the person in front of you. READ MORE AT NASHVILLE.COM

Q. I could use some help networking. Recently I have been attending networking events in an effort to meet new professionals, and get connected in my field. I don’t need a job now, but I want to be ready. Sometimes it just feels awkward. Do you have any tips on how to schmooze without being smarmy?

A. Networking is a challenge for many people and almost every job seeker. Many people feel a sense of discomfort when they attend a networking event, which is perfectly natural. The idea of starting a conversation with a room full of strangers can be intimidating. READ MORE AT BOSTON.COM

There's good news and bad news when it comes to American mortality — and the bad is threatening to overwhelm the good.

On the positive side, there are fewer deaths, per 100,000 people, from car accidents. There are fewer deaths from cancer. And there has been significant progress in recent years in driving down the death rate from heart disease.

Add to that the aggressive interventions in medical care in old age, and the picture is one of Americans living significantly longer — gaining exactly two years in life expectancy from 2000 to 2014, according to a report published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. READ MORE AT THE WASHINGTON POST

Alexandre Hohagen's career to date has focused on two crucial elements of the marketing equation: digital media and young Hispanic consumers.

Over the last decade, he served as managing director of Google's operations in Brazil and vp of Latin America and U.S. Hispanics for Facebook before stepping down in 2015. Now he and his business partner, former Isobar global chairman Pedro Cabral, want to help plot the future of the market they know best by creating the ad industry's first Hispanic digital holding company.

In March, the partners acquired Miami-based agency Nobox. The 15-year-old shop currently works with clients including Netflix, PlayStation, Marriott, Royal Caribbean and Volkswagen, but Hohagen told Adweek that his long-term plans have only begun to take shape.

"I love to build things," he said, "And I really see this as a much bigger than Nobox. We want to build a holding company made of independent agencies focused on creative, technology and performance for the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic audiences." READ MORE AT ADWEEK

If you survey a room and ask if they would rather spend the evening with a group of close friends or a group of strangers, you can almost guarantee that they would unequivocally choose to spend time with friends. Your perception of attending a networking event may be wearing a name tag, struggling to start or maintain a conversation, making mindless small talk and receiving business cards from people you may not have the intention of emailing or seeing again.

I get it. I used to feel the same way until I learned to network authentically. I started asking questions that made the conversation insightful and interesting and left me feeling inspired and motivated to connect. READ MORE AT FORBES

Both community colleges and bachelor’s degree-granting institutions across the country are responding to a chorus of calls for dramatic improvements in student success and college completion, while maintaining and improving the quality of students’ educational experiences. A companion challenge is to close persistent and troubling attainment gaps across a diverse population of students.

Because Latinos are the largest under-served population and the numbers will continue to increase, achieving these goals requires consideration of how these students experience higher education and what institutions can do to better serve them. READ MORE AT DIVERSE ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Harley-Davidson loves millennials, no doubt about it, with much of the company's marketing aimed at motorcycle buyers ages 18-34.

Do the millennials love Harley back? It looks that way, as the world's largest manufacturer of heavyweight bikes says it's the market leader in sales of new on-road motorcycles to young adults.

In 2015, for the eighth straight year, Harley was the No. 1 seller of new highway motorcycles in the United States to adults ages 18-34. It was also the top seller of those bikes to women, African-Americans and Hispanics, as well as Caucasian men ages 35-plus, according to motorcycle registration data. READ MORE AT SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

Efforts to diversify America’s corporate boards with more minorities and women are still lagging, and Hispanics, in particular, are far behind other groups in being selected for directorships, according to an annual report on the board composition of large companies.

Over all, 399 new directors were selected for the top company boards last year. Hispanics claimed only 4 percent of those appointments, or 16 seats. The gap has widened over the last seven years, according to Heidrick & Struggles Board Monitor, which has tracked board appointments since 2009. READ MORE AT THE NEW YORK TIMES

The networking procedure is one of the most effective approaches to seek for job and to enlarge commerce opportunities. Without a circle of great expert colleagues, you will be extremely impeded all through your profession. In any case, fabricating this circle requires arranging and you need to incessantly work at it. If you want to know more about the effective networking procedure then look below at our article.

What is the Networking method all about?
Networking system essentially comprises of two fundamental actualities: the outside, for example, the rational sense, the skills, and the inside factors, for case in point, the profound feeling, the association that vibe about others when we do networking. Networking system administration is the specialty of building and managing commonly useful connections. Systems administration is about aiding and being made a difference. You have desires of others and live up to their desires of you. READ MORE AT EXAMINER.COM

Hispanic small-business owners, who believe in overwhelming numbers in the importance of consulting a financial advisor, find themselves deeply underserved when it comes to help from advisors of any ethnic makeup, according to a new survey.

As many as 81 percent of Hispanic small-business owners think it is important to meet with a financial advisor, but only 42 percent say they have an established relationship with an agent, the New York Life survey found.

Six in 10 Hispanic small-business owners have not been approached by a financial advisor and as a result, four in 10 lack life insurance coverage or any estate planning. Almost 30 percent have no retirement plan, the survey of 151 Hispanic business owners found. READ MORE AT INSURANCENEWSNET.COM

Partnering on a social listening analysis, we and Oye! Business Intelligence examined over 13,000 Facebook and Twitter conversations about the financial needs of U.S. Hispanics, including English and Spanish speakers. Research found that the top conversation drivers were retirement (22%) and how to protect one’s family (13%).

In practice, social insights from Hispanic consumers are used to develop relevant earned media storylines, leading to successful media engagement, and in turn, growth in online conversations.

When developing Hispanic communications plans, listening to social conversations reveals unique cultural nuances for financial organizations to consider... READ MORE AT MEDIAPOST

Distracted driving is a critical issue for many, but according to data it's particularly affects the Hispanic community.

Data shows that 83 percent of Hispanics are using their smart phones behind the wheel, compared to 71 percent of the general population.

On Monday, Webb County Sheriff's Office and AT&T partnered to give students at Martin High School a better understanding of those dangers with use of a 3D virtual reality simulator.

"So between high school and them starting college there's been statistics that there's a lot of accidents due to texting. READ MORE AT KGNS NBC

"I hate networking." We hear this all the time from executives, other professionals, and MBA students. They tell us that networking makes them feel uncomfortable and phony — even dirty. Although some people have a natural passion for it — namely, the extroverts who love and thrive on social interaction — many understandably see it as brown-nosing, exploitative, and unauthentic.

But in today's world, networking is a necessity. READ MORE AT FINANCIAL REVIEW

Cancer is killing more Latinos than anything else in our country, and for Hispanic women, The American Cancer Society says breast cancer is the most common.

If we were to snap a picture of the hardships Latina women face when diagnosed with breast cancer, Sandra Vergara-Duarte would be that picture.

She spent her life serving the Midlands as a West Columbia Police Officer and community liaison, but had to retire when her breast cancer got worse.

As one of the first Latinas in law enforcement, she helped give voice to a community that didn't have one at the time. “I loved my job." said Vergara-Duarte. "I didn’t want to retire. I loved helping people, I loved being there I loved doing all the programs we did to help needy families, I loved that! Right now I miss that." READ MORE AT WLTX 19

Jose Lobaton hopes to one day become a major league manager. But it’s becoming increasingly difficult for the Nationals catcher to envision his dream ever turning into a reality.

After Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was fired Tuesday because of his team’s abysmal start to the 2016 season, there are now no individuals of Hispanic descent managing in the major leagues. Gonzalez was born in Holguin, Cuba and grew up in Miami.

The absence of any Hispanic managers is a peculiar and jarring fact considering Latino players made up 28.5% of the league on Opening Day 2016, according to The Institute or Diversity and Ethics in Sport. READ MORE AT DAILY NEWS

Read biographies of the feature guests for the 2016 Marketing, Media and PR Networking Forum being held this Tuesday, May 24th at ESTATE Yacht Club and Ultrabar Chicago. 

Moderator

Alfonso Gutiérrez, News Anchor, Telemundo Chicago/WSNS

Alfonso Gutiérrez works as a news anchor for Noticiero Telemundo Chicago, which airs Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM, 5:00 PM, and 10:00 PM on Telemundo Chicago/WSNS, the local station which serves the Spanish speaking community of Chicago.

As part of Noticiero Telemundo Chicago, Gutiérrez reports the latest and most important news for Chicago area viewers. Gutiérrez first joined Telemundo Chicago in 2003, when he worked in the creative services department as an intern.
Gutiérrez has received two Emmy Awards for his journalistic work in a series of special investigations for Telemundo Chicago. He has been nominated an additional 6 times to the Emmy for his work as reporter and producer. Gutiérrez received his Bachelor’s degree in Video and Film Production from Columbia College Chicago.

Originally from Jalisco, Mexico, Gutiérrez advocates for the success of young students, inspiring them to become future leaders. To learn more about Alfonso Gutiérrez, please visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/alfonso.telemundo and follow him on Twitter @alfonsoreporta.

Discussion Panelists

Henry Alegria, Author/Speaker/Marketing Expert, Co-Host, Chicago Latino TV on Telemundo

Henry Alegria was doing well for himself until the economy crashed in 2008. He lost everything, including 12 properties - his business and even his marriage. There came a point when he hit rock bottom and couldn’t even afford to buy his children Christmas gifts.
 
Henry stayed positive and made the decision to change his story. Since then, Henry built a successful business, launched a speaking and coaching career, wrote a book, “Gana La Guerra Contra Tu Banco” (Win the War Against Your Bank), launched his fan page to motívate and inspire Latinos which now has over 1 million fans and became co-host and President of Chicago Latino TV on Telemundo.

Vanessa Ferniza, Senior Project Manager, Havas Worldwide

Vanessa Ferniza is currently a Senior Project Manager at Havas Worldwide Chicago. She specializes in large-scale integrated campaigns that include broadcast, web, mobile, display, email, direct mail and social media. She is known for her agile creative process and management style.

Vanessa transitioned to Havas following work with Arc Worldwide Chicago and at Edelman where she oversaw digital executions for a variety of consumer packaged goods, luxury, health and non-profit clients.

She began her career as a Strategic Positioning Planner with Thinkinc. Strategy, a public affairs and political consulting firm. From branding to communications planning, she helped amplify and elevate her clients’ public profile. Passionate about emerging technology, Vanessa also serves as a Marketing Consultant for app start-ups and is actively pursuing consulting and collaboration opportunities.

Vanessa attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Posse Foundation Scholar and graduated with a Liberal Arts Degree in Political Science and Sociology.

Vanessa Figueroa, President, Figueroa Strategic Communications

Vanessa Figueroa is a versatile professional with 15 years experience advising clients. A recognized leader in media relations, strategic communications, reputation management, events management, community engagement and crisis communications, she understands how to navigate the public relations landscape and a diverse array of public affairs challenges.

Vanessa Figueroa has provided consultation and in-house representation of corporate, government, and non-profit clients such as Comcast, Sinai Health System, Sinai Community Institute, Sinai Children’s Hospital, Chicago Metropolitan Breast Cancer Task Force, ComEd, Dove, Wrigley, Butterball Turkey, U.S. Cellular, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Pfizer, World Business Chicago, Latino Policy Forum, Chicago Community Trust, Year Up Chicago, various elected officials and the Chicago White Sox.

Prior to launching the Figueroa Strategic Communications consulting firm in 2014, Vanessa Figueroa served as a director or manager at multiple, reputable Chicago public affairs firms. She has also worked as an in-house public affairs manager at a global media corporation where she worked with community and business leaders, elected officials, and non-profit organizations to promote the company’s education, government and public affairs initiatives.

Vanessa Figueroa graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and has a master’s degree in Public Service Management (Public Policy and Public Administration) from DePaul University.

Mark Flores, Vice President, Olson Engage

Mark Anthony Flores joined Olson in early 2011 coming from one of the largest Hispanic based non-profits in the Midwest where he served as their communications director. He was responsible for their cause marketing, public relations, content development and branding initiatives. He also served as Commissioner of Latino Affairs for the City of Chicago’s Human Relations Council from 2005-2010.

Before UNO, Mark worked for the Chicago Tribune’s first Daily Hispanic Newspaper HOY as well and after receiving his Bachelors in Communications and minor in Latino studies from the University of Illinois, he began his career at Extra Bilingual Newspaper, one of Chicago’s first Hispanic owned print media outlets as a reporter and community engagement director.

Flores brought with him deep rooted experience and knowledge of multi-ethnic communities which has helped expand Olson’s base in the multicultural marketing field in both the advertising and PR spaces.
Mark believes that the best brands are not singular in how they go to market. The most successful marketing strategies understand the need to be inclusive of multi-ethnic communities. They must reflect insights that are born from these communities in order to succeed in the increasingly diverse society that we live in. He and his team employ a deep seated cultural understanding to ensure a brand and its communities are best served with a cultural gap that is bridged and not divided. The team accomplishes this goal by assuring that all of their executions are culturally relevant, language appropriate, in-culture, while maintaining the interests of the community in mind and ensuring commitment on behalf of the client to go all-in by using the most strategic vehicles to support the brand’s message.

Lorena Nuñez, Associate Multicultural Marketing Manager, Allstate

Lorena is an Associate Marketing Manager at Allstate Insurance in Northbrook, IL. She has been with Allstate Insurance for three years as a part of the Multicultural Marketing team. She works on all things Hispanic from national brand campaigns to sponsorships, soccer and social media programs.

Previously, Lorena was at Bravo Advertising, Young & Rubicam’s Hispanic sister agency, where she worked for three years as Account Supervisor. There she led various national and local campaigns for a broad range of clients including Wrigley’s Gum, Tampico Beverages, BMO Harris and Wendy’s.

Lorena holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and MBA both from Dominican University. She was born and raised in Melrose Park, IL. She loves dancing, hanging out with friends and family, chocolate, Don Draper, tequila and of course, novelas.

Christopher Rivera, Associate Director, Brand Marketing - Multicultural, Kellogg's Company

Christopher is currently Associate Marketing Director of Multicultural at Kellogg Company. He was named as one of the top Hispanic Thought Leaders profiled in Hispanic CMO special report by HispanicAd.com and has been a featured speaker at ANA Multicultural, Portada Media & Advertising, & AHAA conferences. Christopher has over 18 years of marketing leadership experience across CPG categories (Tobacco, Beer, Soft Drinks, Cereal, Snacks, & Frozen). He holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University.

Time is running out to register! Connect with marketing, Media and PR professionals on Tuesday. Register via Eventbrite >> http://bit.ly/1YJ0cAz

Previously, we discussed how to prepare for a networking event. Today I want to talk about how to follow up after the event. In my book about business networking, I said, "If you don't follow up, you were never there." I am amazed that so few people follow up with the people they meet at networking events.

Let me tell you a story. Last week, I had a person attend my event who told me that he had been to seven networking events that week. I smiled and said, "Wow, that is an amazing commitment to networking. You should be proud of yourself. But let me ask you a question: How did you find the time to follow up with everyone you met?"

His response was that he simply gave them his card. "They will call me if they need me," he said. READ MORE AT LOWELLSUN.COM

If the goal is to hire an engineering workforce that reflects the population at large, then employers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields are failing. Consider that African-Americans comprised 3.6 percent of the engineering workforce in 2013, while Hispanics constituted 6.6 percent and women accounted for 14.8 percent, according to the National Science Foundation. Meanwhile, the need for engineering and STEM professionals is growing tremendously.

Low minority workforce participation in engineering and STEM generally is driven by low numbers of African-American, Hispanic, American Indian and other underrepresented populations pursuing degrees in these fields. READ MORE AT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT