Contempo Magazine April 2010

page 1 ContempoMag.comthe Valley’s No. 1 On-Line Magazine

CULTURE / BUSINESS / POLITICS / FASHION / TECHNOLOGY / TRAVEL APRIL 2010Contempo

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in this issue

Dr. AnnebellePalomo-RodriguezCONTEMPO PIONEER

LATINA MAGSTYLE SHOW SPI

VERONICAGONZALEZLOOKS FOR 4TH TERM

KrystalCavazosCONTEMPO’S FEATUREMODEL OF THE MONTH

McALLEN’SDOG PARKTHE GOOD LIFE

IDEA PublicSchoolsNATIONAL RECOGNITION

MISS RIO GRANDEVALLEY 2010

CONTEMPOART WALLMARIA LINZOAIN

HIGHWAY 7THE VALLEYSTANDARDFOR MODERNCOUNTRY MUSIC

THE WISELATINA IMPACTIN BUSINESS

Exploring the People, Places, Issuesand Events of the Rio Grande Valley

Contempo is a publication of Contempo Magazine Inc. All opinions represented are of the authors & not necessarily the views of the pub-lisher. The publisher makes no representations regarding advertising content. Contempo Magazine is a trademark of Contempo Maga-zine Inc. All rights reserved. All content published and constructed by Contempo Magazine is the property of Contempo Magazine Inc. Permission for reprint shall be granted only upon written request and authorized release from Contempo Magazine Inc.

President / Ralph MagañaBusiness

Lucia Matthews / Alice GomezBusiness & Latin American Affairs / Tony Magaña

Fashion / Tom CastañedaPhotographers

Julio Gonzales / Javier Sepulveda / R. MagañaAd Sales

Ralph Magaña 467.7880 / Beatriz Casas 569.3134Distribution / Rosa Lopez

Co-founder & Webpage Editor / Tony Magaña956.467.7880

e-mail: [email protected] site: www.contempomag.com

2210 Sabinal St. Mission, Tx 78572Printed in the Mexico

CULTURE / BUSINESS / POLITICS / FASHION / TECHNOLOGY / TRAVEL JAN / FEB 2010Contempo

The Valley’s #1 On-Line Magazine

ContempoMag.comfrom the Publisher:

When I was growing up and go-ing to elementary school back in 1969 at Crockett, our papers were handed out with grades not in decimals, not always in letters, but sometimes as words. The one we treasured most was the word “Excellent” because it meant more than 100 percent could ever mean. The word is fitting in many and all ways for discribing the efforts of our Cover girl this month.

Annabelle Palomo-Rodriguez has had a lot of impact on Upper Val-ley youth in many facets of educa-tion. Most recently Dr. Rodriguez has started up an already expand-ing vocational school that prepares willing students for careers that are in high demand. With a bachelors, masters and doctorate in hand and a vigorous approach she has ex-panded the school facility four fold in the last two years giving hope to eager young Valley job seekers who are landing good jobs for their efforts.

Ralph MagañaPublisher

CULTURE / BUSINESS / POLITICS / FASHION / TECHNOLOGY / TRAVEL APRIL 2010Contempo

CONTEMPO PIONEER

ANNABELLEPALOMO-RODRIGUEZTOP VALLEY MODELS& LATINA MAGAZINEAT SPI SPRING BREAKFASHION SHOW WITHTHE LOOK OF UTILITY

VERONICAGONZALESWOMEN DEMOCRATSPOSITIONED TO HOLDHOLD THEIR GROUND

KRYSTAL CAVAZOSOUR FEATURE MODELOF THE MONTH

WISE LATINASHAVING BIG IMPACT ON

U.S. BUSINESS SCENE

TEST DRIVEVALLEY STYLE

TOYOTA’S2010 PRIUS

VALLEY BOOMERSA GENERATION WITH THE BEST

MUSIC AND CULTURE COMMENCE “SOMETHING SEVENTIES”

HIGHWAY 7ICEBREAKER FOR VALLEY’SMODERN COUNTRY FANS


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Early on Dr. Annabelle, Palomo-Rodri-guez never though she would be such a serious role model for so many Upper Valley youths. But that thought didn’t last long as she began a career in education.

Annabelle, was born in McAllen, Texas but spent much of her early years in Ala-mo where she graduated from high school in 1985. In 1989 she earned her Bache-lors of Science in Education and became a dedicated teacher at PSJA Independent School District. While teaching, she earned a Masters of Education in Educa-tional Leadership from the University of Texas-Pan American and was recruited to the Weslaco ISD as an administrator, As-sistant Principal, and as one of the young-est principals in the District. Rodriguez remained in Weslaco for 13 years, ulti-mately serving as the Executive Director of Curriculum in 2003.

Dr. AnnabellePalomo-RodriguezMaking a RealDifferenceFor UpperValley YouthIn EducationalExcellence.by Ralph Magaña

Compelled to advance her own edu-cation further, and wanting to have more impact in helping students break through learning barriers, Annabelle embarked on a career to complete a Doctorate of Education, which she received from UTPA in 2009 as part of the Superintendent’s doctoral pro-gram.

Since then, Dr. Rodriguez has started an educational consulting firm and is an educational consultant for the public school system where she monitors edu-cational compliance for federal guide-lines in the Adequate Yearly Progress and Academic Excellence Indicator Systems programs for the State of Tex-as.

People-Contempo Pioneers


Throughout her career in the public schools, Dr. Rodriguez received a num-ber of prestigious awards for educational excellence including the Texas Elemen-tary Principal of the Year Award, District Teacher of the Year for PSJA-ISD and Pharr Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Currently she is the CEO/School Director of RGV Careers An Institute for Higher Learning in Pharr, Tx which primarily ed-ucates students in the Allied Health Field. The school was recently approved by the Texas board of Nursing for the state Voca-tional Nursing Program.

Only two short years ago the school, at

1200 W. Polk in Pharr, started out as a one unit, 2500 square foot campus. The facil-ity now incorporates a floor surface area of over 8500 feet, most of which are new classrooms. The school curriculum has also expanded by over 100 percent, now offering careers in LVN/vocational nurs-ing, electrocardiogram technician and pharmacy technician. Her mission at the school is to provide a culture of learning in high demand fields within a supportive and motivating atmosphere.

By any standard, Dr. Rodriguez’s impact on education in the Upper Valley has been an extraordinary one in both public and private education. She has achieved a

great deal in an important arena in a short time. Her school serves as a new pathway that prepares young, talented and eager students for employment in fields of high demand.

Annabelle spends all her available time with her daughter, Annika and with her parents Miguel and Graciela Palomo of Alamo, Texas. As a single mom she has little time for much more but does like keeping up with new trends in education. For all that she has achieved we are proud to call Dr. Annabelle Rodriguez a distin-guished Contempo Pioneer. C


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Latina Magazine andTop ValleyModels Featurethe Look of UtilitySPI Fashion Showby Tom Castañeda

photography:Julio GonzalezJavier SepulvedaR. Magaña

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In early March, Latina magazine partnered with leading streetwear apparel brand Southpole to host an exclusive outdoor



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Immediately following the runway show, attendees were able to get their pho-tos taken with the models in front of the step-and-repeat.

A special thank you to Region One ESC Gear Up! for assisting in bring-ing students from across the Valley to the exciting fashion event. C


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A new Class of Oxygen UsersFreeStyle offers a uniquely efficient, ultra-compact, and flexible pulse-flow delivery system. Through this miniaturization into a wearable unit, a new class of oxygen users has emerged: Self-reliant individuals who are satisfied only when experiencing life to the fullest. For some that means travel across the country or travel around the world. For others, it’s doing the garden chores on the weekend, unrestricted by time. For still others, it is the exhilaration in attending a grandchild’s outdoor soccer match – carefree – or even trying your footwork at soccer yourself once again.

Now oxygen patients just like you are experiencing total freedom for the first time – all with the help of FreeStyle. And only AirSep Corporation, a leading

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*FreeStyle has received the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) accep-tance for onboard, in-flight use by oxygen passengers on commercial airlines via a 2006 amendment to SFAR 106.For a list of airlines that accept passengers with FreeStyle POCs, reference www.airsep.com. Please check directly with the individual airlines with which you would like to travel for up-to-date information on their specific POC policies.

Oxygen with no BoundariesWhen you were initially diagnosed with having a need for oxygen therapy (perhaps your physician called it chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] or another ailment), it may have been hard to imagine at the time that you would ever live life to the fullest again. But through the use of the unique FreeStyle™ Portable Oxygen Concentrator by AirSep®, you truly can experience oxygen with no boundaries!

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Now oxygen patients just like you are experiencing total freedom for the first time – all with the help of FreeStyle. And only AirSep Corporation, a leading

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*FreeStyle has received the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) accep-tance for onboard, in-flight use by oxygen passengers on commercial airlines via a 2006 amendment to SFAR 106.For a list of airlines that accept passengers with FreeStyle POCs, reference www.airsep.com. Please check directly with the individual airlines with which you would like to travel for up-to-date information on their specific POC policies.

Oxygen with no BoundariesWhen you were initially diagnosed with having a need for oxygen therapy (perhaps your physician called it chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] or another ailment), it may have been hard to imagine at the time that you would ever live life to the fullest again. But through the use of the unique FreeStyle™ Portable Oxygen Concentrator by AirSep®, you truly can experience oxygen with no boundaries!

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Veronica GonzalesDistrict 41 State Rep.

Addresses Supporters atMujeres Unidas Benefit

Santander Gallery

Powerful Credentialsand Broad Support

Should Bring4th Term

By Ralph Magaña

Political Commentary: The Run for November 2010

Women from all about the county, includ-ing a large number of local office holders, gathered at the Santander Gallery to show sup-port for Veronica Gonzales in her re-election bid to hold the District 41 state rep. seat. At the gathering which also served to encourage donations for Mujeres Unidas, Rep. Gonzales delivered a strong pitch for her campaign that focused on her proven ability to cross the aisle to work with her republican counterparts and her legislative achievements on Upper Valley priorities.

State Representative Veronica Gonzales, now serving a third term in the House of Repre-sentatives for District 41, is the first female to be elected to represent the district and is gear-ing up a potent re-election campaign to hold her seat for a fourth term. District 41, which is contained entirely in Hidalgo County and includes portions of McAllen, Edinburg and Mission produced a 60% voter turn-out riding the presidential and congressional elections of 2008 where she surmounted a two-to-one vote margin over her republican rival.

Mujeres Unidas Benefit / Santander GalleryMujeres Unidas/Women Together was founded in 1978 as a result of a local documentary that depicted the plight of battered women and their children. In 1980, the Texas Legislature passed HB 1075 that estab-lished funding for shelters for battered women. Since 1978, the agency has evolved and provides a comprehensive array of crisis intervention and support services for battered women and sexual assault survivors. In 1990 the agency developed a program to provide group counseling for abusive males.

To learn more go to www.mujeresunidas.org


Former District Judge, Leticia Hinojosa, District 41 State Rep. Veronica Gonzales, Hidalgo County Democratic Chair, Dolly Elizondo and Evelyn Escamilla.

Judge Aida Salinas Flores, then Cynthia Sakulenzki - MHCC, State Rep. candidate Sandra Rodriguez and staff, Justice Gina Benavidez, Democratic Chair Dolly Elizondo, Attorney Rebecca Vela, attorney Deborah Cordova and attorney Sofia Ramon.


While serving her 3rd term as a represen-tative Gonzales has built up some strong cre-dentials at the state capitol. She is the current Chair of the House Committee on Border & Intergovernmental Affairs and serves on the Public Health Committee where she pays spe-cial attention to women’s health issues.

Rep. Gonzales currently serves as Legal Counsel for the Mexican American Legisla-tive Caucus while her colleagues in the State House of Representatives have chosen her to serve as Secretary of the State Democratic Caucus. She helped establish her bipartisan credentials by passing the highest percentage of bills by any Democrat legislator in a Re-publican dominated house.

Off to a fast start, Gonzales was selected as “Freshman of the Year” by the bipartisan Mex-ican-American Legislative Caucus while the Dallas Morning Star named her as an “Emerg-ing Leader.” Not one to idle along, Gonzales

became Secretary of both the Mexican-Amer-ican Legislative caucus and Chair of the Im-migration Task Force. Republican Speaker of the House Joe Straus chose her to chair the important Border & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

Her rapid assent to leadership positions within the minority party and ability to work with the republican leadership has created for the 41st District of Texas and the Upper Valley, a lot of clout at the state level. The Texas Associa-tion of Community Health Centers (TACHC) gave Gonzales the “Legislative Champion” award for legislation she passed increasing loan repayments for physicians who practice in Health Professional Shortage Areas. With a showing of strong support, Gonzales has been endorsed by the Texas Hospital Associa-tion, Texas Medical Association and the Texas League of Conservation Voters, as well as the mayors of McAllen, Mission, Alton, Edinburg and Pharr.

Back in McAllen Veronica Gonzales is a part-ner at the law firm of Kittleman, Thomas & Gonzales, L.L.P,, and has been elected presi-dent of the Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association, president of the Hidalgo County Bar Association and chair of the association’s 12B Grievance Committee. The association also granted her the Texas Center Profession-alism Award recognizing her high standards for ethical conduct. Rep. Gonzales was also selected as an “Extraordinary Woman in Law” by the Texas Lawyer. She serves as a mem-ber of many local organizations and sits on the board of the Children’s Defense Fund, South Texas College and Texas Rural Legal Aid.

Veronica Gonzales was raised in San Marcos, Texas. The first in her family to go to college, Veronica graduated cum laude from Southwest Texas State University in 1986 with a Bach-elor of Arts degree in English and Spanish. After completing her undergraduate studies, she enrolled in the University of Texas School


of Law and earned her Doctorate of Jurispru-dence in 1991.

The principal focus of her legislative efforts deal with issues affecting the quality of fam-ily life in South Texas, particularly for young women, higher education and issues affecting the border. She has demonstrated her skillful-ness by successfully passing legislation rela-tive to her agenda that includes: helping wom-en who are victims of abuse with a address confidentiality program; protecting youth along the border with a binational substance abuse task force; assuring that divorced par-ents get all the visitation time permitted; as-suring that border citizens have sufficient wa-ter by converting water rights from irrigation to municipal use; widening the pool of people who can become police officers; providing lighting for the streets of colonias; and help-ing students finish college sooner to be able to pay their tuition in payments.

It is more than a good guess that Rep. Veronica Gonzales will have a long future in Texas poli-tics as she champions popular causes that are important to local voters and as she continues to show a willingness towards bipartisanship. Although there have been few Hispanic wom-en who have risen to statewide prominence in Texas politics, Veronica Gonzalez has the political instincts in a pervasive political sea-son to survive and prosper. She is interactive but not pretentious. She does not embrace any ideological extremes. She is charismatic and projects a genuine sense of trust and sincerity that many female candidates are banking on this season.

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Contempo’sFeatureModelKrystalCavazos

Contempo Feature Model, Krystal Cavazos, daughter of Jose M. Cavazos and Lorena A. Cava-zos of Mission, Texas, is a 20 year old pre pharmacy student at UTPA. She resides in Mission, Texas and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Chemis-try. Krystal is a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church and credits a faithful and supportive family whom have instilled strong morals and high values “for as long as she can remember.”

Her passion is singing and throughout junior high and high school, she earned a number of prestigious awards including a Division 1 ratings in Solo & En-semble contests at both regional & state levels. She served on the Region Women’s Choir, and Region and District Mixed Choirs. Because of her excellent range, she often chosen to sing the national anthem at high school football and baseball games, as well at Special ceremonies for Veterans and at local char-ity events. An early career highlight landed Krystal a

spot on the Marcos Valdez show of Univision 48 for her extraordinary singing talent.

Krystal is an accomplished beauty queen with a num-ber of titles, such as Miss Texas Teen Belleza Latina 2007, Duchess of Pink Grapefruit, Duchess of But-terfly, Homecoming Queen of her high school (Vet-erans Memorial), and Ms. Cavazos served as an Ambassador for the Carnival of Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

Dazzling judges and audience alike in pageant com-petition, she has compiled a host of awards that in-cluding several top 5 ranks, Most Photogenic, Miss Elegancia, and Best Evening Gown.

She feels very proud and honored to have such dedi-cated and loving parents, and brothers (Joey and Danny Cavazos), and grandparents (Jose Mario and Bertha Cavazos) who make every day joyful, comforting and rewarding. C


The Guerra family and staff are determined to make your expectations of great dining a part of their tradi-tion. At The Patio on Guerra you will find a superbly crafted menu of steaks, seafood and other featured fa-vorites prepared by Executive Chef Fermin Delgadillo.

At The Patio on Guerra wine selections aren’t left to the discretion of the suppliers. We hand select great wines from around the world that are designed to pair well with our fine international cuisine. Our cellar offers over 130 reasonably priced wines from all over Europe, the U. S., and South America.

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The Good Life: McAllen’s Dog Park

The new McAllen Dog Park lo-cated at 5th Street and Tamarack on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.

“After months of anticipation, we are happy to introduce McAl-len’s first Dog Park to the com-munity,” said Sally Gavlik, Di-rector of the McAllen Parks and Recreation Department. “The new park will provide a safe, convenient location for people to take their dogs for socializing and exercise, and it will provide a great way to educate the public about responsible pet practices.”

The land where the Dog Park now stands was originally a storm water detention pond dug in the 1960’s to accommodate localized flooding.

McAllen’s first fenced “off leash” Dog Park has separate areas for small and large dogs, as well as a trail surrounding the park for dogs that may need the restraint of a leash.

The renovated park features a new parking lot, shade structure, signage kiosk, landscaping, area lighting, fencing and a walking trail.

For more information regarding the McAllen Dog Park Ribbon Cutting ceremony please contact the McAllen Parks and Recre-ation Department at (956) 681-3333. C

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All students are college bound at IDEA Public Schools. From kin-dergarten to 12th grade, IDEA Public Schools offers a rigorous aca-demic program with a laser-like focus on college readiness. To date, 100% of IDEA’s high school graduates have enrolled in college; 75% of these alumni being first-generation college students. Ten years ago, I founded IDEA Public Schools with the mission to ensure that students from underserved communities were prepared to succeed in college and citizenship. At IDEA, we believe all children deserve a college education. IDEA is significantly improving the hu-man capital pipeline in the region by sending these students to col-lege.

In 2000, IDEA began with 150 students enrolled at one school and has grown since then to serve over 5,500 students at 12 schools from Mission to Brownsville. In 2005, we launched the 2012 Expansion Plan, an ambitious plan for growth, which calls for the launching of 22 schools in 11 communities by the year 2012. We are halfway through our plan, and thus far, have met every milestone along the way. Our expansion is making it possible for more students from under-served communities to attend our tuition-free schools. Our schools are open to all children; there are no grade requirements or admission tests to enroll.

IDEA has a proven track record of success: US News and World Re-port ranked IDEA College Preparatory Donna #1 high school in the Rio Grande Valley, #3 high school in Texas, #3 charter school in the nation and #13 high school among 21,000 schools nationwide.

The keys to our success are our teachers, who are incredibly gifted in the art of teaching, and principals who lead their schools with a lot of energy and competence. We have the same kids everyone else has, yet it is our teachers and principals that have found a way to motivate our students to succeed in a four-year college or university.

Andrea Lopez, a 6th grade Social Studies at IDEA San Juan, is just one of our teachers who “truly believe in IDEA’s philosophy of col-lege for all children – no excuses!” She refers to college everyday in the classroom and shows her students that attending COLLEGE is not only a dream, but also an attainable expectation. Support IDEA Public Schools by sponsoring or attending the 2010 Carpe Diem Gala & Auction on May 20, 2010. Call Lindsey Price at (956) 373-5814 or email [email protected] for more information.

IDEA Public Schools College Prep Donna CampusIn Top National Rankings ofUS News & World ReportHosts Carpe DiemGala May 20thby Tom Torkelson

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RGVCareersAn Institute for Higher Learning

Fields in the medical profession will be in great demand over the next decade ev-erywhere but specially in the Valley. Re-gardless of your educational background there is a rewarding area of speciality that you can pursue at RGV Careers. Our in-stitute provides career training for nine different specialties that are already in high demand.

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Feature Events

Miss Rio Grande Valley Pageant 2010Miss Rio Grande Valley 2010

Morgan MartinezMiss Rio Grande Valley Teen

2010 Vanessa Garza


Art Wall

Talking with Maria Linzoain is like walking into a magical world where painting is the only thing that is important. She speaks unhurridly, explaining her work like someone describing a dear loved one. The harmony of her personal-ity and her calm gaze can be seen in the vibrant colors of each of her paintings.

Maria Linzoain was born in Villa Maria, Ar-gentina. She has taken part in international exhibits in Argentina, Italy, Spain and USA. She has also participated in many collective and individual shows and has won national as well as international prizes. Today, besides her passion of painting, she runs a workshop ex-

perimenting in composition, colors and theory of the art.

ZM Gallery is proud to be the first to in-troduce the beauty of Maria’s work into the United States. You can experience some of her paintings in ZM Gallery located at 800


N. Main St., Suite 100, Art Village on Main in McAllen or visit our website at www.ZMGallery.com.

By Carolina Rodriguez

Maria Linzoain

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Music & Entertainment

Kato Signature Series

Something special has come toKato. Ask for Hiramasa & TasmanianSalmon direct from Hawaii!

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HIGHWAY 7With a brief electric guitar intro, Highway 7 performs “Still Stand-ing at the 2010 McAllen New Year Bash. The song is a country ballad of how true love can endow cour-age in the face of the life’s hard-ships. Vocalists Natalie and Kelly Haime dominate an upbeat melody with a familiar deep country vocal expression that is delivered with passion. In this song lead guitarist, Greg Garza has trained his guitar to the sound and era of southern rock, although the band is positioned for modern country.

Coming to the Valley all the way from Carleton Place, Ontario the sisters have spent a lifetime sing-ing and song writing. They named the band, “Highway 7” after a highway they frequently traveled in Canada and have put their brand on the “modern country” style in the Upper Valley while based out of Edinburg, Texas. Although they have played a number of valley venues in a short time, they pre-fer large stage events for now. The band is dramatic on stage under the lights and doesn’t compromise country tradition in their music. These sisters can and do harmo-nize like little country angels giv-ing the band the big performance look and sound.

Contempo gives a BIG thumbs up to Highway 7 for bringing a fresh new country sound to the Upper Valley. These ladies should, in quick time, ignite the industry with some new life and appreciation for the country music. C


McAllen’sDowntownEntertainment District613 S. 17th St. 681.5226

100 E. Nolana, McAllen, TX (956) 618-1335

An Irish Pub Story.....A man stumbles up to the only patron in a bar and asks “Can I buy you a drink?”-"Why of course", comes the reply. The first man then asks: "Where are you from?" "I'm from Ireland", replies the second man. The first man: "You don't say, I'm from Ireland too! Lets have another round to Ireland."-"Of course", replies the second man. The First man then asks: "Wherein Ireland are you from?" "Dublin", comes the reply. "I can't believe it", says the first man. "I'm from Dublin too! Let's have another drink to Dublin."-"Of course", replies the second man. Curiosity strikes the first man and he asks: "What school did you go to?"-"Saint Mary's", replies the second man. "I graduated in '62." "This is unbeliev-able", the first man says. "I went to Saint Mary's and graduated in '62, too!"

About that time in comes one of the regulars and asks the bar-tender, What’s up?"Nothing much", replies the bartender. "Just those O'Malley twins drunk again."

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Event:

Bringin it back to the Best of Times, Music & Culture

Learn more about on facebook

“Something Seventies” is a group of like-minded Boom-ers and their many friends who have a profound appreciation for the music and culture of the 1970s. To celebrate they re-unite from time to time in the McAllen area and elsewhere. More events are planned for McAllen and Houston in April. Learn more about Something Seventies on Facebook.


Over the years Latina entrepreneurs have made a strong impact on the U.S. business scene. The Hispanic population is the largest and fastest growing minority group. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Hispanic population was 46.9 million in 2008, a 3.2 percent increase from 2007, meaning almost one in six American is of Hispanic descent. The large Hispanic in-fluence has resulted in an economy robust with innovative Latina entrepreneurs. This month is Women’s History Month and various individu-als, organizations and institutions are putting forth efforts towards recognizing the importance of female societal contributions.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Na-tional Women’s History Project (NWHP), which serves as a catalyst for promoting women as leaders and influential societal forces. The focus for this year’s theme is ‘Writing Women Back into History’. Mainstream historical accounts have largely undermined female contributions in society. The accomplishments of minorities tend to also receive a diminished role in typical his-torical reports. Therefore, Latinas face a double discrimination.

To honor the theme the NWHP has developed a nation-wide program highlighting outstanding women and their achievements. The organiza-tion places an emphasis on featuring positive role models and the importance of women from all backgrounds.

According to the NWHP, when the effort began in the eighties less than 3% of the content of teacher training textbooks mentioned the contri-butions of women and when included, women were usually written in as mere footnotes. Wom-en were deprived of female role models. Today the web contains millions of citations professing the accomplishments of women and Latinas spe-cifically.

Accrediting women for the work they have done opens doors for other women to follow their lead. Lisa Garcia-Ruiz, founder of The Grant Hunter, a consulting service that helps its clients seek funding sources, was motivated by the ac-complishments of others.

“I have been inspired by other strong women en-trepreneurs who have been able to create a busi-ness that allows them to make a difference, make money and have time for their families as well,” Ruiz said.

For Latinas culture is an important influence in business endeavors and thus should be celebrat-ed as playing a part in their success. Lilian de la Torre-Jiménez, Publisher of Bodas USA La Re-vista, the first Spanish-language bridal magazine in the U.S., notes the significance her Hispanic heritage has on her business.

“Being Hispanic is the foundation and the heart of my business” Torre-Jiménez said. “Our motto says it all: Tu Boda, Tu Cultura, Tu Idioma (Your Wedding, Your Culture, Your Language).” With that same approach of catering to Latinas with a culturally appropriate multimedia platform, the publisher is launching her third magazine, Mu-jer Empresaria, the first Spanish-language digi-tal magazine for the U.S. Latina Entrepreneur in mid-2010.

Culture-infused Latina companies are able to speak to the ever-growing Hispanic population. Mainstream companies devise heavily budgeted plans to reach this lucrative demographic but oftentimes fall short of communicating with cultural relevancy. Latina entrepreneurs such as Molly Robbins, founder of fashion brands Palo-mita and Chucho, understands the nuances of her Latino culture.

“The Latino culture embraces a ‘love for life’ in a

compassionate and passionate way. We love our music, colors, food, family and friends,” Robbins said. Her clothing line embraces this culture. “I wanted to create brands that truly resonated with the Latino community.”

Latina entrepreneurs have found alternative solutions to breaking down the barriers to suc-cess for minority business owners. Networking online through organizations such as the His-panic Chamber of E-Commerce provides access to knowledge and resources that help promote Latina business.

“The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce has given online Hispanic-focused businesses a fo-rum to come together and promote their product or services in a professional manner,” Martha Alburquerque, developer of Lela Luxe, an on-line magazine dedicated to the latest fashion, art, design and entertainment. “Stumbling upon the organization has inspired me to continue my ef-forts, despite being a minority in the world of blogging.”

Another important aspect attributing to the suc-cess of Latina business is their competencies in communicating in multicultural environments. The U.S. is an increasingly diverse playground for business transactions. Creator of networking focused company Opening Latino Doors LLC, Lourdes Sampera Tsukada, articulates the im-portance of multicultural understandings.

“When one is doing business or interacting with small business owners from another culture, communication styles vary,” Sampera Tsukada said. “We are no longer doing business with the same culture and the same generations – we are doing business with many different cultures, generations, and forms of communications. The awareness of these key components is the key to future continued success!”

Women will have an increasingly prominent role in U.S. business. As the U.S. Hispanic popula-tion continues to grow much of this transforma-tion will be made by Latinas. The contributions of Latina entrepreneurs should be recognized to encourage the entrepreneurial pursuits of young-er generations. The result of such efforts will have a positive impact on the future of the U.S. business world.

by Lucía Matthews and Alice Gomez.

Lucía Matthews is a freelance writer and director of DiálogoPR a Hispanic public relations firm. Al-ice Gomez is a public relations counselor at Diál-ogoPR and a published writer who contributes fea-tures, news and technical articles.

Wise LatinasMaking A BigBusinessImpact

BUSINESS / CAPTURING THE MARKET

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Pageant (continued from page 31)


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Jaime’s HAVEN HOME Inc.Alterations / Tailoring / Resale ShopMen’s & Women’s Apparel

Pedro CortezPresident1624 N. 10th St.McAllen, TX

956-905-3460


Beautiful and durable bamboo, wood and cork flooring at reasonable prices. Visit our showroom and experience a full selection of the finest surfaces from around the world featuring glass mo-saic, natural stone, ceramics, wood, carpet and countertops. “We Cover the Valley’s Finest Homes”.

J C Cervantes, Pangea Floor Coverings

614 N. 10th Street, McAllen, Texas 78501 / 956.686.2990 / www.pangeafloor.comAcross from Sahadi’s on 10th Street

Documents

Contempo Magazine April 2010