En Contacto Fall 2014

Fa l l 2014

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Enterprise Bank & TRUST

What Banks LOOK FOR

S p on s or e d by E n te r p r is e B a n k & T rust

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LATINA SPOTLIGHT:

Hispanic Working Women

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Martha Kampen What is Your Company’s

2015 Focus?

Dear Member/Readers, What a great year of accomplishments it has been so far! In October, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce launched a new website. While the design is the most obvious change, online visitors and members will benefit from many other improvements such as a new responsive design, and Chamber Master Software for our members. Additionally, the Hispanic Chamber launched its new initiative, Hispanic Working Women – Strategic Moves to Success. We were invigorated to see the amount of support and encouragement received for this event. We look forward to expanding on this program, as well as providing continued support to our small business development and community development programs in 2015.

We look forward to continuing to cultivate our programs to meet your membership needs.

The HCC STL Foundation has also experienced many accomplishments this year. In October, the Foundation kicked off Class IV of the Hispanic Leadership Institute. The Hispanic Leadership Institute, HLI, is a skills-based leadership training program consisting of nine training sessions conducted once a month each focused on a particular skill set for the developing leader. In addition to leadership training, participants will be encouraged to give back to the St. Louis region through community involvement. To date, forty participants have graduated from the program and have experienced continual growth in their careers. We are proud of the success of the program thus far and expect to see great things from Class IV. I hope that as a member that you feel the value in partnering with the Hispanic Chamber as well as the HCC STL Foundation. We look forward to continuing to cultivate our programs to meet your membership needs. Please be on the lookout for our 2015 calendar.

In addition to our special events, we also have our monthly Educational Forum series, Café with Business, as well as our Business After Hours events. All of the information for these events is listed on our website – www.hccstl.com. I encourage you to participate in these, as they are a great way to take advantage of your Hispanic Chamber membership, hone your skills and connect with business leaders in the community.

Thank you,

Karlos Ramirez Executive Director

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welcome

new members!

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By joining, the following individuals and companies have decided to make an investment in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and our community at large. We encourage you to find out more about them and, whenever possible, to use their services. If you would like more information about any of these individuals or organizations, please contact us at: 314.664.4432

Enterprise Bank & Trust What Banks Look For

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Camille C. Frogge

Small Business and Debt

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Community Action Agency of STL

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Deloitte, LLP

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Flesner Wentzel

Try This: Create Bilingual Buyer Personas

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Lazo’s Body Shop

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LISTO

Latina Spotlight: Hispanic Working Women

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Lucha Restaurant

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Marcherie Vazquez

What is Your Company’s 2015 Focus?

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Mary Lavin

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MELBER, LLC

Monsanto: A Glimpse into a Globally Successful Local Company

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Mississippi Lime Company-Corporate Friend

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Missouri History Museum-Corporate Friend

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Niehaus Building Services LLC

World Pediatric Project

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Primaris

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Zee Bee Market LLC

Business Leadership and Art?

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By Doug Bauche

What Banks Look For: The network of people you’ve built relationships with over the years is one of the most vital resources you will have professionally and personally. To develop and to maintain a strong network is a challenge.

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hink about it, your network is comprised of family, friends, current and former business colleagues, connections made through your not-for-profit involvement, people you know through children’s activities, etc. It takes work to keep in touch with people. When you are an entrepreneur, your network is even more important because it determines if your business will continuously grow.

People do business with people they know, like and trust.

At some point in the life of your business, you may need to have access to capital to grow or simply keep your business going during a rough patch.

Could you walk into a bank today and sit down with a banker with whom you have a relationship and explain your need for cash? The purpose of this column is to learn how to organize your business’ financial records and manage the expectations of your banker as you develop a professional relationship built on trust and confidence. In this column, I will discuss the following items:

»» Business owner basics when considering applying for a loan »» How to develop an active, professional relationship with a banker, even if you don’t need a loan immediately »» What banks look for when considering a loan request

Do your homework before you apply for a loan

Before you can even consider applying for a loan, you must have a written business plan, a summary of how the loan money would be spent, a current resume, current financials or pro-forma financials for a start-up, and know your credit score.

You’ll also need to know the basics of marketing your company, reading a balance sheet, and hiring your first employee.

Resources available in the St. Louis region to help you understand the fundamentals of operating a business include: Enterprise University (EU). Enterprise University is a free

educational program for entrepreneurs and business people, which offers high-impact, university- caliber business courses sponsored by Enterprise Bank & Trust. A variety of business topics are covered ranging from marketing and social media to recruiting and hiring talent to sales management. Each spring and fall a series of courses are offered that deliver real value to business owners and their senior management teams, 4

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community leaders and not-for-profit executives. For more information about the EU classes offered in St. Louis, please visit, www.enterprisebank.com/eu?l=stl.

(HCCSTL) Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan

St. Louis. The HCCSTL provides an extensive list of local small business resources on its web site. Here is a link to the list of local small business resources, www.hccstl.com/resources/ small-business-resources/.

St. Louis SCORE. SCORE is a nationally recognized, non-

profit of business-savvy professional volunteers who provide free, confidential, valuable advice for your business needs if you are a start-up or an existing business. The HCCSTL has a SCORE chapter that meets regularly at the HCCSTL Centene Technology Center, located at 3611 South Grand, Suite 105, St. Louis, MO, 63118. Please check the HCCSTL’s web site for additional information, or for more information about St. Louis SCORE, please visit, www.stlouis.score.org.

Development of the relationship between the banker and entrepreneur. Bankers and entrepreneurs

view the world from different perspectives. Bankers tend to avoid risks where entrepreneurs seek risks. Bankers tend to take a more pragmatic approach to the world where entrepreneurs tend to be optimistic. Bankers tend to have lots of experience dealing with numbers, usually having an accounting or finance background, and entrepreneurs tend to have professional experience in sales and production. Bankers work in a highly regulated industry where entrepreneurs usually have normal to very little regulatory oversight for their products and services.

Understanding the vantage points of each player makes you more empathetic.

You are more likely to lend money to a friend over a stranger.

A bank is more receptive to your loan request if they know you. The best way to meet a banking professional is through referrals. Who is the banker your peers use for their banking needs? Secure at least three referral names and arrange a 30-minute meeting to learn about the bank and its lending philosophy and to determine if you feel you like and trust the person with whom you could be dealing.

Below are questions to ask to determine if this will be a strategic fit for you and your business:

»» What is the banker’s experience with my industry? »» How does the size of my loan compare with the average loan in your portfolio in the bank?

»» What happens if I hit a bump in the road? »» Is your bank growing loans? »» Does your bank offer all the services I currently have at my bank? »» How are loan decisions made at your bank? »» Will I get to know all the decision makers at the bank? »» What is the bank’s attitude toward risk? »» Who will handle my account after the loan closing and/or account opening? —Who is the back-up contact?

»» Do you anticipate the need for outside attorneys to document my loan(s)?

What banks look for. When making the decision to begin a new banking relationship and/or requesting a loan, three questions should be answered. Is this the right transaction, right banker, and right bank?

If your business loan request meets the right transaction, right banker, and right bank criteria, the next step is to appropriately share the “Big Picture” of your business and explain why the loan is needed. This discussion involves: Alignment: What is the management and organizational structure?

Who’s on your team of professional advisors?

Processes and Systems: How do you handle sales management? What about production and workflow? How is your company’s cash managed? Has due diligence been conducted on your clients? What systems are in place for your company’s use of the internet and privacy?

Understanding Collateral: What is the collateral’s marketability? What about your cash conversion cycle?

Understanding Real Estate Collateral: If real estate is

used for collateral, what is the replacement cost? What are the sales comparisons? Is it income producing? If you’re proposing construction/rehab, are your figures “as is” or “as completed”?

Guarantor Support: Do you know someone willing to be

your back up if you are unable to pay the loan? Will the guarantor provide improved leverage, liquidity, and/or collateral? What’s your connection and why is the guarantor willing to participate?

Once the Big Picture discussion has occurred between you and the banker, the loan application process can start. Your banker should

be able to provide you with a detailed list of the information expected. If too many red flags occur during this process, it may derail the application. Red flags or warning signs include:

»» No budget »» Poor credit score / credit references »» Don’t understand your own numbers »» Overly complicated ownership structure »» Significant differences in tax income versus book income »» Your primary concern is rate and / or guaranty »» Global case flow (real estate) »» No management team in place »» Instability, high variability »» “Too fast” of expansion and growth »» Inability to provide periodic, timely financial information »» Turnover ratios lengthening »» Poor communication or lack of forthrightness »» Fighting within management, between partners or among family members

»» Excessive dependencies on key raw materials, a few

customers, key labor contracts, soon-to-expire patent production, or unusually narrow product line »» No “business owner” skin in the game »» Piecemeal financing requests »» Insufficient insurance The relationship established between you and your banker can make a difference in how your business grows and thrives.

As a banker, I can assure you we want entrepreneurs and business owners to succeed. Small businesses support their owners’ families, create jobs and support our communities.

If you have questions about business banking or banking relationships in general, a good source is Robyn Heidger.

Robyn is a member of the HCCSTL Board of Directors and can be reached at rheidger@enterprisebank.com or 314.512.7234. I feel confident in referring her – she happens to be my sister!

Doug Bauche is President of the St. Louis region for Enterprise Bank & Trust. He oversees the six branches located throughout the region with four locations in St. Louis County and two locations in St. Charles County. He can be contacted at dbauche@enterprisebank.com or 314.512.7239.

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By Jim Mosqueda

financial condition, arrange for new sources of capital and settle litigation out of court. Creditors welcome out of court settlements since it means getting cash sooner, with greater certainty and reduced attorney fees. At the end of this process, the restructuring firm renews the viability of the debtor business in a lower cost fashion compared to litigation.

Even during prosperous economic times, a business may fall behind with debts.

If I had to describe an anatomy of small business path to litigation it occurs something like this:

Small Business AND Debt

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n a typical month, there are 100 contractbased civil suits brought against businesses in St. Louis. This does not include litigation in the adjoining Illinois counties.

In a recent issue of the St. Louis Business Journal, there were 50 entities facing federal tax liens and 30 facing state tax liens.

A small business facing litigation has several choices. Business owners may ignore the suit hoping it will go away – it won’t. The outcome of this choice will be a default judgment.

Many business owners act reflexively and hire an attorney. It does not send the best message to a creditor that there are funds available for an attorney but not to pay a debt. An often ignored point about hiring an attorney is that frequently there are no substantive legal points to discuss in court. Typically, there is no disagreement that money is owed or the amount owed.

If a business chooses to go to court

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In my business restructuring practice I witness the struggles of small business on a daily basis. Cash flow and undercapitalization are the main culprits and often there is a definitive path towards the proverbial financial cliff. under these conditions, understand what a loss entails. A loss means liability for the original debt, defense attorney fees, interest charges, court costs, interest on unpaid balances that can be as high as 18% per annum and plaintiff attorney fees.

A legal challenge could take as long as one year. Such an outcome can be a death knell and eventually lead to bankruptcy.

Some businesses will deal with a creditor directly or negotiate with the creditor attorney. This is an emotional proposition for a small business debtor. Negotiations are difficult and time consuming. Small business owners often lack the expertise to settle such matters even if they purchase do-it-yourself courses costing hundreds of dollars.

Another path is to engage the services of a business restructuring firm that will holistically evaluate the small business’

1) 1/3 of accounts payable are overdue by more than 90 days 2) Debt payments skipped to meet payroll 3) Collection letters from suppliers There are a myriad of reasons why businesses fall into this track. Some of these reasons can be personal or attributable to unforeseen circumstances.

Sometimes it may be the fault of a customer or a supplier. There are also managerial reasons. A market tells you what it needs but you have to ask and listen. The business also has to define and articulate its value proposition. Zappos is a textbook case. They threw up an online store with images, gauged the response and initially fulfilled with retail inventory (ask & listen). They gave customers the ability to try shoes at home and return them without charge. This created the instore experience without venturing to the mall (value proposition).

Small business failures don’t make the nightly news. At a minimum, small business comprises some of the pistons of the economy’s engine. We should root for the small entrepreneur. Remember that big companies were once small companies.

Jaime Mosquera is a Principal at Sentinel Consulting, a business restructuring firm. He is also the author of E$caping Oz: Protecting your wealth during the financial crisis. He operates the financial and economic site (TheSentinel.biz).

Try This: C reate Bilingual Buyer

Personas Marketing?

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hen was the last time you thought about your best customer, and put a name and face to that person?

We can all probably remember our best customer and if you take the extra step of developing a name, biography, and personality for that person, you will vastly improve your marketing strategy.

Hubspot defines buyer persona as, “a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.”

What does this mean to you? Not only should you create a native-English speaking buyer persona, but you should also develop a bilingual Spanish-speaking buyer persona as well. According to Hubspot, “A detailed buyer persona will help you determine where to focus your time, guide product development, and allow for alignment across the organization.

As a result, you will be able to attract the most valuable visitors, leads, and customers to your business.”

As a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, you are looking for ways to improve your multicultural marketing as well as selling more products or services to a specific group. The idea of developing bilingual buyer personas

sounds appealing to you, but you don’t know where to start. This article will discuss three steps in developing two types of buyer personas – English speaking and Spanish speaking.

1) Think of your typical customer – what common traits do those customers have with each other?

2) Find a stock photo of this customer and give him or her a name.

3) Develop a biography and personality for this person – Marital status, home town, income and profession, hobbies etc.

Think of your typical customer

You probably enjoy working with this person and he or she is an advocate for your brand. The reason for creating buyer personas is that your marketing plan should target people like this. So picture this person in your mind and find a stock photo of this customer, of both nationalities, and give these personas a name.

Where to find Stock Photos

Free sources for stock photos are available on the Web at Microsoft Office Online (http://bit.ly/1rHX9GA) , Wikimedia Commons (http://bit.ly/1e6pIMY) , and Flickr (http://bit.ly/1y8wg3s). Be sure to search for photos that allow for

Creative Commons reuse with proper attribution. iStockPhoto is a great place to find inexpensive stock photos for your marketing materials.

Develop a biography and personality for this person

For your English-speaking buyer persona from the US, which state do they reside and what was their hometown? Being as specific as possible will help you take advantages of regional marketing initiatives and tailor your product and services to the particular tastes of that area. For your Spanish-speaking buyer persona, which county did that person emigrate from? Spanish speakers have many nuances for marketing words that vary between countries, so you have to be careful to choose the precise words for your marketing campaign to account for these differences.

In conclusion, it does take some time and effort to develop a set of buyer personas, especially when you set out to create two of them. The benefits, however, far outweigh the time and effort you expend because the payoff will be a greater marketing reach, which should translate into more sales!

Ann Marie Mayuga is a partner with AMM Communications, LLC, and is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis. Founded in 2008, AMM Communications LLC, public relations, marketing and training agency of St. Louis, Missouri, provides PR, business development, crisis communications, content marketing, internal communications, executive training, marketing, media relations, reputation management, and search consulting. AMM Communications works with small- and mid-sized businesses nationwide. From 2010-2012, the agency was voted as one of the top 25 St. Louis public relations firms by the readers of Small Business Monthly. For more information, please navigate to www.ammcommunications.com or call 314.485.9499.

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LATINA spotlight

Hispanic Working Women / Strategic Moves to Success

Corporate Life Work-Home-Life Balance Community Service Responsibility of Success

Helping Hispanic women

advance through partnerships, leadership and mentoring.

The Hispanic Chamber kicked off its new initiative of supporting Hispanic working women on October 2, 2014 at the World Chess Hall of Fame.

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his event, titled “Hispanic Working Women – Strategic Moves to Success,” offered networking opportunities, with an emphasis on building mentor/mentee relationships.

The mission of the initiative is to help Hispanic women advance through partnerships, leadership and mentoring.

The night’s activities showcased a panel of Hispanic women leaders who spoke

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on the areas of Corporate Life, WorkHome-Life Balance, Community Service and the Responsibility of Success.

The night was sponsored by Maxine Clark with Build-A-Bear, Nestlé Purina, Monsanto, and Tania Interian State Farm Agency.

Overall the event catered to a sold out crowd of over 100 Hispanic women

professionals who came to network and hear inspiring stories from the event’s check-mate panel. In 2015, the Hispanic Chamber will continue its focus on providing support for Hispanic working women. Services will include three Café with Business educational workshops, Business after Hours, and additional focus on developing mentee/mentor relationships.

Check-Mate Panel Queen_Responsibility of Success: Carmen Jacob helped establish NextGen in 1997. As a woman pioneer in the industry that was dominated by men, Carmen was inspired to start her own business. “It was a dream... only in America is this possible,” she said. Throughout the years NextGen’s president has been completely dedicated to diversity and brings her enthusiasm to every venture.

The firm is a Certified Woman-Owned Enterprise and a Certified MinorityOwned Enterprise. Carmen, personally, and her company, has been recognized throughout the years by DiversityBusiness.com, The St. Louis Business Journal, and Inc. Magazine for a continued commitment to diversity in the work place.

As a recognized leader in her industry, Carmen shares that a key to building a successful company is a focus on building a strong team.

Rook_Home-Work Balance: Marcherie VazqueZ is a marketing director at

Meridian Enterprises Corporation, in charge of managing the loyalty and incentive program for two banks in Mexico. Marcherie oversees project teams during development, production of deliverables in the areas of product management, accounting, program administration, staffing, technology, print creative, market research, call center, and award fulfillment. She serves as the client single point of contact; initiating and coordinating the communication flow between the client, agencies and vendors in Mexico and the entire project team in the United States.

As a frequent flyer, Marcherie shared that one of the keys to a successful homework balance is communication with both your partner and work.

Pawn_Corporate Life: Lydia Padilla owns and operates the St. Louis franchise

of TRC Staffing Services, Inc., a personnel placement firm for temporary, full-time employment and permanent employees. A 24-year veteran of the staffing industry, Padilla and her associates provide traditional staffing services, professional and technical contractors, management services, bilingual personnel, and placement for some of the country’s leading companies, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. In 2011 the St. Louis Business Journal named Lydia one of its Diverse Business Leaders and the YWCA named her a Leader of Distinction in the Entrepreneur category. She has been featured in Entrepreneur.com, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis Business Journal, St. Louis Commerce Magazine and the West End Word. As a franchise owner, Lydia shares that a key to success is setting clear goals and holding yourself accountable to those goals.

Bishop_Community Service Eileen (Otero) Wolfington is a promotora de salud, commonly known as a community health worker for Casa de Salud (House of Health). As a promotora, some of Eileen’s duties include serving as a liaison with health care providers and community agencies, coordinating bilingual health and wellness education programs for Casa clients and identifying culturally appropriate marketing and training materials related to chronic diseases prevalent in the local Latino community. She sits on the board of various community organizations including the Hispanic Leader’s Group of St. Louis and she serves in an advisory capacity for the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Community Advisory Board and the American Diabetes Association’s National Hispanic/Latino Health Disparities Subcommittee. This year, she is one of the ten women named to the 2014 YWCA Metro St. Louis Academy of Leaders for the role she plays in racial justice. Eileen encourages individuals to get to know their communities and go beyond their comfort zone in order to get to know new people and ways of life.

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ost of us are required to submit this vital business information before year-end. It can be a very cumbersome and complex process; even an intrusion into the daily “whirlwind of activity and urgent issues” you still have to deal with. In fact for many, the process may continue well into the new year in which they are to achieve those same goals. I would like to propose a simplified version of this process — especially for our small business owners:

FOCUS ON ONE WILDLY IMPORTANT GOAL.

Here’s a step-by-step – Simplified – Process for planning for what’s most important to your business in 2015: Review your Current Year Profit and Loss Statements — examine the detail

Where are you most profitable? Where are you losing money?

What are you doing well? What’s not going so well? Do you know why? Any surprises? This is a good time to talk with your front-line people; the ones who have the most interaction with your customers. Get their perspectives on what is selling well and not so well. This is also a great time to dig into your expenses. Is anything out of proportion to the profit-potential of any product/service line? Can profitability be improved with greater attention, more efficiency in the area of expense?

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Compare Current Year Data with Previous Three-to-Five Years — determine trends

Where are revenues increasing/decreasing over time? Where was there an increase/decline in volume? Are you gaining new customers? Are you losing customers? Are your Marketing dollars being spent efficiently in today’s market? Has your company adapted more effective communications methods for your market? Do you have the operational resources you need to support a growth trend? Do you need to reallocate resources to a new area?

Know What is Happening in your Marketplace — Look for trends with your customers

What are they dealing with? What is their pain that you are best positioned to solve? How can you be more relevant to them? Are your marketing messages reaching your prospects where they are most receptive to them? How do you know?

Check out your competition in greater detail; what do they do well, where are the opportunities? What are the threats?

Where are you greatest challenges? How do you carve out your niche differentiating your company from the others?

The marketplace is rapidly changing. Know what is happening with the people you want to attract as customers... or where you can find NEW customers!

What is Your Company’s 2015 Focus?It’s planning time!

Indeed most company leaders and business owners have already spent several hours, if not DAYS, weaving together their 2015 Goals and Budgets.

What are Your Strengths? What do your people get excited about?

Where are the areas of growth? What is selling well/profitable?

Is there an intersection in what you do well, where you do well and what the market needs that come together into a “sweet spot” of opportunity for you to focus on next year? Allow your team to get creative in this area. Bring out the “visionaries” in your group to throw out all potential ideas. It may be something completely obvious, or something that may not have been considered previously. In this changing market, there are many new opportunities and markets to consider.

What ONE Thing would make the Greatest Positive Impact to your Company if you Accomplished it Next Year?

This one focus area becomes your Primary Objective for 2015. Consider all the above, funnel it through your team, and make a decisive commitment for your entire organization to focus toward this one NEW objective. It is well documented that when everyone is aligned toward one singular focus; it actually gets accomplished!

Most of us are required to submit this vital business information before year-end. It can be a very cumbersome and complex process...

If your company would benefit from working through a strategic planning process like the one described above, contact Kampen Consultants, LLC for a no-obligation consultation.

The results can mean the difference between a good year, and a fantastic year.

Martha Garcia-Kampen: First-generation Mexican-American, Martha was raised bilingually and bi-culturally. Having studied in Guadalajara, Mexico, Martha launched her career in Hispanic Marketing to the U.S. With extensive experience in marketing research, planning and implementation, Garcia-Kampen provides generational and cultural strategic marketing consultation to businesses, educational development on cross-cultural communications and trains corporate leaders and teams in the areas of inclusion and diversity. Contact Info: Kampen Consultants, LLC 745 Craig Road, Suite 212, St. Louis, MO 63141. 888-887-6536. Martha@kampen.com • www.kampen.com

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MonsantO: A glimpse into a globally successful local company.

I Am part of a great family. That’s the only way I can best describe the workplace I spend a great part of my everyday life. People often ask me, “Why are you proud to be working at Monsanto?” My short answer is “Monsanto is helping to bring a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world.”

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onetheless, a longer answer is that Monsanto is truly looking to help nourish our growing population by optimizing one of the most basic and critical activities of our existence. I am talking about agriculture. Here at Monsanto, I have found a company that is looking for ethical and responsible ways to feed our increasing global population.

I’ve found a company, which through the use of technology and sustainable solutions, looks to help farmers all around the world succeed, conserve natural resources and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease.

to help protect the earth that feeds us. Sustainability is a key component of our success as a company. We aim to comprehend Mother Nature, and be respectful with her resources. This understanding allows us to find ways to complete a sustainable circle where responsible agricultural practices, technology, farmers and Mother Nature coexist.

Monsanto divides its business in three main branches: Seeds & Traits, Vegetables, and Crop Protection. Seeds and Traits work to meet farmers’ demands by offering seeds with the best possible germplant and improved genetics, for higher yields.

Our main crops in this category are maize, cotton, soybeans and canola. Monsanto’s Vegetable division is the world’s leading developer, producer and marketer of vegetable seeds. Our seeds are available in 150 countries globally, and we develop products that reduce the need for agricultural chemicals, increase crop yield, reduce spoilage, offer longer shelf-life and create better-tasting foods with higher nutritional content. Our Crop Protection division manufactures Roundup-which is the world’s best-selling herbicide used by farmers for weed control.

The production of everything we eat requires resources such as land, water, energy and people. As a leader in agricultural innovation, we equip growers through collaborations that deliver solutions to address some of their biggest challengesall while sustaining the environment. It’s our commitment

This international presence of Monsanto has brought an array of talented foreigners to contribute to the global effort of making this planet a better and sustainable place to live.

The Latin community is a key part in the company’s mission.

During the last few decades, our business in Latin America has grown exponentially. Latin America, Argentina and Brazil are the undisputed key players in soybean development and production; Mexico is an important element while Chile is key player in our vegetables business. Furthermore, we also have operations in nearly every other country in Latin America.

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I am also part of a company that works to help steward its community. Every day at work I see the social effort being carried out all over the globe in any country where Monsanto operates.

This business growth has created a strong Latin Community at Monsanto in St. Louis. The skills and talents of this community are impressive. We have the chemist from Peru, the Industrial Engineer from Venezuela, the accountant from Argentina, the scientist from Brazil, the IT specialist from Mexico, etc. They are all people like you and I, which came to Monsanto to contribute to make this company successful.

The Latin Leadership is better illustrated

by Juan Ferreira, who is a highly respected senior executive who has enjoyed a successful career. Juan Ferreira is from Colombia and has been working at Monsanto for more than twenty years.

His leadership took him to work in Latin America, Asia, Europe and United States for Monsanto, Juan Ferreira currently holds the positions of Vice President International Business, Global BioAg and Global Crop Protection. Furthermore, at this moment, Juan is part of Monsanto’s Global Business Operations team. He is a well-mannered gentleman who oozes experience and confidence while he talks.

I asked Juan “What does it mean to be a Latino in Monsanto?

“Being a Latino in Monsanto means a responsibility of representing, not only your country but all of Latin America.

I am proud to be Colombian, and I am prouder to be recognized as a successful Colombian by my peers. I can’t deny that I have been blessed to be in a wonderful company, that has given to me the opportunities to grow professionally, and that has offered me and my family unique experiences around the world”

years ago in his beloved Argentina as a Manufacturing Cost Accountant. In 2006, Nicolas had the opportunity to come to the U.S. to work at Monsanto’s headquarters. Since then, he has been continually growing within the company, where he has been at the helm of four different positions since his arrival. His growth has been not only professional, but also personal. Behind are the days, when he came to this country to venture into the unknown. Now, he is a father who devotes his time to his two daughters.

I asked Nicolas, “What does it mean to be a Latino at Monsanto?”

“Being a Latino at Monsanto means a sense of responsibility. Why a sense of responsibility? Because, it is an honor to raise the flag of Latin America through my work. Every day that I come to work, I do not only do it for myself and my family, but also for each Latin American country. Every single success in my careers is a triumph for all my Latin brothers and sisters who along with me, come to work every day believing, that through our daily effort we are leaving a positive footprint not only in Latin America, but all over the world” Yvonne Morante is from Mexico.

She is 30 years old and has been working at Monsanto for nearly eight years.

Currently she holds the position of Agro Services Strategic Account Operations Manager. Her Journey started at Monsanto in Mexico City as a junior intern.

Eventually, the opportunities came and she had the chance to come to St. Louis in 2007 as Fixed Assets Analyst. I asked Yvonne, “What are the opportunities that Monsanto has offered you?”

“Monsanto has offered me the chance to get to know what we are doing globally to feed mankind. As an International Auditor Nicolas Cattaneo is another vivid in one of my previous roles, I had the example of a successful Latin story at Monsanto. He is 31 years old, and started opportunity to visit 56 countries, and get to observe firsthand our global effort to feed working for Monsanto nearly eleven

Monsanto has offered me the chance to get to know what we are doing globally to feed mankind. people. Moreover, Monsanto has shown me the commitment of our employees in all these countries to give something back to their communities. For example, I was awestruck to see how we help our communities in Latin America to overcome social, educational and community sustainable challenges. As a Latina, I feel very proud to see such a commitment by the company that I work for” Just like Juan Ferreira, Nico Cattaneo and Yvonne Morante, there are hundreds of Latinos at Monsanto writing their own successful story every day. I hope this article has given to you a positive glimpse about our company, about our operations, environment sustainability compromise, community commitment, and has allowed you to get to know a little bit about the Latino community at Monsanto. I invite you to reach out to us if you have any other questions related to our company and industry. We will be gladly to respond your concerns.

Eduardo Bravo is originally from Mexico. He has been working at Monsanto for 10 months. Currently, he holds the position of International Accountant for LAN-Brazil at Monsanto. His career focus is business and finance. Eduardo is trilingual, and has everyday contact with Latin America due to his job. He is also a member of the leadership team at Monsanto Latin Network.

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World Pediatric Project K

evin, age 16, is Odilia’s only child.

Their lives were abruptly changed when Kevin was 8 years old.

confirmed the diagnosis of AVM, an abnormal connection of arteries and veins in Kevin’s brain, and a few months later, Kevin and his mom were on the way to St. Louis for the surgery that would save Kevin’s life.

It is a fact that children around the world are suffering and dying from birth defects, illness and injury which are routinely One day after school, Kevin started treated in the United States. However, experiencing a strong headache, dizziness in the areas we work in Central America and vomiting. Being a nurse, Odilia’s and the Caribbean, the help children instincts were swift and she brought him need is unavailable to them. WPP links to the emergency room. An MRI indicated hundreds of children each year with that Kevin had bleeding in his brain due pediatric critical care resources. In to ruptured blood vessels. addition, WPP focuses on programs aimed at providing training to local “I was so scared that my son would die,” medical personnel and devising Odilia said. “He was lucky because his sustainable solutions for children in brain hemorrhage stopped on its own.” the future.

Kevin had have several more “small bleeds” causing severe headaches, and Our St. Louis office is a small but mighty Odilia became more and more desperate voice for parents who are seeking answers to find care for her son which was for their children in need of life-changing unavailable in their home country medical intervention, but have little or no of Guatemala. options because of where they live.

Her prayers were answered when she took Kevin to a World Pediatric Project (WPP) Neurosurgery Mission in Guatemala City. WPP volunteer surgeons 14

fall 2014 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

their families and support systems. WPP families are immediately immersed into a vastly different culture, and often don’t speak English. With only five full-time staff members, WPP St. Louis depends on its amazing volunteers to support the families throughout their medical stay, which can range from 6 weeks to a full year, depending on each child’s treatment plan.

Volunteers assist with interpretation (most families are Spanish speaking), and social support such as visits to the hospital, invitations to church, and participation in outings around St. Louis. WPP St. Louis welcomes new volunteers who have a passion for children and wish to share in the joy of our healing mission. Volunteers are vital to WPP’s ability to support several different families in town each month.

One of our patient’s moms says it best: “I don’t have enough words to thank WPP volunteers. They are angels sent by God to give consolation, hope and cheer.

Their company and support will stay in our hearts forever.”

It truly takes a village to support the kids For more information, call the WPP and their caregivers who arrive in St. Louis St. Louis office at 314-317-8809 or visit with mixed feelings: newfound hope, www.worldpediatricproject.org. but also much anxiety having left behind

Business, Leadership

and… ART?

W

hat would it take to have the St. Louis region as a prominent, vibrant and prosperous community in the headline news across the country?

At first, for some it seems unrelated but extensive research has shown that besides strong business and competent leadership, the Arts are essential to the health and vitality of neighborhoods and cities. They create an environment that blends backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures, which attracts businesses and skilled workforce.

As an active player in the Regional Economic Development, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis takes the lead to not only support Hispanic business to thrive but also sees the importance of building ties with the large community by promoting the Hispanic culture and values. An innovative way the Hispanic Chamber fulfills these two goals is by hosting professionally curated art exhibits of emerging talented Hispanic artists. The art curator and leadership coach, Ciléia MirandaYuen explains that “the conception of an art exhibition in a business setting should not be considered simply decorative but rather an initiative to help the organization get their message across in engaging ways. Within this context, the arts also help business to enhance the critical thinking, stimulate creative skills, and enlarge perspectives of their workforce, members and partners. These are critical leadership skills associated with Emotional Intelligence, which is a key factor of success both on personal and professional levels.”

The new art exhibit hosted by the Hispanic Chamber is titled REFLECTIONS OF THE SOUL by the Costa Rican artist Vivian Gutierrez. Through an innovative technique, in this art series, the artist uses reverse painting on multiple layers of plexiglass creating depth and a three-dimensional perception. The art in this show was inspired by Gutierrez’ poems that were compiled in a bilingual full color illustrated poetry book that is available during the art exhibit. This art series explores the theme of Sacred Geometry which is associated with architecture, music and science. The essential concept behind all of these applications is simple: Everything has a pattern and some key

patterns bring all things into existence. The intention of the artist was to capture through a tree-dimensional perspective dreamlike figures and colors that represent in a visual form the quality of sensations that could be referred as the soul. In her words, “In the same way the body is reflected in the mirror, my soul is reflected in these acrylic panels.” Vivian Gutierrez is a painter, sculptor and poet whose art has been shown in several solo and collective exhibits across the United States, Europe and Latin America. Gutierrez’ art has received various awards. To learn more about the artist check her website at www.artegutierrez.com. The opening reception for the exhibit REFLECTIONS OF THE SOUL will be on February 19, 2015 during the Hispanic Chamber’s Business After Hours event at their home office located at 3611 South Grand Blvd., Suite 105 St. Louis, MO 63118. The art will be on display until end of May 2015 during business hours. For more information contact the Hispanic Chamber at 314-664-4432.

Ciléia Miranda-Yuen is an art curator, leadership coach and multicultural specialist and co-leads the St. Louis Mosaic Project-Arts Connector Program, a collaborative initiative to foster a more attractive and embracing environment in the St. Louis region. As local business leaders seek to attract and retain skilled and educated workers, they are paying more attention to community livability and vibrancy- key areas in which the arts make a contribution.

Ciléia Miranda-Yuen embraces multiple leadership roles in the workplace, and in the artistic, cultural and educational segments, with keen professionalism, visionary spirit, and charisma. Founder of the Latino Legacy Project, Ciléia Miranda-Yuen is the president of the leadership and diversity consulting company Genway International, and executive director of Belas Artes, where she promotes cross-cultural understanding and appreciation through art. Contact: cmy@belas-artes.net 314-898-2256

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PLATINUM Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Nestlé Purina Centene Corporation Regional Business Council

SILVER

BRONZE FRIEND AMDOCS, Inc. Armstrong Teasdale LLP AutoZone BMO Harris Brown Shoe Company Commerce Bank Citrus Springs Dean Team Emmis Communications St. Louis Enterprise Bank & Trust Enterprise Rent-A-Car Facilitec Corporate Furnishings Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Fifth Third Bank

Gateway Buick GMC St. Louis Garcia Properties Glazer’s Guarantee Electrical Company Hospitality Staffing Solutions LHM Sheraton Westport Hotels Lowe’s Home Improvement LUXCO, Inc. Madrina’s Ice Cream McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. Meridian Enterprises Corporation Midwest BankCentre Mississippi Lime Company Missouri History Museum

New York Life NextGen Information Services, Inc. Pangea Group People’s Health Centers Prudential Ranken Technical College Stinson Leonard Street, LLP St. Louis College of Health Careers St. Louis Community College St. Louis Post-Dispatch UMB Bank United Health Care United Way VisionIT

C o r p o r at e S p o n s o r s