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What an interesting time to be Hispanic in the U.S. While I certainly believe that the best is yet to come for Latinos in this country, I'm candidly not always sure whether we are living in the best of times, or the worst of times, for people with names like mine.

On the one hand, we can be proud to hail from the same group as Salma Hayek, Sonia Sotomayor, Oscar de la Renta, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Sammy Sosa, Oscar Muñoz, Oscar de la Hoya, Marco Rubio and so many more whose names are synonymous with success in the world of art, government, business, sports and more.

Being a Latino also means being part of the demographic group that everyone is talking about, watching and marketing to. And no wonder. We are economically powerful, and that power is growing. There are more than four million Hispanic-owned businesses in America, with more than $660 billion in combined annual revenue. READ MORE AT THE HILL

Many tech start-ups are in the business of making themselves successful. But some entrepreneurs have set up businesses with the express mission of training others to be successful in the tech sector.

Several of those start-ups have dedicated themselves to creating programs, incubators or accelerators to train blacks and Hispanics for tech jobs.

Their efforts are coming at a time when Silicon Valley has increasingly been scrutinized for its lack of diversity. But instead of leaving it to the tech giants to solve the problem alone, some see their own connections as a way to address the issue. READ MORE AT THE NEW YORK TIMES

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

Know a Latino leader? Nominations for the 2016 Coors Light Líder of the Year are now open!  This is your chance to shine a light on an outstanding, emerging Latino leader making an impact in your community and help him/her win a $25,000 grant for your nonprofit.  
 
Twelve finalists will be selected from the nominees and receive the title of Coors Light líderes. Each líder will be featured on the program website, social media pages and across digital and print ad campaigns.  The Coors Light 2016 Líder of the Year will be selected by online voting and will receive a $25,000 grant for their nonprofit to implement a project.  
 
Committed to supporting emerging Latino leaders since 2006, the Coors Light Líderes program has highlighted the achievements and vision of more than 140 Hispanic leaders, 10 of which have been honored as the Coors Light Líder of the Year.
 
Last year, JoAnna M. Cintrón, of the Denver Film Society, was nominated for her efforts in promoting diversity in front of and behind the cameras.  She also helped to launch CineLatino, which celebrates Latino culture in film. Having been voted the Coors Light Líder of the Year, Cintrón said, “It is an honor to be chosen to represent the Denver Film Society and CineLatino as the 2015 Coors Light Líder…and excited to use the $25,000 grant to expand the Denver Film Society’s efforts to create programs to showcase the work of so many talented Latino filmmakers and storytellers.”
 
By nominating someone today, you can help bring attention to the exceptional talent the Latino community has to offer. Be sure to read the nomination criteria below and submit your nomineebefore June 20, 2016.
 
On behalf of Coors Light, I thank you for helping us identify the brightest emerging Latino leaders in your community!

2016 Coors Light Líderes Nomination Criteria

• The nominee must be: 
  • Of Hispanic descent, between the ages of 21 and 39 years old and associated with a 501(c) 3 nonprofit (staff or volunteer).
  • A person in good standing in the community who represents the values of the community he/she serves as evidenced by recognition from a local organization, media outlet or other form of public community support.
  • An emerging community leader who through his/her words and actions exemplifies leadership and who works toward establishing noteworthy improvement in the lives of individuals, communities and organizations.

• Nominees must actively participate in initiatives that involve leadership development, education, environmental stewardship, economic development, volunteerism or mentoring within a nonprofit.
• Nominees must not have any history of alcohol-related incidents, such as driving while intoxicated.
• Nonprofits and the public can nominate a leader. The nonprofit organization the nominee is affiliated with must approve/support the nomination.
• The nominee’s affiliated nonprofit must: 
  • Be a 501(c) 3 organization with a commitment to ethical business and social practices.
  • Have a project or program that specifically benefits the Hispanic community. If the nonprofit does not already have such a Hispanic-focused program, the organization must be willing to create one if their nominee is elected as the líder of the year and receives the $25,000 award.
  • Have existing projects or programs that focus on persons 21 years old and older.
  • Not be exclusively focused on advocacy issues, such as immigration, civic participation and politics.
  • Align with Coors Light corporate social responsibility commitments; and agree to work with Coors Light.
• The individual selected as the Coors Light Líder of the Year will win a $25,000 grant for the nonprofit and remain engaged with the program throughout the year.  The grant must be used as follows:
  • Fund a Coors Light-approved community project which would benefit the Hispanic community and is not related to advocacy issues nor serves individuals younger than 21 years of age. 
  • The project will be implemented by the nominee’s nonprofit organization in partnership with Coors Light.  

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