Building a smart international expansion strategy means looking for momentum-building markets with untapped growth potential. In 2024, that indisputably includes the Hispanic and Latino markets.

In Mexico alone, the direct selling market is projected to surge to $19.48 billion by 2028. That staggering number doesn’t include the more than 60 million Latinos living and working within the US, or the fact that direct selling is already a staple for the Latin American population, where a quarter of beauty and personal care sales take place through a direct selling relationship (compared to eight percent globally).

“Latinos in the United States represent a larger consumption market than the entire economy of nations like Italy, Canada or Russia,” shared Judith Sanchez Lopez, PM-International General Manager, Latin America. “If Latinos living in the United States were an independent country, the US Latino GDP would be the fifth largest GDP in the world, larger than the GDPs of India, the United Kingdom or France.”

There are a number of direct selling companies who have already captivated the Hispanic and Latino markets and are thriving. There are two distinct scenarios at play here: US-based companies that are dominating in Hispanic markets and foreign-based companies doing the same.

DSN 2023 Bravo Growth Award winner Princess House successfully serves this corner of the US market. Other examples include 4Life, Hy Cite, Immunotec and relative newcomer ACTIVZ. These companies are also strong in other Spanish-speaking markets.

Betterware de Mexico and Omnilife are based in Mexico and making huge strides in that market and throughout the region.

It could be tempting to assume that the same strategies and approaches that work for US customers would be a fit for the Hispanic population living within the US, or even the neighboring Latin American populations, but that assumption is a sure-fire way to fail. Ignoring the unique communication styles of each individual market is not only ineffective, it’s disrespectful. There are cultural sensitivities that should be honored; product preferences that need to be prioritized; and local talent that deserve to be elevated to leadership.

“Companies that want to be successful need to stop making Latin American countries an extension of their current market,” said Mauricio Domenzain, Immunotec Chief Executive Officer. “By that, I mean you really need to commit to the market. We can’t simply send one manager to Latin America now and then wait to see if it’s going to work or not. It’s a full commitment, not just the addition of another flag on your wall or your website. You have to truly become part of that market to understand the cultural needs.”

Copy and Paste Isn’t a Strategy

What works in the United States doesn’t automatically translate to success on a global scale. That goes for products, but it’s also a good rule to live by when it comes to communication, marketing materials and events. For companies founded in the US or who predominantly operate within the US, expanding to include Spanish-speaking consumers is not as simple as hiring a translator or relying on Google Translate. These translations are often choppy, with no regard for local idioms or speaking rhythms.

Solving for this pain point has been a game changer for brands like 4Life, who overhauled their communication process to treat Spanish as its own first language rather than relying entirely on English. The company now enlists two separate content creator teams, one who is primarily English-speaking and one who is primarily Spanish-speaking, to design materials. The end result prevents poor translations that damage credibility.

“If you go to our convention, we are 80-85 percent Hispanic,” said Brian Gill, 4Life Chief Marketing Officer. “Five years ago, out of respect, we stopped translating English to Spanish. It’s not enough to have great translators. A Hispanic whose primary language is Spanish should be the one creating our materials. It’s about empowering the affiliate to share the brand, and a poor translation is not a credible connection they are proud to share.”

Homogenous, hand-me-down resources communicate the message that international markets are inferior, less valuable and unappreciated. Conversely, when companies allocate the resources and staff necessary to maintain and develop a culturally relevant, localized brand with tools that take local language, lifestyle and history into consideration, customers and distributors take note. A successful entry into Hispanic and Latino markets is one that allows the population to embrace entrepreneurial opportunity while preserving its own cultural DNA.

“Entering the Hispanic market was not secondary or an afterthought; it was our primary thought,” said David Brown, ACTIVZ Chief Executive Officer. “Our Spanish-speaking distributors are constantly amazed that they get new products and materials first and that they weren’t translated from English. Everyone responds well to attention and responsiveness, and that’s probably the secret to our success.”

Honor Culture Past and Present

Family is a core value for the Hispanic and Latin American markets, and consumers in these demographics typically have great reverence for their parents and their tightly-knit communities. The US ethos of independent, self-made success doesn’t land the same within these cultures, so even well-intentioned corporate leaders commissioned from the company’s US headquarters could get off on the wrong foot without realizing it.

“It’s not only the language, but it’s also the culture that you need to understand,” explained Domenzain. “You need to have people on the ground—people directly from those markets—who understand and can serve that market the correct way.”

Leaders also need to consider how each new generation brings their own energy and inspiration to the foundational values of the Hispanic and Latin American cultures. From a corporate standpoint, that means being willing to adjust the speed and style of work. Omnilife addressed this generational evolution by implementing a shift from graphic design to a focus on social media, leaving behind big format printing in favor of video and digital formats and encouraging all of its departments to embrace the Gen Z style of work, which is quick to adapt to change.

“We are integrating younger generations into our corporate team, and that has helped make us relevant,” said Eduardo Ros, Omnilife Marketing Manager. “Our communications and packaging have become younger. We have received testimonies from people in Ecuador and Peru who tell us that working with second- and third-generation distributors who are younger has helped them see how best to take advantage of this opportunity and approach the business differently.”

Recognize the Uniqueness of Each Market

Each country and community has its own unique traditions and habits, and the Latin American market is no exception. There is no one-size-fits-all approach that would respectfully reach this vast audience, and it’s important to remember that there are distinctions among the adjectives often used to describe this diverse group of cultures within and outside of the US. The word Hispanic describes Spanish speakers, including those living within the US and Spain, while Latinos is reserved for those living within Latin America, including Brazil, where Portuguese is the official national language.

“Hispanics in the US are not a monolith,” Sanchez Lopez said. “They are a combination of countries, cultures, slang, levels of acculturation and generations. You need to decide who you want to target, understand what sets them apart and then ask yourself if your company is communicating and interacting in a way that respects their cultural differences and strongest drivers.”

For companies with a broad footprint across countries with similar but distinct cultures, discovering what makes each market tick is critical to securing healthy, welcomed growth among distributors and potential customers. Hy Cite, for example, courts Latinos in eight different countries, including the US and Brazil. Efficiency is incredibly important, so the company harmonizes its content, but it also takes care to modify even the smallest details to communicate that each individual market matters.

“The way we present our products changes depending on the audience,” said Paulo Moledo, Hy Cite President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our recipes used on social media, for instance, feature arepas in Colombia and tacos in Mexico. We also pay attention to our call center services. We learned the hard way that the agent accent speaking to customers from different markets is an important variable.”

Moledo also emphasizes the significance of making sure corporate expresses with actions that they value distributors’ wellbeing just as much as their earning opportunity. For Hy Cite, that means facilitating a close relationship between executives and top leaders; leaning into recognition; and designing ways for distributors and customers to voice their opinions and experiences.

“Latinos, more than most, need to feel heard,” Moledo said. “As fast as we could after the pandemic, we started having events, conventions and meetings with independent distributors, and the attendance has been outstanding. We invest more today in events than we did pre-pandemic, but the return on that personal, face-to-face touch is great.”

Operating with inclusion and respect as the highest priorities is non-negotiable. It’s imperative that companies take the extra steps to ensure the opportunity they are presenting is tailor-made for the audience receiving it, and that their presence improves the quality of life for the people who call that country home. When diversity of backgrounds and ways of doing business are treated with dignity and honor, executives who have successfully built bridges into the Latino and Hispanic cultures say there is a shared entrepreneurial spirit that transcends language barriers and countries of origin.

“It doesn’t matter what language you speak or what country you’re in, everyone is looking for the same thing,” Domenzain said. “To be a part of something bigger than yourself.”

From the November 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

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This is why multicultural marketing has become so important in an ever-changing marketplace. One-size-fits-all messaging is a thing of the past. A successful multicultural marketing strategy exists at the crossroads of translation, culture and emotion. It’s so much more than just translating marketing materials into other languages. It incorporates the images, colors, verbiage, sounds and regional differences that make cultures unique and special.

Williams-Whittle, a Virginia-based marketing firm, defines it this way: “Simply stated, multicultural marketing is the practice of marketing to one or more audiences of a specific ethnicity—typically an ethnicity outside of a country’s majority culture, which is sometimes called the ‘general market.’ In some countries, it can also be referred to as ethnic marketing.”

According to the CENSUS Survey 2019, around 41.76 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish at home.

Marketing and branding firm Jackson Spalding says don’t wait to be perfect. “Watch, listen and identify moments to engage multicultural audiences—and don’t miss the opportunity! Often, brands stall their responses to issues or use their usual one-size-fits-all approach with campaigns because they’re aiming for perfection and are fearful of getting something wrong.”

These four action items can be applied broadly to all multicultural markets. Read this month’s feature article to learn more about marketing specifically to Hispanic markets.

Four Key Multicultural Marketing Tips

1/ Leverage Existing Customers

Most direct selling companies do a great job of telling distributor stories and leveraging real-life experiences for products and the business opportunity. But how about customers? There’s likely to be a much more culturally diverse base among customers. Leverage them to help tell stories, give testimonials and build the overall brand. People love to feel as if they have a hand in building the brand. Consider different ethnicities, languages, genders and locations.

Dating and networking app Bumble launched the “Find Me on Bumble” campaign, showing that sometimes an effective strategy can be just showing off your wide range of real customers. It focused on customers in New York City sharing their experiences using the platform. A video opens with, “Every connection you make on Bumble is an opportunity to meet someone who can impact your life. Inspiring people are everywhere. We wanted to celebrate them.”

Customer stories included a political strategist, an entrepreneur, an opera singer, a dentist and a model. This is more impactful than using actors or stock images. It highlights genuine, relatable people with authentic stories of success on the platform

2/ Showcase Multicultural Diversity Among Groups

Even specific groups can feature incredible diversity. Just because a group shares a specific theme doesn’t mean they all look, act, think, speak and believe the same. Let’s say you’re showcasing a group of single moms who have built successful businesses. They share a strong characteristic that unites them, but each mom has her own unique experience and story shaped largely by her cultural background. The message: Many different types of single moms can succeed in this business.

Adidas’s “Here to Create” campaign featured a chapter called “Calling All Creators” that brought together creatives from an array of backgrounds, talents and industries. Designers, athletes and musicians included Pharrell Williams, Aaron Rodgers, Lionel Messi, Von Miller and more.

The setting was a roundtable discussion about creativity and diversity. “We’re all creators, related by a mindset. It’s not about borders, gender or race. We’re here to create,” the ad stated. The campaign appeared in more than 30 countries.

3/ Create a Robust and Diverse Online Experience

Whether creating a corporate website or the network of distributor replicated sites, multicultural marketing is much more than just toggling between text translations. Diverse images, different colors, and targeted videos with innate language and messaging can be crucial in reaching different cultures and markets.

USANA operates in more than 20 countries. Their corporate website allows you to toggle between many different languages. There’s a diverse showcase of imagery, including stock photos and photos of actual distributors, doctors and even ambassadors from a range of sports such as boxing, skiing, soccer and more. Some companies utilize completely different video and slide business presentations not only for different markets, but for different languages and cultures within the U.S. market.

4/ Equip Distributors with Culturally Targeted Business Presentations

Today’s direct selling strategy involves an array of media and delivery methods for business opportunity presentations. The days of flip charts in someone’s living room are long gone. Interactive slide presentations optimized for mobile devices, sizzle videos and live social media parties are just a few of the most popular formats.

So, does your presentation strategy incorporate a multicultural approach, and is your messaging consistent across all platforms? Many companies provide downloadable presentation formats targeting different languages and cultures. Again, it’s not just about translation. Context, images, music and tone also matter when reaching different audiences.

From the February 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Rev Up Your Multicultural Marketing Strategy first appeared on Direct Selling News.

On Saturday, September 8, the company launched its Latina Initiative designed for both Spanish- and English-speaking Latinas in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“We are opening our doors to the Latina market and we’re very excited to increase our presence in Puerto Rico, where we already have 55 independent sales consultants,” said Claudia Barceló, director of Multicultural Business Development, Hispanic Initiative, for Thirty-One Gifts.

The company also donated 500 welcome bags for families lodging at the local Ronald McDonald House. The bags included items such as blankets, coloring books, stuffed animals and toiletries, that will be used by families lodging at the Ronald McDonald House while their children are receiving medical treatment in the area. Several San Juan-area Thirty-One Gifts consultants also signed up to volunteer at the house during the coming year, in keeping with the company’s emphasis on giving back to the community.

“We thank Thirty-One Gifts for this donation and for encouraging their consultants to donate their time and talents to the Ronald McDonald House,” said Mariela Jorge, executive director, fundación infantile, Ronald McDonald Puerto Rico. “These gifts and support show the families who stay with us that someone cares about them and what they are going through. Our purpose is to help the parents worry less about day-to-day concerns so they can focus on the health and well-being of their children.”

At its annual convention in July, the company also introduced a new product line designed to appeal to a multicultural market and unveiled a redesigned fall catalog featuring increased Latina and African American presence in models and themes. The Thirty-One Gifts entire website is now available in Spanish, and the company is offering starter kits with business collateral in Spanish.

“Having diversity within our company is just one part of the story; how well that diversity works together is key,” Barceló said. “We believe diversity is a fact; inclusion is a choice we make as individuals and leaders.”

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PRINCESS HOUSE

Founded: 1963
Headquarters: Taunton, Massachusetts
Top Executive: CEO Connie Tang
2016 Revenue: $195 million
Global 100 Ranking: No. 72
Products: Appliances, Home Decor, Kitchenware

Connie Tang

For more than five decades, Princess House’s finely crafted crystalware earned such customer accolades as “timeless” and “beautiful.” Some even called the decorative but functional pieces “jewelry for the kitchen.” As the Taunton, Massachusetts-based company celebrates its 55th anniversary this month, a new descriptor can be added to its product line: “healthier.”

According to CEO Connie Tang, the upcoming messaging for 2018 ties to a revitalized vision for the company: one in which it promotes healthy living. This applies not only to the new cookware line, Vida Sana, designed to maintain nutrient value during cooking. It really signifies the overall Princess House business opportunity that strives to help consultants achieve financial health, a healthy work–life balance and a healthy lifestyle.

“Our products have evolved,” says Tang. “The company and brand have evolved from breakable to durable—from crystalware to cookware. With marketplace changes, preference changes and even demographic changes, to meet the needs of customers, consultants and business owners, an evolution has occurred.”

This includes in-house changes to the company infrastructure as well. Just five years ago, the only way an interested entrepreneur could join Princess House was by faxing in an application. Tang has made significant investments in technology to ensure her staff and sales field have the tools they need to compete in today’s marketplace.

Continued Growth

While there is no major event planned to celebrate the company’s 55th anniversary, Tang says there will be a theme that runs through the company’s programs and communications throughout the entire year, including the annual trip incentive. For this event, Tang has charted Royal Caribbean for an Alaskan cruise. However, while company milestones will be remembered during the year, she says she wants to be very thoughtful and make sure the focus is a future-forward effort. Yes, it will be a time to look at how far the company has come, but, more importantly, it will be a time to recognize how much opportunity there is going forward.

It is easy for Tang to be optimistic about the future. Princess House has achieved seven consecutive years of growth. Last year the company had $195 million in sales, up $25 million from 2015. And since Tang’s tenure began, the company has logged a 36 percent sales increase. She attributes a portion of this continued success to clarity in the organization’s mission throughout every level of the company.

“It started with being clear on who we were, and who we want to be,” Tang says. “In 2012 it was about getting very clear in understanding what does move the business and what does not. Departments have to match up operationally with what you are doing. Alignment is the bridge that connects what is seemingly conflicting interests.”

A second reason, according to Tang, is that Princess House is not an international company. It operates primarily in the United States, with some entry into Puerto Rico. As a single-market company, it remains focused on expanding its domestic markets, including the larger ones of Southern California, Houston, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta. Until the infrastructure is in place—including an e-commerce platform that is a critical component of international expansion—Tang says the company will remain focused on the opportunities to expand domestically.

“In five years I see our salesforce demographics diversifying,” says Tang. “New growth has to come from a younger demographic.”

Princess House is well known in direct selling circles for having a salesforce and customer base that are predominantly Hispanic. The company has great brand equity in the Hispanic market—a solid reputation as a company and for the quality products it brings to market. Tang believes the immediate future for her company involves expanding this market further.

“We have a first-generation demographic,” she says. “I see that deepening into younger Hispanics. I see a lot of room for us to continue.”

According to an August 2017 Pew Research Center analysis, Hispanics account for more of the nation’s overall population growth than any other race or ethnicity. The largest pockets of Hispanic populations can be found in California, Texas and Florida. Princess House’s top two markets are Southern California and Houston, making the company well-positioned in its outreach efforts.

Demographic Research

Up until 2017, Princess House did not have complete data of the age demographic of its sales field. At the beginning of 2017, the company began tracking ages, and as of October, research showed that 35 percent of the people joining the company were younger than 35.

Statistics also showed that of the currently 25,000 consultants in the company, they are more than 85 percent Hispanic and primarily female. What is interesting to note about this ethnic group is that, according to a 2017 U.S. Direst Selling Association report, Hispanics derive greater annual income from direct selling than that of non-Hispanics, and 89 percent of Hispanic direct sellers are likely to recommend the channel to others. And that bodes well for Princess House.

As Tang mentioned, she sees the key to growing domestically to be reaching out to the next generation, and that is what Kelly Harte, vice president of sales strategy and development, has been focused on this past year.

“We have a very solid core market, and we are helping our core leaders reach out to other people—the next generation coming in,” says Harte.

However, having a predominantly Hispanic salesforce did not come without its challenges this past year. The Donald Trump administration’s hard stance on immigration into the U.S.—specifically, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)—caused much fear within the Hispanic community, leaving some Princess House consultants to wonder about the future of their businesses.

“It’s been a little challenging within the Hispanic market due to some of the political issues earlier in the year regarding immigration,” said Harte. “[The immigration laws] affect not only the independent consultants, but their customers and hostesses as well.”

However, despite politics, Harte and her team continued to move forward. Research showed that many of the company’s potential prospects were more interested in smaller get-togethers rather than attending larger events. So, Princess House developed its version of a virtual Cafecito, an online coffee chat in which a small group in one house can be virtually linked to other houses via Skype, Facebook Live or any similar digital tool.

“We have been focused on teaching our leaders how to conduct a Cafecito,” says Harte. “We also have created a tabletop tool to help them recruit in a very simple, standardized format.”

In 2018, Princess House will be implementing a learning management system that will allow consultants to take full classes or just browse reading materials or videos. The first course to be offered will be “How to Do a Cafecito,” which Harte is currently filming.

Princess House consultants are recognized on stage for their accomplishments.

Healthy Cooking: Vida Sana

While the Cafecito has been a popular recruiting tool, what is really generating excitement among consultants is the new Vida Sana collection. Introduced in July at the national conference in Las Vegas, it was officially launched using Facebook Live on Sept. 15. Currently available to hostesses only, it will join Princess House’s product lines—cookware, tabletop serving, tools, food storage, décor, organization, cleaners, cutlery and bakeware—this year.

“The by-product of Vida Sana was deep insight into what consumers want in terms of health—the empowerment they are looking for to be able to eat healthy and to be able to support their families in an effort to eat heathy,” says Victoria Vilbrandt, vice president of marketing, strategy and solutions. “At the same time, they have the option of choosing when they want to eat healthy.”

The Vida Sana cookware allows users to cook vegetables, proteins and meats with little to no oil or water. The skillet’s lid creates a suction effect for a tight seal, allowing for very even heat generation; the absence of or minimal use of oil used to cook the food helps to maintain nutrient value. As a result, consumers have a healthier cooking option.

Because “healthier” is a word that gets thrown around a lot—with “healthy” meaning something different for everyone—Vilbrandt says that Princess House wanted to take “health” and quantify it. So the company worked with Eurofins Scientific, an international life-science company that provides analytical testing, to test how nutrients were being kept in foods cooked in Vida Sana. The laboratory tests show 67.4 percent of the nutrient value of foods cooked in Vida Sana is maintained.

“Vida Sana was part of our product roadmap, but the idea did come from what health means in terms of a social economic standpoint, a cultural standpoint and a geographic standpoint,” says Vilbrandt. “All that was taken into account as we delivered this product. We are able to empower our field to say this is what consumers are looking for and this is what we delivered. We can say ‘we are giving you the tools and documentation, so that you can feel absolutely confident in speaking to your customers about why this product is different.’ ”

Princess House consultants take part in celebrating the company as well as each other during a recent event.

New Technology Initiatives

Princess House’s goal has also been to empower consultants by providing them with the latest tools to compete in the marketplace. That meant taking a hard look at the use of technology at the company. When she took over the reins of Princess House in 2012, Tang had more challenges than the fax machine being the only way to connect with the company. Legacy platforms did not support the type of growth needed in the direct selling channel, particularly regarding mobile technology and social selling platforms. And, to this day, Princess House does not have an e-commerce platform, which Tang believes makes the company one of a few—if not the only—direct selling companies without such capability, according to Princess House’s own research.

A new platform is on its way, though. While there is no e-commerce functionality for consumers visiting the company website or visitors viewing consultants’ websites, Princess House will be launching e-commerce capability for both in the second quarter of 2018. This will provide consultants with more opportunities to engage with existing and new customers as well as assist them in creating a new channel of distribution.

Princess House already has developed several technology tools to help with recruiting and purchasing. The company’s Start Now app enables consultants to recruit and sign up prospects. The My Princess House app, which was launched in December 2015 and features all the tools needed by consultants to get their Princess House business moving, now has more than 10,000 downloads.

“We have over 150,000 sessions by individuals interacting with the My Princess House app,” says Vilbrandt. “The 10,000 downloads and 150,000 sessions are our two indicators that our field is embracing technology.”

The field also is embracing social media. In the past three years the company has grown from having a very small following, about 22,000 followers, to hundreds of thousands today. Princess House has several Facebook pages, including a public Facebook page in English that currently has more than 300,000 followers, and a public Facebook page in Spanish with more than 35,000 followers. In addition, there is Tang’s Facebook page for her first book, Fearless Living, as well as a Facebook group page that allows Princess House executives to speak to the field.

While Facebook allows communication among the Princess House community, Vilbrandt notes that the company also has used it extensively as a means of research, creating unique hubs where they can speak to target markets to learn more about them and get their opinions.

In addition to Facebook, the company uses Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. For the past few years Princess House has been largely focused on acquisition and engagement as the two key performance indicators of its social media strategy. In December, the company launched its new corporate and replicated consultant website that allows consultants the ability to copy and paste the link to social media channels and connect an order to an existing order for tracking purposes. Vilbrandt believes this new capability will help to make the acquisition and engagement KPIs grow into conversions.

“With the new corporate site and improved lead funnel, we look forward to conversions as the next step in the evolution of our social media,” she says.

Future-Forward

The Princess House purpose statement says that “We believe our power is our people and our people is our field.” It is that core belief, a mutual agreement between the executive team and the field, that has helped the company overcome the challenges and build on a very optimistic future.

“It is important that we, as a company, and I, as a leader, maintain a mutual agreement that we communicate frequently, that we maintain contact frequently, and that we are transparent on partnering on key initiatives so that we are aligned,” says Tang. “We are not perfect; we have had misses. But there is a commitment to do that. Motivating them comes from my messaging about the future and overcoming obstacles.”

As Vilbrandt notes, at the end of the day, Princess House is a direct selling company and it has one mission. “Our goal is to inspire what we call ‘the dreamers,’ reward excellence, and transform lives,” she says. “That is the core of who we are and the core of what our field is about. They embrace it; we embrace it. That’s what keeps us going every day.”

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The summit brought together leading executives, small business owners and government officials to discuss economic policies that can boost entrepreneurial opportunities. The one-day event provided entrepreneurs with a series of informative panels, key breakout sessions, procurement meetings and an opportunity to expand personal and professional networks. Attendees and speakers delved into topics ranging from the current federal regulatory conditions to international trade, and from immigration to the unfolding tax reform debate on Capitol Hill.

“The Capturing the Momentum Summit provided an opportunity to speak plainly about what helps and hurts Hispanic business development,” said Hector Barreto, TLC Chairman and former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. “We also, for the first time ever, facilitated a town hall meeting of Hispanic leaders who discussed the state of Latino economic and political power. This provocative conversation touched on topics that should be top-of-mind for the political leaders of today.”

Speakers at the event included U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza; U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross; Gerónimo Gutiérrez, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States; Melissa Lavinson, Vice President of Federal Affairs and Policy, PG&E Corporation; Bernie McKay, Chief Public Policy Officer, Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs at Intuit; Jackie Puente, Executive Director for External Affairs at Comcast; Thomas M. Sullivan, Vice President of Small Business Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; U.S. Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46), U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (WI-07), U.S. Rep. Peter J. Roskam (IL-06) and U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus (PA-12).

During the event, Chairman Barreto announced new partnerships through a Memorandum of Understanding with BAU International University, the U.S. Guatemala Chamber of Commerce and The 60 Plus Association. These organizations join TLC’s network of 100+ partners working to enhance the overall business, economic and social objectives of the Hispanic community.

“The entrepreneurial spirit of this nation is something to be celebrated, especially when America’s 28 million small businesses account for half of the nation’s economic output,” said Barreto. “Our event showcased that entrepreneurial strength, and pushed for business initiatives that leverage partnerships, create more jobs and grow this nation’s economy. We look forward to building on this message on October 12 at our Upward Mobility Summit in Kansas City, Missouri.”

Title sponsors for the event were Wal-Mart and Google. Event partners included 1800 Contacts, Act Wireless, AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Altria Client Services, Alvarado Smith, American Express Open, AT&T, Bank of America, California Resource Corporation, Centene Corporation, Coca-Cola, Comcast/Universal, CTIA, Direct Selling Association, Dun & Bradstreet, East West Bank, Edison Electric Institute, Herbalife, Hispanic Business Roundtable Institute, Honda, International Franchise Association, Intuit, JP Morgan, KOCH, Master Your Card, MasterCard, National Association of Broadcasters, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, NV Energy, Paychex, PG&E, PhRMA, Quicken Loans, Reset Public Affairs, Ronald Reagan Trade Center, Southern California Edison, The Latino Coalition Foundation, The Libre Initiative, T-Mobile, Tributo Tequila, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, Univision and Verizon. Media Partners were Conexión, Finding Productions and Tico Sports Productions, LLC.

The Latino Coalition (TLC) was founded in 1995 by a group of Hispanic business owners from across the country to research and develop policies and solutions relevant to Latinos. TLC is a non-profit nationwide organization with offices in California, Washington, DC and Guadalajara, Mexico. Established to address and engage on key issues that directly affect the well-being of Hispanics in the United States, TLC’s agenda is to create and promote initiatives and partnerships that will foster economic equivalency and enhance and empower overall business, economic and social development for Latinos.

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