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November 2004 posts

Bush Picks Kellogg CEO for Commerce Secretary

November 29, 2004
By Caren Bohan

President Bush on Monday chose Carlos Gutierrez, the Cuban-born CEO of Kellogg Co, as his nominee to be commerce secretary, his second selection of a Hispanic for a second-term Cabinet.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Gutierrez, 51, will replace Don Evans, one of six Bush cabinet members to resign after the Republican president’s Nov. 2 re-election.

The selection of Gutierrez for commerce, along with the selection earlier this month of White House counsel Alberto Gonzales for attorney general, could help Bush’s efforts to reach out to Hispanic voters. In the election, some exit polls showed Bush boosting his share of the growing vote to 44 percent, up from 35 percent in 2000.

On the campaign trail Bush appealed to Florida’s politically potent Cuban-American community by pledging to keep up the pressure on Cuban President Fidel Castro. Gutierrez was 6 when Castro took over in Havana, trapping Gutierrez’s family in Miami where they were on vacation.

At a White House ceremony, Bush hailed Gutierrez as a "great American success story" who learned English as a bellhop in a Miami hotel and rose through the ranks of Kellogg, starting as a truck driver delivering the company’s trademark "Frosted Flakes" cereal.

Gutierrez has been chairman of the board of Kellogg since April 2000 and chief executive officer since April 1999. He joined the company in Mexico in 1975.

At every stage of his career, said Bush, "Carlos motivated others with his energy and his optimism and impressed others with his decency."

Continue reading “Bush Picks Kellogg CEO for Commerce Secretary” »

Posted by on November 30, 2004 in Current Affairs | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Face time: Q&A; with Janet Murguia

November 26, 2004
By Jerry LaMartina

Janet Murguia has been executive director and COO of the National Council of La Raza in Washington since March. On Oct. 13, the organization named Murguia as president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. She will succeed Raul Yzaguirre, who will retire.

Before joining the organization, she was executive vice chancellor for university relations at the University of Kansas.

Murguia grew up in the Argentine area of Kansas City, Kan. She received bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish in 1982 and a law degree in 1985 from KU.

She started her career as legislative counsel to former U.S. Rep. Jim Slattery, D-Kan. She worked at the White House from 1994 to 2000, eventually as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of legislative affairs.

She spoke with The Business Journal about what lies ahead for Hispanic business owners.

What’s the climate like for Hispanic businesses locally and nationally?

I think there’s a lot of interest by Hispanics, particularly Hispanic women, which is the biggest segment of that market right now. I think that’s a sign that people sense the opportunities out there, but I think the barriers are that those individuals need access to capital.

How do the problems Hispanic business owners face differ from those business owners in general face?

If you look at some of these first-generation or emerging population groups, there are still some language barriers. They want to be able to figure out and navigate the system. It’s hard enough for folks to do in English, and if you aren’t fluent, it’s harder. And sometimes there are some important legal issues that you have to address, separate from the language issue.

How about subsequent generations of Hispanics?

I think that having the opportunity to get that education is very important. We still need more education in the first steps toward starting businesses, and I think you can see by the growth of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber that education is growing. …

Demographics show that Hispanics are now the largest minority community. Those numbers won’t mean anything if we don’t leverage those numbers into increased economic empowerment, political empowerment and social advancement for the Hispanic community.

What are your main goals in your new job with the National Council of La Raza?

In terms of broad goals, I think one of the most important is to help our Hispanic community create wealth and expand opportunities. I think we want to be more proactive as an organization to create opportunities, to create wealth and build assets for our community.

Two overall goals are, first, because the council represents more than 300 affiliates, we want to strengthen our approach to serving that network of affiliates. …

Second, we want to increase our visibility. We get so caught up in doing our work that we forget to tell our story. (W)e’ll come up with the right steps by developing an integrated strategic communications and marketing plan.

Read the complete interview at Kansas City Business Journal

Posted by on November 30, 2004 in Hispanic Business, Hispanic Organizations | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Banks learn to speak Hispanic

Reps hit the streets in hopes of winning over growing demographic

November 26, 2004
By Mark Calvey

Bankers are eager to lend to the fast-growing Hispanic business community, but reaching this market requires patience to build trust and provide financial education.

"The entrepreneurs’ financial sophistication hasn’t kept up with their business sophistication," said Owen Erickson, CEO of Mission National Bank in San Francisco.

Erickson and his counterparts at other financial institutions are providing seminars, luncheons and other networking events to help the Hispanic community gain a better understanding of American finance and become better acquainted with bankers.

Lending seminars often include a discussion of credit scores and other criteria a bank considers when making a loan.

"We try to help bridge the cultural gap between how banking operated in their home country and how it operates here," said Emily Shanks, market manager for business banking for San Francisco and the North Bay at Bank of America.

While many Americans open savings and checking accounts as a rite of passage, some in the Hispanic community distrust bankers for cultural and historical reasons, bankers say.

"They’re very good at their chosen profession, but they don’t have banking sophistication," said Mission National’s Erickson.

Continue reading “Banks learn to speak Hispanic” »

Posted by on November 30, 2004 in Hispanic Business, Hispanic Culture, Hispanic Education, Hispanic Owned Companies, Strategy | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Latinos swindled more than others

Lax oversight of Spanish-language media boosts fraud

November 27, 2004
By Rachel Uranga

Health plans with no doctors. Jobs with no employers. Credit cards with no magnetic strips.

Those are a sampling of the fraudulent offers targeted at Latinos who federal officials say are swindled at twice the rate of non-Hispanic whites.

Consumer protection groups say lax enforcement of federal regulations for Spanish-language broadcast and print ads benefits hucksters peddling herbal weight loss programs, overnight breast enhancement pills and other bogus goods.

"The opportunities for fraud are more prolific in Spanish-language media," said Alejandra Cedillo, a consumer attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services. "There are regulations out there, but there is not as much attention paid to Spanish-language media as there is for English-language media."

Regulators say they are working harder to monitor and subsequently prosecute deceitful vendors who advertise in Spanish.

The agency began a Spanish-language media campaign and partnered with law enforcement in 11 cities, including Los Angeles, that are home to some of the country’s largest or fastest growing Latino populations.

"We want to try and prevent fraud before it happens," said Laura Koss, coordinator for the Federal Trade Commission’s Hispanic Law Enforcement Initiative.

But, she admits, the FTC often relies on community-based organizations to report fraud, and it was not until 2003 that the agency began a Spanish-language monitoring campaign. Moreover, immigrants are the least likely to report fraud.

Still, she said, "you have got to start somewhere."

Continue reading “Latinos swindled more than others” »

Posted by on November 29, 2004 in Current Affairs, Hispanic Business, Hispanic Marketing & Advertising, Hispanic Media, Hispanic Organizations, Immigration | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Mexican Immigrants Need More Help, Less Hatred

Sunday, November 28, 2004
By David Roybal

A young Santa Fe student showed up to class recently with a story about a fender bender that involved his mother and a neighbor just outside their homes in the city’s south side.

"Estaba enojada," the little boy said of his mom in the Spanish of his native Mexico. "Hasta lo llamo un ‘mojado!’"

The student said his mother was so enraged that she called the neighbor a "wetback."

The story, for me, reflects the attitude that many in our Land of Enchantment harbor toward recent immigrants from Mexico. It’s one of resistance, even resentment. And, as the story shows, it’s an attitude held even by some who only recently traveled similar paths to our country as those they scorn.

I wrote about a different angle of this topic last week and suggested in passing that New Mexico, despite its large minority population, isn’t immune to the hardened attitudes being expressed with renewed fervor these days toward Mexican citizens living and working in the United States.

Today I’d like to explore that angle a little more because, frankly, I sense that a measure from the far right like the one just approved by Arizona voters to further restrict benefits to undocumented immigrants wouldn’t be assured a swift death in New Mexico.

New Mexico’s busiest pollster, Brian Sanderoff, said he hasn’t polled the issue, but he offered these observations.

"Politicians in New Mexico would be a little more reluctant than, let’s say, Arizona, to take on the immigration issue because 42 percent of our population is Hispanic," Sanderoff said.

"On the other hand, there are some Hispanics in some New Mexico communities that have expressed concern… In focus groups we have found native Hispanics who live in established neighborhoods and rely on older schools to express concern about undocumented Spanish children taking up a lot of resources in the schools."

Continue reading “Mexican Immigrants Need More Help, Less Hatred” »

Posted by on November 29, 2004 in Current Affairs, Immigration | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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The changing face … Hispanic athletes break stereotypes

November 28, 2004
By Eric Larsen

All Hispanics are good soccer players, but that’s about it.

That’s just one stereotype today’s high school athletes are striving to break away from. That soccer is for the Vargas’, Pavlovics and Hashimotos of the world, while football and basketball are for the Johnsons and the Smith boys.

While a person doesn’t have to look very far to find some form of discrimination in rural American communities like those in the Magic Valley, there is an interesting opportunity for an individual to stand out in a small town.

Where people may become simply faces in the crowd in America’s major metropolitan areas, the small size of many of Southern Idaho’s communities gives every person a greater opportunity to be a major figure in their community.

Nowhere is that more evident than in small-town politics and high school sports. Possibly more so in sports in Southern Idaho. While the community was obviously split along party lines in the political world with the 2004 Presidential election, Idaho’s lack of major professional sports leaves the state without a hometown favorite.

The National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz are the nearest professional sports team, while Denver’s baseball Rockies, football Broncos and hockey Avalanche are the closest representatives in their respective leagues. College fans are split between Boise State, the University of Idaho, and Idaho State. Even on the far East and West outskirts of the Magic Valley area, it is often a one or two-hour drive to Boise or Idaho Falls to watch a minor league team play.

High school have stars become synonymous with their towns. Kael Pope or Jaynie Goodbody bring up thoughts of Wendell. Speak of Brody Miller or Mike and Mitch Smith and area sports fans can tell you’re talking about the Twin Falls Bruins. Bring up Bjorn, and someone will know you’re speaking of Declo’s Bjorn Christiansen.

But what about Fabriciano Venegas or Luis Tarango? Where are they from?

Both return for the varsity basketball teams from neighboring Dietrich and Shoshone, respectively. The 5-foot-3 Venegas is a returning starter for the Blue Devils and also started at running back on the Dietrich football team. Tarango was one of the area’s best defensive backs and will see plenty of playing time under Shoshone basketball coach Larry Messick this year.

Still, Hispanic athletes are less known for their contributions to all sports and more associated with the Mexican cultural preference toward soccer. The quest simply to be seen as athletes is sometimes an uphill struggle.

Continue reading “The changing face … Hispanic athletes break stereotypes” »

Posted by on November 29, 2004 in Sports | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Juan Pablo Gauna on Hispanic Marketing and Advertising

Superhombre_2
Juan Pablo Gauna a.k.a "John Paul" was born in Pasadena, Texas (a suburb of Houston). With Majors in both History and Spanish from Southwest Texas State, and studies abroad at the Univeridad de Alcalá de Henares, Spain, now lives in San Antonio where he is the Market Development Manager-Wine for Block Distributing/Republic Bev. Co. Juan Pablo has the particular task of creating, educating, and finding the Hispanic/Latino Wine consumer. A self-described "American of Mexican-Indian" descent, he firmly refuses to believe that there is not a place for Wine within the Latino lifestyle; instead assets that Wine has become "to ‘snobby’ for us".

JpgaunaI hooked up with this extremely bright young professional, family man and very likable guy, through an article about, what else, wine that I posted some time ago here at Hispanic Trending. After getting together for both work and personal reasons (Juan Pablo invited me and my family to his daughter’s first birthday party), I asked him to share with you his take on Hispanic Marketing. I truly enjoyed his straightforwardness and wit, am sure you will too…

Hispanic Trending: What are you noticing about Hispanic Marketing?
Juan Pablo Gauna: Everyone wants to do it! Now it is the cool thing to do!

How do you refer to the largest minority in the county?
I refer to them as both Hispanic and Latino. We have too much PRIDE to agree on anything.


What language should be used?
This depends on your target audience. It all depends on what segment of Latinos you are trying to reach, Tucanes del Norte or Frankie Ruiz albums? ¿Norteños or Caribeños?


What are your best memories of growing up as Hispanic/Latino?
The fact that during Holidays, we did not play CD/Record music, we were the music! My Grandfather and his brother Mario Guzmán would bring in a little "Conjunto" band in…and there we were all in the kitchen!

We all loved every minute of it. To hear Johnny Cash melodies with Spanish Lyrics was wonderful, and you never tired of "Por Un Amor." Even though personally to me that song is cheesy, ha ha

My Aunt Mary would sip her drink and carry a tune alongside my grandfather, while he who would yell out GRiTOS.

Unfortunately my grandfather has since past, as too his brother.


How do you segment the Latino market?

Chip Know It All says:
"Nah y’all got it all wrong, hell I know Hispanics and they are all the same, rice and beans, rice and beans."

Wrong Mr. Know it All.
There is segmentation and it depends on what you marketing, take a Saturday evening and listen to the different Spanish language radio stations, that is segmentation at its best.

  • Norteño
  • Pop/Rock en Español
  • Boleros/Música romantica del pasado
  • Salsa/Merengue/Reggaeton

 

What would you say exist amongst all Hispanics?
Family! and Fiestas! and some type of sporting game on TV that brings the family together.

Which source of information would you recommend to someone interested in learning more about the Latino Market? 

  • If I can provide a source of information, it would have to be your website Juan!
  • The book known as Multicultural Marketing,
  • College friends from different Latin American countries like Edgardo, Carlos, and Mauricio always help!

Hispanics family values vs. Non-Hispanic whites family values… How would you say they differ?
Hmmm, great question!

What I know is my experience with a Single-Parent Childhood and the help of my grandfather Pablo Guzmán!

It was like my mother was the Marine Corp General away at work, while my grandfather and grandmother carried out the orders.

My grandfather’s family values had a HUGE impact on my life. He constantly bombarded me with…"Mijo your a my grandson, you come from my blood, you WILL:

  • Work Hard
  • Love your Mother and Grandparents
  • Do As I Say
  • And mijo, don’t you dare ride your bicycle on my lawn. ha ha ha ha ha

My grandfather was extremely proud of his lawn.

Marketing to Hispanics, who is doing a great job? Why?
Ford, Budweiser, Coors, Miller Lite, ABC, to name a few; because they use people we identify with.

Who is doing a terrible job?
California Wine industry. Because they are not spending the RIGHT money on Hispanic Marketing and they try and blanket the Hispanic consumer. They ask why Hispanics do not drink wine, yet there is no advertising initiative taken on Hispanic radio, print, or TV.

They have the attitude that converting a Hispanic/Latino beer drinker cannot be done!

What should businesses do to cater to Hispanics?
Businesses should ask the right questions and hire qualified Hispanics. Do not do a disservice to your company by hiring someone with a Spanish surname, just because; no take time out to learn more about Hispanic/Latino recruits.

Should businesses have a multicultural /bilingual staff?
For those of you who do not visit the Census Website or demographic sites, Hispanics are 39.9 million of the US population. In other words, get a multicultural staff NOW!

PS Watch Don Francisco’s Sabado Gigante, that gives you an idea of how a Chilean can become an Icon in the U.S. with the help of a multicultural staff who went out and "grabbed" the Hispanic/Latino consumer.

Which are the most common misconceptions made by non-Hispanics about Latinos?
We are not all the same and our taste buds do not differ from everyone else’s, except when it comes to tamarindo or Micheladas. Ha ha!


Should companies offer options to their customers to access their Website/Literature/ Answering Services… in Spanish? Why?
Absolutely, you should not wait for Hispanics/Latinos to completely assimilate to English. However, make the extension to the Hispanic Consumer by SPEAKING TO THEM in their language. If its Spanish, Spanglish, TEX-MEX, or English.

What is your perception regarding Hispanics and their use of general market/English media? My perception is there is a lot of opportunity! For once I would love to see a Foley’s Red Apple Sale with women who look like Eva Longoria or men like Esai Morales.

Also, the Allstate Commercials currently running in Spanish with the actor Esai Morales, would be great in English for Texas.

Posted by on November 28, 2004 in “OnHispanics” Interviews | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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School Welcomes Migrants

An elementary in Mason County educates children of workers who go only to fall classes

November 24, 2004
Via AP

MigrantkidsWhile their parents are busy picking apples in southern Mason County orchards, many Hispanic children are spending their fall days learning at computer labs and playing soccer on the playground at Mason County Central’s Riverton Elementary School.

There are 19 children of migrant workers attending Riverton, down from the 35 the school normally has in the fall, said school Principal Sherryl Martin.

"It’s the weather. There wasn’t enough work to keep families around until the apples started," she said about the school’s reduced enrollment this year.

"And more and more families are staying every year."

The migrant families travel across the country each year, following the growing cycles of the crops they pick. Many of the children start their school years here but finish the year in Texas or Florida.

Continue reading “School Welcomes Migrants” »

Posted by on November 28, 2004 in Hispanic Culture, Hispanic Education, Immigration, Language | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Hispanic population boom in Wichita has a variety of church leaders in growth mode

From Catholics to Protestants, Hispanic congregations are among the fastest-growing, prompting new initiatives and sharing of resources

November 27, 2004
By Abe Levy

Ten months ago, Fernando Alvarez launched a new church in Wichita for Spanish-speaking people. One person attended: his pastoral supervisor. The two worshipped that Sunday and prayed for growth. "I’m here on faith," said Alvarez, who came to Wichita a year ago from Guatemala. "God called me to be here. I’m sure of that." His resolve paid off. Today, the church, meeting in the chapel at First Church of the Nazarene, 1400 E. Kellogg, draws about 35 people each week.

It’s an increasingly common story citywide and in many rural areas of the state.

As the Hispanic population increases in Wichita, more faith groups are organizing spiritual services for them — and seeing growth.

Priests from Wichita are taking Spanish classes in Mexico to be able to lead a Mass in that language. Local Hispanic churches have fund drives to expand or build new facilities. And Protestant pastors from Hispanic churches have formed a network to share ideas and support one another.

They are seeking to meet the needs of a Hispanic population boom in Wichita. According to the U.S. Census, the number of Hispanics grew from 15,250 to 33,112 between 1990 and 2000.

Hispanics make up 10 percent of the city’s population, with a growth rate that in coming years could make them the largest minority group in Wichita and the nation.

Leaders of the Missionary Church, an evangelical denomination based in Indiana, sent Bienvenido and Millie Diaz to Wichita a year and a half ago to start Hispanic churches in Kansas.

The bilingual couple has started three congregations and one Bible study, most in the Wichita area. The largest congregation has about 30 people.

Most of the churches they started meet in members’ homes.

Soon, the couple will turn the churches over to local leaders. Then, they will look to start more Hispanic churches in underserved communities.

"The people here are very good disciples," Bienvenido said.

Continue reading “Hispanic population boom in Wichita has a variety of church leaders in growth mode” »

Posted by on November 28, 2004 in Hispanic Culture, Immigration, Language, Religion | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Latinos, there is right and wrong kind of ‘machismo’

Families must understand a ‘macho man’ is caring one

November 26, 2004
By Mary Sanchez

Machismo gets a bad rap.

Machismo is not Latino men subjugating women by cheating on them, verbally abusing or hitting. Real machismo is a man’s valor, his respect for his family, his willingness to be a provider and a care-taker. Machismo has nothing to do with dominance.

Yet not a week passes without a reference to Latin men’s machismo; the negative kind.

"Oh, Latin men, yes, I’ve heard how they are," was the refrain at a reception last week.

I’ve given up countering with the studious explanation of scholars. Many have traced the distortion of machismo to Spain. Stripped of status, men began lashing out after the conquests of at those they viewed as less able: women.

But the reality is, way too many examples exist today of Latin men behaving in the negative version.

Continue reading “Latinos, there is right and wrong kind of ‘machismo'” »

Posted by on November 28, 2004 in Hispanic Culture | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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