MIAMI — Latino Leaders Magazine owes a lot to the city of Miami. Last year, Miami hosted the first Club Leaders of the Future.

That group inspired LLM to continue the initiative, which has grown from four cities to six cities in 2012.

This year’s group maintained the high level set by the inaugural group, as several of Miami’s young Latino leaders joined the staff of LLM on Feb. 23 at the Conrad Miami.

Their stories are in the current issue of Latino Leaders Magazine. Check out their amazing stories here.

The 2012 Club Leaders of the Future: Miami

Miguel Arguelles
English Literature Teacher
South Dade High School

A highly recognized human resources professional, Miguel jumpstarted his career at an early age. After graduating college, Miguel began his career at Inktel Direct Corporation as an entry-level HR generalist and was promoted to human capital manager nine months later.

Under his leadership, the company was named Best Place to Work in South Florida by the South Florida Business Journal and the Best Place to Work in Florida by Florida Trend Magazine. Miguel himself received the 2009 Excellence in Human Resources Award by the South Florida Business Journal, and he was recently selected for the Miami Foundation’s Miami Fellows program.

Diana Arteaga
Community Liaison
Florida CFO, Jeff Atwater

A New Jersey native, Diana grew up with an appreciation for education and worked hard to excel in law school to become the successful attorney she is today.

With a passion for international affairs and human rights advocacy, she serves on the Board of The White Rose Institute and regularly appears on radio and television as a commentator on foreign, political and state affairs.

Diana is also the community liaison for Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, specializes in Hispanic affairs statewide, and was recently appointed to the TAC Committee of the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund in Miami.

Paola Bolaño
Assistant Producer for Aqui Y Ahora
Univision Network

A Chicago native, Paola knew from an early age that television was her passion. Participating in local television programs and hosting live shows throughout her high school years, she went on to freelance in entertainment journalism during college, interviewing several renowned Latino musicians. Following her internship at WGN Chicago, she was chosen to represent Chicago nationally as a co-host to LATV’s bilingual entertainment show, “En la Zona.”

As assistant producer for the Emmy-nominated show, Aqui Y Ahora, Paola has contributed to numerous news and feature stories and produced the nationally recognized “Una Historia de Amor.”

Eddie Borrego
Chief of Staff to County Commissioner Lynda Bell
Miami-Dade County

A first-generation college graduate, Eddie has been improving Florida’s systems through developing and launching several state-wide initiatives including environmental and education priorities and enhancing consumer protection programs. As U.S. Senator George LeMieuxs’ South Florida Regional Director, he served as the local voice on federal immigration policy, business regulation reform and Hispanic issues.

Now chief of staff to County Commissioner Lynda Bell in Miami-Dade County, Eddie leads a team of seven and manages all aspects of an elected office and a $1 million office budget.

David R. Cardenas
Vice President
The Cardenas Group, Inc.

David’s career began with managing client assets at HSBC Private Bank International, and he now serves as vice president of The Cardenas Group, Inc., a company that provides municipal governmental advocacy services to domestic and international corporations.

Among his many involvements, David is a partner at Miami Strategies LLC and serves as co-chairman of the Romney for President Campaign in Miami-Dade County. He is also a founding board member of SUNPAC, an organization devoted to Florida Hispanic Outreach.

Shonali M. Choudhury
Research Assistant Professor
UM School of Nursing and Health Studies

Shonali’s extensive research experience combined with her interest in a wide range of health-related topics has helped her become the professional she is today. Prior to moving to Miami and teaching at UM School of Nursing and Health Studies, she taught courses on program evaluation, women and HIV/AIDS, and social justice and public health.

Shonali has been a member of the International AIDS Society and on the board of the Population Sexual and Reproductive Health section of the American Public Health Association.

DALLAS — More than 25 young Latino professionals joined Latino Leaders Magazine at the Reunion Tower on Feb. 10.

Twenty-six Dallas superstars gathered to share their leadership stories with each other and with the magazine. The night featured all-stars from the media, entrepreneurs, civic and community leaders and corporate leaders.

After successfully launching the Club Leaders of the Future event in 2011, Latino Leaders Magazine brought the event to its corporate headquarters in Dallas.

Club Leaders of the Future Dallas 2012 Members

Joseph A. Acevedo
Vice President
Pharos Capital Group, LLC

With 13 years as a private equity, finance and operations professional, Joseph has brought many successes to the companies he has worked for.

At Univision Communications, he launched and managed the home entertainment division, which achieved $5 million in revenues and immediate profitability in the first year. Now at Pharos, Joseph is responsible for the buyout and growth equity investments in companies across a wide range of industries. He has advised several management teams on business development strategies. He is also an active member of the New America Alliance and serves as a “HERO” mentor to high school students in Uplift Education.

Anna M. Alvarado
Associate General Counsel
First Cash Financial Services, Inc.

From picking and harvesting grapes to starting a residential remodeling company, Anna is a determined woman who has worked hard to get where she is: Vice president SAGA Home Improvements & Repairs, LLC, and associate general counsel for First Cash Financial Services, Inc.

She currently serves on several board committees within the Women’s Policy Forum Foundation, the Artes de la Rosa at Rose Marine Theater and Girl Scouts Texas Oklahoma Plains, and she is education chair of Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas – Fort Worth Chapter.

Anna was recently awarded the Fort Worth Business Press 2011 “40 under 40.”

Alma Coronado
Marketing and Sales Coordinator
Viawest, Inc.

A Dallas native, Alma has rocked the advertising industry for the last decade. She has worked for Dieste Harmel & Partners, represented AT&T in the Hispanic market, and has managed both radio and newspaper media planning.

Prior to working at Viawest, Alma was executive assistant to Dallas County Commissioner Mike Cantrell, where she innovatively redesigned his website to be more comprehensive and transparent.

Now at one of the largest privately held data center service providers in North America, she supports a team in achieving their sales goals and provisions orders from the sales stage to the operations stage.

Ernesto Fernandez
Associate Creative Director/Social Media Strategy
Dieste

Ernesto is an expert in the field of advertising and marketing. Prior to joining Dieste, he owned a company in Mexico and was marketing and production manager of R.P.M. Now, having been with Dieste for nearly 10 years, Ernesto has worked his way up from his position as copywriter to his current position as creative director.

In his tenure there, at one of the largest Multicultural Agency Networks in the U.S., he has assisted with numerous award-winning campaigns across multiple media, for clients including 7-Eleven, Cheetos and AT&T.

Daniel Frid
Director of Marketing
Team Sports Agency

A tennis player turned sports marketer, Daniel has turned his passion for sports into a career. The first generation American earned his college degree while being captain of the tennis team and an All American as an NCAA Division One tennis player for Boston University.

He now manages marketing for a professional sports representation firm that represents multiple athletes in the National Football League. Team Sports Agency is also the executive producer of “The Randy White Show” on Fox Sports Southwest and co-produces GKL Productions Inc. MMA fight events.

Matt Garcia
Outreach Director
Office of U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions

Matt has excelled throughout his career. As outreach director, he concentrates on Hispanic and Corporate Affairs, working closely with Hispanic leaders and government officials to ensure the needs of the city and state are met at the federal level.

Prior to joining the staff of U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions, Matt spent five years in the finance industry working in treasury and investor relations.

He serves the youth through tutoring young Hispanic males at Lida Hooe Elementary and sits on the Board of the Dallas Texas Exes. He is also co-chair of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional organization as well as a leader of other organizations.

Latinos represent less than five percent of total doctoral degrees in the U.S. In terms of lasting relevance, that number needs to increase. Is it just a matter of time?  

ur last issue’s cover story, “The Latino Leaders Agenda,” generated more feedback than any other edition in the magazine’s 12-year history.

I wrote last time of the difficulty in calling something an “agenda,” and I did expect some negative feedback about our five-pronged editorial mission. Would it be accepted and supported or quickly negated as another naïve attempt by a publication to capture and define the Latino leadership community?

The comments were largely positive, and they mostly ended with some tone of,  “Can’t wait to see what you do next.”

With this edition, we officially begin our exploration of the Latino Leaders Agenda, starting with a look at Latino Ph.Ds. Even though we saw this as very clear part of our agenda, people criticized me for not wanting to highlight high school dropout rates or the number of Latinos not graduating from college, arguing that these were of greater importance to the Latino community.

In these areas, my argument will always be the same: Allow those who cater to the Latino community at-large to focus on those issues. To be honest, they are better equipped to report and monitor on the progression than we are. In not covering these things in-depth, we are not suggesting they are not important. We just like to take one area and find the niche within the niche.

We’re interested in finding out why only 2,279 Latinos were awarded Ph.D.s in the 2007-2008 academic year (U.S. Department of Education). Is it simply a function of time? Or does the five-year, near-$300,000 commitment make it impossible to even consider obtaining?

Yesi Morillo-Gual, a Ph.D. student, says that “[p]rioritizing, staying disciplined and lacking sleep and energy is a challenge not easily handled by many.  The monetary aspect is yet another challenge.”

Morillo-Gual is a mother of two and founder and president of Proud to Be Latina LLC.  She acknowledges that family commitments make it harder, especially when considering that Latinos will be between 26 and 35 when they obtain their doctoral degree (U.S. Department of Education).

Entry-level, recently-graduated Ph.D.s can expect to make less than $60,000 a year.  This make the opportunity cost exceedingly high, not to mention anything of the debt being incurred as well.

Our Ph.D. portfolio features several Latinos with doctoral degrees. Many offer similar insights into how Latinos can improve the less-than-five percent share of doctoral degrees in the United States.

Dr. Robert Rodriguez, a former academic turned entrepreneur and author of “Latino Talent,” says that Latinos need to see education as an investment, one with long-term results. He says that aversion to debt and applying short-term thinking to a long-term issue also binds Latinos.

Morillo-Gual agrees, saying that education has allowed her to “break the cycle of poverty that plagued (her) family.”

More than that, Morillo-Gual believes that her struggle and success through education has helped her children see what it means to be a leader.

That is our charge as well. We hope that by showing that there are indeed Latinos achieving academic successes at the highest levels, that others will be inclined to follow if circumstances allow for them to do so.

But, we also know that if there are more Latino academics, not only will more Latinos see the profession as a possibility, but non-Latinos will also begin to see Latinos as informative, intelligent and capable leaders, and that will inevitably bring us to the third prong in our editorial journey: The Perception of Latinos in Mainstream Media. See you in June.

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Dr. Latino Leader: A Solution-Minded Portfolio

eadership. Education. Passion. Justice. For Vanessa Rodriguez, these are the attributes that guide her community involvement.

Vanessa seeks to fight for the most vulnerable people within her environment. She does that daily as Director of Advocacy and External Affairs for the Health Council of South Florida, and an aspiring mentor at Educate Tomorrow, a volunteer based organization assisting foster cared youth “aging out” of the foster care system. As the Health Council’s representative at community meetings and related events, she is a key liaison between the Health Council and local and regional governments, non-profit organizations, interest groups and the private sector. Her exceptional skills are further cultivated in the multifaceted role she performs within the Council, as she coordinates all public and media relations, provides fundraising and resource development, conducts policy research, writes grants and leads a team of dedicated professionals.

In addition, Vanessa coordinates the strategic planning and provides essential support to the Health Council’s Planning and Advisory, Ethics and Advocacy Committees. 

“Social justice is very important to me,” Vanessa explains. “I have a sincere passion for what I do. Like Confucius said, ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’”

Creating successful community partnerships is pivotal to Vanessa’s role at the health council. It’s her mindful approach that resonates well with other community leaders, and ultimately is the vehicle for progress in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods in South Florida.

Put plainly, these communities need access to free clinics and general healthcare, and in order to effectively advocate for these services in her immediate populace, Vanessa knows that full community engagement is required.

This young philanthropist embraces a holistic view of how to up the quality in her surroundings. As for her mentoring aspirations, she is currently a member of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s 33rd Leadership Miami Class and member of the Health and Bioscience Committee. She also serves as a Board Member for Mi-Lola, a reproductive and social justice organization and participates on the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Wellness Committee. Vanessa is also very proud to voluntarily partner with Educate Tomorrow and its, “It’s Your Life” Life Skills Camps, in order to inspire and reinforce independence within disadvantaged youth.

Vanessa says that she likes to align herself with people and organizations that share her same vision. These Life Skills Camps allow her to engage transitioning youth in specific areas such as money management, educational and employment opportunities, health and housing. Some of the hands-on projects include preparing a personal budget, opening a savings account, participating in mock interviews, dining and employment etiquette and much more.

When asked what advice she recommends for her fellow colleagues, she explains, “Anyone who is successful really needs to get involved and give back. We’ve all had a helping hand at some point. My practical advice is to find a mentor – a true professional to learn from. Never show up somewhere thinking you know everything. Be engaged at all times.”

olitics is an ironic business, full of surprises. Take the U.S. Senate, for instance. There are only two Latino senators presently; both of Cuban heritage, born of immigrants. Yet the gulf could not be wider  — nearly two decades, vastly different personalities, values, climates and ideologies separate them, but both agree on one thing: future prosperity of Latinos lies in representation at the highest level, and New Jersey’s scrappy Senator Robert Menendez is ‘taking names’ to that end.

Friendly and feisty, no-bull Menendez came up aces the hard way. Blue collar to the bone, he chose his Democratic path early. At age 19, he began volunteering.  It felt right. He found his ‘commerce activist’ groove and stuck to it. This proved a challenging road…yes, but not thankless.  Bob’s 40-plus awards attest to the gratitude of his admiring constituency and colleagues.

He’s been publicly lauded by Armenians, Greeks, Irish, Hispanics, Hindus, homeless, disabled, vets, women’s cancer, women’s rights, paramedics, nurses, his professional colleagues in government, business and law, to name just a few. You get the feeling that Bob Menendez doesn’t turn away people in need, but still manages to keep his big picture intact. His signature ear-to-ear grin is a beacon to the troubled – and it seems fitting that he led the charge for the reopening of the Statue of Liberty after 9/11.

And, as a man of the [business] people, he became the official Diversity champion in a top-down siege of the Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 bastions of power as chair of the Senate Democratic Hispanic Task. Menendez speaks in an upbeat, direct and casual manner: “I am here to open the doors. Diversity comes in different dimensions. My state is incredibly diverse – it has a social as well as economic diversity, I understand the challenges.”

In his near-20 years in D.C., Menendez has always been a busy man, but his decision to drive diversity in corporate America as chair of the Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force comes as a perfectly chosen endeavor of passion and principle.

In 2010, Bob knocked at the castle doors with surveys in hand, a kind of elevated canvassing to separate the doers from the talkers in the resistance to diversity of Corporate America. He made some headway. The survey results are a source of morbid fascination for those seeking entrée into the pinnacle of power; whilst the elite corporate empire of America’s ultimate decision making remains tightly held by a few jealous kings, Menendez has been quietly building a footbridge to the castle, across which qualified women and men of diverse cultural distinctions will one day cross.

He explains it simply: “I am not a believer in those that make the climb, enter the doors, then pull up the ladder and close the door behind them. I am here to help. It’s a joyful burden,” he admits.

Countless hours of listening to his constituents and colleagues, persistence and a determined optimism are evident on his ever-smiling face.  He’s a popular guy. His door stayed open; for five years he was the only Latino in the Senate, and as a result, every Latino cause came his way, from every state — not just his own ‘Jersey.’

Menendez became the de-facto Latino spokesman in the Senate. He couldn’t say no. He took up the cause of retribution for Latino farmers. “Even though we had no Latino farmers in New Jersey,” chuckles Menendez.

His working-class roots, cold winters and proximity to Lady Liberty keep Bob Menendez grounded and provide a constant reminder of the average man’s struggle. This could have been a barrier to his communication with corporate giants, but Bob Menendez has been adept in representing the small business owners as well as individuals; one of his core goals has always been to broaden the opportunities and raise prosperity of his constituents.

This led somewhat naturally to his being chair of the Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force. In 2010, as the then-lone Latino senator and chairman of the Task Force, Menendez’ goal was to wrangle as much information as possible; it wasn’t easy. To get Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies to respond to the survey, confidentiality was a condition. Predictably, the results were not exactly cause for jubilation. In total, 219 of Fortune 500 companies responded as did 71 of the Fortune 100. The study found minorities to represent a total of 14.5 percent of directors on corporate boards.

Astonishingly, there is generally less representation on executive teams than corporate boards. Latinos have the proportionately worst representation on boards and even less on executive teams. They comprise 3.28 percent of board members and 2.90 percent on executive teams, about one-fifth of the 16 percent we represent in the U.S. population. For the sake of comparison, African Americans have the highest representation on boards compared to the population, but lost major traction from boards to executive management teams, from 8.77 percent to 4.23 percent. Women have better ‘scores’ on executive teams than boards. With 18.04 percent of board members being female and 19.87 percent of executive teams, this is still a fraction of the 50-plus percent of the population that women represent. Menendez: “Diversity is a driver in our economy, and women make great executives – the Catalyst study has proved that. “

With good, if discreditable reason, most remain unwilling to be publicly named. Big-picture Menendez doesn’t get hung up on the rules. He will exploit the anonymous statistics to the fullest extent possible: “My survey is private — we will not share the information, but encourage those companies that did well to let us use them as examples.” But numbers don’t lie. It’s a paltry and gratuitous ‘representation,’ a fraction in relation to the 45-plus percent diversity of the U.S. population. Many execs are out of touch with what’s really happening in their diversity dealings. Menendez often witnesses a CEO’s astonishment: “They come to me and say, ‘I’m surprised – I thought we did better.’” This is his opening. Here is where the Hispanic Task Force can begin to affect change.

The question remains: if the bottom line is of such importance to most corporations – why is there such resistance to what seems an obvious advantage? Racism, classism, sexism?

Menendez: “Yes. It’s several things – corporate board membership is like an exclusive club. There is a lot of inbreeding. That’s one reality. Change in the private sector comes exceedingly slow, but beyond that, there just isn’t a full embracing of the economics.”

He said: “Hispanic purchasing power currently exceeds $1 trillion and is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2015. Executives need to understand this market through cultural representation. This is my mantra.”

“As chair of the Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force, I have always placed a high value on diversity at all levels of our economic, political and social sectors, and the basic understanding that has resulted from this survey will help guide us in doing so,” Menendez said.

He continued: “We need to change the dynamic and make it commonplace for minorities to be part of the American corporate structure. It is not just about doing what’s right, but it’s a good business decision that will benefit both corporations and the communities they’re tapping into and making investments in. That’s why I’m offering my recommendations and [working] one-on-one with companies who want to move those numbers and company executives who want to make a difference in the community.”

In June of 2011, a second survey went out. Regardless of the results, Menendez knows his work continues.

Catalyst Study “Why Diversity Matters”

Ladies Room: A 2010 report by the National Association for Female Executives found that the stocks of all 12 Fortune 500 companies with female chief executive officers rose an average of 50 percent in 2009, compared to the 25 percent average for the Standard and Poor’s 500 leading companies. As the United States grows more diverse, those companies that have boards and senior management that are reflective of today’s demographics will be increasingly better positioned to compete in the marketplace.

Menendez:  “Women populated boards do better bottom line than non-populated boards, period.”

“I believe that inclusion of females and minorities in the C-suite and among supplier chains should not be done just because it is the right thing to do, but because it is good for business.”

For example, the most recent decennial census shows that women represent more than 50 percent and Hispanics represent more than 16 percent of our population. According to the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce, women control $4.3 trillion in U.S. consumer spending.

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The Value “Co” Creator

David Aragon’s Diversity Map: Massive Trove of Talent

ndres Ruzo has said that his is a story of faith.

It’s no surprise then when asked about his approach to business he offers a relevant parable.

“It’s like the parable of the talents, right?” he began. “To the person who was given five talents, he gave back 10; the one with two, gave back four. But the one who only gave back what he got was called wicked.”

The New Testament parable aptly summarizes Ruzo’s approach with business, specifically with the large corporations he works with. For Ruzo, the CEO of LinkAmerica, value-add means something completely different.

Since forming the company in 1994, he, like the first two servants, wants to be known as the partner who brings back more than he was given.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing with AT&T,” Ruzo said. “I engage with them…we give them services, and we find ways to bring value, and we bring innovation. It’s constant. It’s the value co-creation. You’re co-creating value together. And that’s the whole idea — that’s the power of what I do: How can I make them more profitable? How can I drive cost out of their business? And how can I increase their profits? With everything, (it’s done) with quality, with scale, with scope and with speed.”

Value Co-Creation. It’s one part of Ruzo’s three-part business promise. The other two — Collaboration and Innovation — are the hallmarks of a 18-year old business that provides communications services and warehouse management for some of the world’s most relevant companies.

To Ruzo’s disappointment, he didn’t coin the term ‘value co-creation.’ That was the work of Indian professor, C.K. Prahalad. But he appreciates its application.

But in order for the principles of value co-creation to hold, then AT&T has to appreciate it as well. According to Ruzo, it does.

The numbers support that claim. Recently, AT&T announced that it reached and surpassed its 2012 goal of spending 21.5 percent with diverse suppliers. In 2011, AT&T spent $12 billion dollars, or 23 percent of its total spend.

“What I like about AT&T benefits … is that they’re very friendly; they’re eco-friendly, their friendly to suppliers. I think that they have a true a true initiative, a true intent to build companies to last. And I think they have they understand they have a good corporate responsibility roadmap.”

Ruzo suggests that its AT&T preoccupation with value co-creation with its suppliers that has allowed this. It recognized the shift in the telecom industry and responded where many of the others — now bankrupt and out of business — could not.

“They looked at a lot of their partners and said which ones were strategic and which ones were going to grow healthy with together,” he said.

But when dealing with a corporate giant like AT&T, scale matters — in everything.

Ruzo says once a prospective supplier gets through the certification process, it is really up to the respective company to understand this.

More than that, he says that as a supplier, its crucial that he and others like him remain innovative and don’t get too comfortable. He says because of AT&T’s size they are unable to innovate as quickly as a company like LinkAmerica. This works in the supplier’s favor, Ruzo says.

“You cannot grow with them in the same initiative because they are an elephant; we are mice, he said. We can move very quickly. They can’t…so they need your speed; they need your vision; they need your innovation, and they understand that there’s a top-down approach, but there’s also a bottoms-up approach. And one is not better than the other.”

Understanding both and infusing a charitable disposition is what has Ruzo running one of the fastest growing Hispanic businesses in the country. LinkAmerica’s annual revenue went up from $12 million in 2008 to $213 million in 2011. He’s projecting another $40 million bump this year. But, he’s thinking about tomorrow just as much as he is year’s end.

“The secret sauce is that you earn your business every day,” he said. “Every day is a new day. Don’t take anything for granted. Be an immigrant. Immigrants don’t take (anything) for granted. That’s why we’re successful.

Although based near Dallas, LinkAmerica is known all around the country, as is its founder. Ruzo is a regular speaker and distributes his leadership among many organizations, including the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and LULAC.

With 11 offices around the world, Ruzo is more than a domestic success story. He has been involved in numerous national organizations, including the USHCC and LULAC. But his leadership has also overseen the founding of the  North American Institute for Children’s Advancement (NICA), serve on the board of Parkland Hospital Foundation for the past five years, act as Board Vice President of the Hispanic Leadership Institute from 2005 to 2010, and recently, to develop a mobile, faith-based application called “Ignio” with daily Bible readings, a real-time prayer feed, and more than 8,000 users.

“I came here with two bags and a dream, and after 30 years, I built several companies…because I take nothing for granted. Every day I create. Every day I bring value. Every day I innovate. Every day is a new day. Every day I thank God for being alive. So, if you have that attitude and that culture and that DNA in your company, then you will do great things.”

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David Aragon’s Diversity Map: Massive Trove of Talent

Diversity’s David: Senator Bob Menendez Takes On Fortune 500 Goliaths

avid Aragon has the air of a stern but caring professor, the one that will inspire excellence, coach you through finals, and persist until your very best results have been achieved. His standards are lofty, but he will help you get there, and more importantly — stay there.

His employees laud his approachable and collaborative management style and win-win tactics. His ‘24-hour open door’ policy makes for long hours, but that is one of the distinctions that elevates The Site Group from every other diversity staffing firm. When asked what his most powerful management ‘secret’ is, Aragon answers succinctly: “Listening.”

Unfailingly ranked in the Fortune 500 of Hispanic-owned companies, under David’s watchful eye, The Site Group has blossomed from a minor local staffing service and engineering services firm, to an established concern providing international clients with outstanding candidates such far flung locales as China, United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada and South America. What began as a traditional employment situation burst into entrepreneurship when Aragon realized that what he was doing in-house in talent procurement could be so much more gratifying as an independent contractor. It has proved lucrative indeed, to the tune of $31.8 million in sales.

Aragon: “I was working for an organization when a light bulb went off in my head. I separated myself and have taken MAP [Management Alliance Programs, Inc. aka MAP Engineering Services, Inc.] to areas to be daring.”

Aragon decided to focus on becoming an expert at diversity recruitment to help clients meet their own workforce goals while creating new opportunities for minority and disadvantaged workers in local communities. During the past several decades he has successfully created a vast network of organizations, schools, colleges, public agencies and Internet resources to address this challenge.

Locating his recruitment and company offices in culturally diverse areas of Milwaukee and rejecting more trendy suburban business park digs, provided powerful and impactful results. In 2000, an office located in a semi-distressed area of Milwaukee placed more than 7,000 workers of which 80 percent were people of culturally diverse origins.  Over the years, through all of the Company’s divisions, well over 100,000 workers have been placed into well-paying engineering, technical and administrative positions with many of these individuals coming from urban centers.

This MBE staffing enterprise, specializing in human resources, professional engineering services management and construction management became quite an undertaking. Clearly, David’s building and maintaining his own diverse internal staff of bilingual recruiters to assist in the placement process is a major success factor. Company operating procedures and brochures are produced in both English and Spanish to recruit a diverse pool of candidates for clients and also for internal staff positions.

The Site Group ‘difference’ might be their very hands-on approach which continues after placement. Site continues to manage their placed talent; insuring their success and the client’s satisfaction.

Aspirations exceeded have kept David’s firm, The Site Group, Inc. firmly on the supplier vanguard of the diversity talent food chain with top clients like Kraft. It’s a case study for the optimum results attainable when both sides do their utmost to collaborate. David acknowledges that it’s a ‘special’ bond.

“I have been working with Kraft since 1978. When we talk about collaboration we aim to sustain relationships, we don’t want a million customers. When we started, we had one. Our experience has grown from one to 49 different plants through Kraft. We have worked with them on a getting-to-know-you basis. Developing these long time relations we understand the mission. As a manager I empower all of my people to be part of the team.” How does a new diversity supplier convince a client to give them a chance?

Aragon says it all goes back to basics.

“When it comes to diversity, first we rely on reputation and delivery of services. We do due diligence and knock on doors. I have always tried to mentor people. I tell them just deliver quality service. The work speaks for itself. Kraft treats us as strategic partners, like shareholders. They give us ideas for new services from MAP. Kraft mentors both in business and personal ways.”

Recognizing that not everyone has an engineering aptitude, David’s elite workforce took a broader approach. In 1991, The Site Group launched a new strategy to meet the need for temporary staffing of skilled, semi-skilled and administrative positions. The talent pool is deep, offering in excess of 100,000 engineering, IT and administrative professional resumes. Clients can hire qualified applicants from local communities as well as from across the globe.

This gives local candidates tremendous exposure and opportunities outside of their immediate surroundings. Aragon’s staff of 50 service and recruiting representatives fill both permanent and temporary positions for clients. “I look at building the relationships and build the trust. We look to areas where we need traction.” A particular area of staffing challenge? David sighs. “We’ve gone through some acquisition and sales personnel. They are the hardest to find, keep and hold.” Although he seems a traditionalist he is highly experimental in his approach to talent development and steadfastly committed to finding educational opportunities for promising candidates. He devotes a chunk of volunteer time — 10 to 12 hours a week — to outside interests. Scholarships for single mothers and upwardly yearning underdogs have a special place in his heart. “Fairness and balance” is his motto. Aragon’s great passion is seeing others do well. ”I am always a supporter of diversity in my peers and competitors.”

Aragon’s grounded advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Do your due diligence, knock on doors, provide the best service, take baby steps. Keep improving. When you are good, get even better. Reinvest back in the company. Use the technology tools out there.”

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LOS ANGELES — Latino Leaders Magazine returned to one of the most important cities for its mission of promoting, young Latino leaders: Los Angeles.

On April 26, Latino Leaders hosted its second annual Club Leaders of the Future Los Angeles at the JW Marriott  in Downtown LA. Inducting 20 new members to the group, the event welcomed back several of last year’s inaugural group as well.

This year’s group, like last year’s, emphasized and personified the diversity that exists within the Latino leadership community in Los Angeles. Leaders from finance, media, sports and entertainment shared their stories with the staff of Latino Leaders Magazine.

The 2012 Club Leaders of the Future: Los Angeles  

Rafael Agustin
Festival Manager, LA Latino Independent Film Festival

Ericka Avila
Senior Programs & Outreach Manager, The LAGRANT Foundation

Daniel Chivardi
UX Architect, BLITZ

Juan Contreras
Assoc. Director of Content, AT&T

Dalena Cortez
Development Associate, Goodwill

Norma D. Dominguez
Chair of Chicano Youth Leadership Council 

Vanesa Duek
Lead, Innocean Worldwide 

Paco Flores
Director of Development, Western Region, Hispanic Scholarship Fund 

Jesse Garcia
Actor/Writer/Photographer

Alex Goldstein
COO, elwiri

Martha Juarez
Associate, BlackRock Real Estate

Daniel Macias
Macias Gini & O’Connell LLC

Robert Perez
Writer/Strategist 

Emanuel Pleitez
Chief Strategy Officer, Spokeo 

Edward Portillo
Owner/Producer, State of the Art Productions 

Gabe Salazar
National Speaker, Gabe Salazar LLC 

Nancy Salazar
Manager, Gabe Salazar LLC 

Elia Sanchez
Director of Community Engagement, Fox Audience Strategy

Sioma Waisburd
CEO, Amnistad, LLC

Iris Zuniga
Chief Operating Officer, Youth Policy Institute    

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

Club Leaders of the Future LA 2012

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It’s kept her ahead of the crowd all of her life. Those lessons weren’t learned in Corporate America.

No.

They were earned at the State Fair in Michigan.

he Chuck E. Cheese tickets were still safe in their Ziploc bag.

Several years had passed since Monica L. Martinez had earned them as a young girl in Michigan.

She made sure to bring them on her recent 1,000-mile plus move from Detroit to Dallas.

Redeemable? Probably not. But, for Monica, their significance and value have only grown over time.

“[F]inding that bag clearly reminds me of what I intended to do — cash in on something bigger later,” she said.

That early life lesson — sacrificing the immediate benefit and building a foundation for something greater later — has paced Monica’s education and propelled her through her corporate career.

It’s a simple enough concept, and yet one rarely followed in practice, says Monica. The Cliffs Notes Generation Monica has grown up in is more likely to read the last page of the book rather than enjoy the plot development.

“One of the things…that is different than in my youth is now I am challenged with balancing my time but also understanding the delayed gratification. When I reflect on my childhood, I can see how even then I had a strong sense of discipline and understood how sacrifices in the short term, both large and small, could yield greater results in the long term.”

It’s as true now as it was then for Monica, now an executive at Comerica Bank, where she is senior vice president of Corporate Contributions for the Bank’s Texas and Arizona Markets and also manages Comerica’s National Hispanic Business Development.

The titles suggest prestige, relevance and influence. All earned, no doubt, and many would say that Monica has made it. By many standards, she has.

But achieving what Monica has means not standing still, not being static.

The key to Monica’s success has always been the focus on the next day, the next project, the next goal. She is fond of saying, “I checked that box….” She knows so well where she is going that she could mentally — and physically — cross it off her list.

With this mentality, the wins and losses matter just as much because it’s always about evaluation: “What can I learn from that and make it better next time?”.

Her approach has been developed over time, honed and tweaked along the way. But her staples and charter for success didn’t begin in college. Like most leaders, these habits started in her youth. In this case, the training ground for Monica was the Michigan State Fair.

BLUE RIBBON DRIVEN

Tradition suggests that the Michigan State Fair is the oldest in the United States. During Monica’s youth, attendance averaged around 300,000 patrons.

Of all the classrooms executives point to for their development, few point to this arena. Yet, it was during these annual fairs that Monica saw opportunities to distinguish herself. At the prompting of her mother, Monica began to participate in various competitions at the state fair.

Initially, Monica simply focused on the product. If she was baking chocolate cookies, they would be the best she could make. After a couple of years, however, Monica began to identify patterns: The majority of competitors participate in the chocolate chip cookie category, all vying for one of three ribbons.

Monica quickly realized that her chances of winning increased by participating in multiple categories, specifically those with fewer competitors. This decision not only produced results — her 100-plus ribbons prove it successful —  but she diversified her skill set and became proficient in several types of baking. Shortbread? Decorated cakes? Thumbprint? She could do it all.

“[T]he reason I think those years were very significant is because they taught me about setting goals, to be disciplined,” she said of her competitive experience. “They really made me focus on initial performance by analyzing past mistakes, or looking at the achievements that I had made up until that point. In some cases, whether we are talking about the state fair or sports, or other things that were key in my early development, it was also about accepting defeats and wins.”

She continued expanding her fair portfolio by entering in other categories: cross-stich, embroidery, pottery. Oh, she was competing in high school sports and dance as well and excelling in all of them. The wisdom of her mother still echoes, “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

APPLYING THE LESSONS

Back then, Monica couldn’t give her approach to performance a rationale. That came much later after reading a study by businessman Herbert Grey. After an 11-year study, Grey discovered that the “common denominator of success” was that “successful people make a habit of doing the things unsuccessful people don’t like to do.”

According to Brian Tracy’s book, “No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline,” Grey’s findings were that “successful people are more concerned with ‘pleasing results,’ whereas failures were more concerned about ‘pleasing methods.’ Successful, happy people were more concerned with the positive, long-term consequences of their behaviors, whereas unsuccessful people were more concerned with personal enjoyment and immediate gratification.”

Extrapolating from these parts of Grey’s study, Monica didn’t shy away from the work (the methods) to get to her goal (the results). She knew the long hours spent measuring, cutting, baking, prepping, not sleeping, would yield her predetermined results.

From the fair, it translated back to her schoolwork, where she routinely reevaluated her goals and modified her time accordingly. To get good grades, she had to study more, which meant the amount of TV she watched had to proportionately decrease to compensate for the necessary increase in studying. Seems logical. But some studies suggest that college students watch up to three hours of television and another nine on other media-related applications.

“Sometimes we have a habit of putting things that we don’t want to do off to the side,” she said. “Sometimes we’ll just make ourselves do things that aren’t on the top of our list, but we still do it. When you think about successful people, they will do it anyway because the price that they have to pay is greater if they just do it because there will be rewards in the future.”

With this mentality proving fruitful within fair and scholastic arenas, Monica maintained it as she entered Corporate America. Starting at Ford Motor Company, she began to immediately identify areas she could innovate in. If it meant creating new initiatives that addressed inefficiencies or simply building upon existing programs, she concerned herself with ‘pleasing results,’ both for her and her employer.

“When I think back about something that I was particularly proud of at the beginning of my career, is that I was one of the youngest employees on the corporate staff of (Ford Motor Company),” she said.

“I was able to do a lot because I knew that I had to prove myself, and I knew that there was a hierarchy, and the thought was that you don’t get to be a manager until you’re a certain age or until some specific point in your career — when you’ve checked all those boxes. I was very determined that it could be done and by working a lot of hours and studying my end-result goals, I could make sure I could deliver extraordinary results.”

One of Monica’s former managers at Ford, Carlos F. Orta, confirmed that her ethic and subsequent results have set her apart.

“Adding value and exceeding expectations are two of Monica’s drivers for success,” said Orta, now President and CEO of HACR. “Monica is an outstanding leader, an excellent role model and one of the best and brightest young executives in Corporate America.”

Ten years and four positions at Ford later, Monica, as before, saw that she could diversify her skill set even more by joining a large, regional bank. Since 2006, Monica has worked for Comerica Bank, a financial institution whose reported assets totaled $61 billion as of the end of 2011. In previous interviews, Monica has discussed the company’s diversity initiatives as one of her reasons for joining the company. In 2011, “DiversityInc,” “HispanicBusiness,” “LATINA Style” and “Black Enterprise” all recognized Comerica Bank for its diversity efforts.

As the Senior VP of National Hispanic Business Development, Monica knows that the accolades are important only because of what they represent. It matters most when she’s traveling around the country to attend some of the most relevant Hispanic events. Image — her own and the company’s — matters. Her tenure has brought positive attention to Comerica Bank and many have taken note.

“Monica is results driven and a strong performer. She demonstrates great perseverance and it shows by her continued career growth,” said Linda Forte, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer.

Monica upped her commitment level recently by moving to Dallas, the company’s national headquarters. It’s a calculated move to be sure. To know her story is to be sure that happenstance is an unwelcomed foreigner. This self-discipline is the one way to ensure her teams are following by her example.

“Self-discipline requires delayed gratification and is the key to personal greatness because without it, your results fall to mediocrity,” she said.

MAINTAINING THE CHOPS

Monica has deliberately kept certain aspects of her life secret. Mostly, it’s because she wants to be judged on the present.

She jokes that the reason why she is tight-lipped about her baking prowess is because she is afraid she might be asked to make something. It’s not the quality she worries about.

“When I say that I would probably be really nervous…to make something for my colleagues, it’s because I would be holding myself to the highest expectations that I would not want to disappoint them,” she said.

Outlets like baking are critical for maintaining perspective and balance, Monica said. Recently, baking has given way to reading — Monica calls herself a voracious reader — and working out.

“Of course, being passionate about something (is important),” she said. “But trying to really balance all of that and managing and juggling so you have time for everything is the tricky part. You can’t reallocate your time. You can’t save your time; you can just spend it differently.”

Part of that time includes mentoring college-aged women. As she does with her professional colleagues, she sets challenging, yet realistic standards for these soon-to-graduate protégés.

“I truly believe that a leader is not selfish and not afraid to develop other people,” she said. “I always believe that we should never stop learning. I do encourage them to do something that they love doing, and then be the best at it and constantly achieve more than what they’re expecting. When people know that the expectations are high, they tend to do better, and they produce a better win, a better product. We all tend to do more.”

In setting standards for others, Monica is consistently setting them higher for herself. Again, another example of delaying gratification in order to fulfill the greater purpose, and thus live out the mantra: “Successful people make a habit of doing the things unsuccessful people don’t like to do.”

About five years ago, Monica entered into a local Michigan fair. It was part nostalgia and part test-of-self. Several years from her last competition, she stayed up all night again, completing a few entries. Each one underwent her rigorous ruler test, as she guaranteed each side was symmetrical.

She said it was to see if she still had it. The younger mentality had been replaced by a competitive drive. She wanted to win.

In this case, the gratification was a little bit more instant. She won all blue ribbons.

With up to 30 million users online at a time, Skype’s digital reach and influence is widely felt (or better, seen) around the world.

Two Latinos, Alejandro Arnaiz and Manrique Brenes, are ensuring that Skype doesn’t lose its digital cred anytime soon.

arco Rodriguez is preparing to give a talk about to the University of Puerto Rico.

A talented playwright and actor, Marco had been asked to discuss his Broadway play, “La Luz de un Cigarillo.”

The night before Marco had been highlighted for his work at an event in San Antonio. But the half-Dallas, half-New York actor isn’t running to the airport to make his appointment. Instead, Marco, from the comfort of his hotel room, simply opens up his laptop and is front-and-center with his admirers.

This is what Skype does and has done for years. Marco’s story is easily relatable. To the overseas solider to the New Jersey-based grandma who wants to see her grandkids who live in California.

These are the stories that Alejandro Arnaiz and Manrique Brenes make sure can happen.
Each is responsible for his respective duties, yet the combined efforts ensure that when Marco calls Puerto Rico, the students see him in full color and in HD quality.

These are the innovators.

For Alejandro and Manrique, their passion for technology combined with their education and talents has given them the opportunity to excel in a field with few Hispanics in lead roles.

Alejandro is senior market development manager for Skype, and Manrique the company’s director of product management and business development for consumer electronics and platform. The positions complement each other well, with Alejandro promoting the brand to numerous global markets and Manrique working on innovative products that will continue to make Skype the leader in its field, helping to ensure the growth and success of a company now synonymous with full-experience calling.

Though Alejandro and Manrique typically do not share work projects, they “have a good bond and a lot of fun together.” Despite their different job functions, their early backgrounds and education are similar. Both came to the United States after completing technical degrees in their native countries, followed by positions that enabled them to cultivate international experience.

A native of Chile, Alejandro earned a degree in electronics and communications from Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. Several years later, after moving to California, he completed an MBA degree from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Costa Rican Manrique holds an engineering degree from the University of Costa Rica, a Master of Science in engineering, as well as an MBA from the University of California at Davis. He was drawn to the technology field in the ‘90s, “when there was a real explosion of innovation. I came [to the U.S.] for my masters and I joined the tech industry when there was a lot of momentum surrounding it,” he remembers.

Manrique found the processes and fast-moving environment of the industry exciting, and he was attracted to the expansion and challenges he saw looming on the horizon. For Alejandro, a technical career always seemed to be the path he would follow. “I’ve always been inclined toward messing around with things,” he says. “My father is a mechanical engineer, so I grew up surrounded by these things. I found another challenging career would be in electronics and telecommunications. So far I’ve enjoyed it very much.”

Alejandro’s first job in the U.S. was for 3Com Corporation where, over seven years, he held several managerial positions in sales, marketing and business development. During that time, he lived in Mexico and Chile before finally settling in the U.S.