Winter En Contacto!

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Spotlight:

Emma Espinoza

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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Grab this Moment

St. Louis-Area Hispanics

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Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

The Hispanic Chamber is the 14th largest chamber of commerce in the metro area. We are proud of the growth we have had these past few years and will continue to strive for growth and success in our services to the community.

Dear Member /Readers, I hope you had as great of a start to 2013 as we had here at the Hispanic Chamber. The New Year brought a couple of changes to the Hispanic Chamber. We elected a new Board of Directors and welcomed a new Assistant Director.

In addition to the changes the Hispanic Chamber was listed in the St. Louis Business Journal’s Book of Lists as the 14th largest Chamber of Commerce in the Metro area.

We are proud of the growth we have had these past few years and will continue to strive for growth and success in our services to the community.

We embraced the year by successfully carrying out our annual Job & Business fair in February. This event is very important to us as it allows us to connect with businesses and job seekers in an effort to diversify and support the job sector.

Our second Latino Leadership Institute class is getting closer to graduation. As they prosper so do our views of the future.

In February our LLI program received the What’s Right With the Region Award, under the Improving Racial Equality and Social Justice category. We have been very privileged to have had a variety of professionals come to our Institute and share their stories of success along with advice to our leadership class.

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winter 2013 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

On April 26th, the Hispanic Chamber will have its annual Adelante Awards. This event is always a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate individuals, businesses and organizations that have proven to be leaders and have made a worthwhile contribution to the metro area. We look forward to seeing our members at this event.

In addition to our special events, we also have our monthly Educational Forum Lunch and Learn series 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.

Over the past 30 years, we’ve worked hard to become the cornerstone of the Hispanic business community and we cannot begin to express our gratitude for the amount of support our members have shown us. We strive to continue to uphold the value of excellence that our members deserve from us and we at the Hispanic Chamber are excited to experience 2013 with you.

Thank you,

Karlos Ramirez Executive Director

Welcome New Members!

By joining, the following individuals and companies have decided to make an investment in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and our community at large.

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Hispanic Businesses in the United States

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Spotlight: Emma Espinoza

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Casa de Salud Calls for Volunteers

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Grab this Moment St. Louis-Area Hispanics

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10 Things Investors Should Know Today

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7 LinkedIn Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

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The “Hidden” Hispanic

by Martha Garcia-Kampen

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Enterprise Bank Trust The Five C’s of Credit

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 contacut us at: 314.664.4432 £

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AutoZone – Friend Level

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Friend Level

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GBCAP Corporation

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GMS Incentives

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M&I Investment

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Madrina’s Ice Cream – Friend Level

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Missouri Botanical Garden

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Peter Corsale

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RESource, LLC

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SolyMar Realty

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Hispanic Businesses in the United States

By Maria F. Mata HCC 2012 Fall Intern

H

ispanic population is one the most dynamic ethnic groups in the United States as Latinos are gaining increasing participation in political, economic, and social sectors nationally. Purchasing power among Hispanic population is motivating many companies to invest in marketing studies and campaigns, and many Hispanic-owned businesses are growing and increasing their sales and revenues.

Therefore, it is crucial for financial organizations to know and understand the magnitude of the Hispanic market dynamic, and its benefits and competition as well. The main sources of this report are the U.S. Census Bureau and its 2007 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) that collected information about businesses’ characteristics, owners, source of capital, and some other specific information. This report aims to analyze some of this official data and the Hispanic business growing in the Unites States in particular.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “Hispanicowned businesses in the United States increased 43.7% to 2 million, while the national average was 18% between 2002 and 2007.�

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007.

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In 2007, Hispanic business sales increased 55.5% and generated $345.2 million compared to 2002.

Hispanic businesses with revenues of $1 million or more increased 52% during the same period of time.

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Another interesting fact is that Hispanic and NonHispanic Businesses in the United States are similarly represented in the U.S. Census Bureau Statistics, 50% and 50% respectively.

In 2007, states with a traditional growing Hispanic population had the highest number of Hispanic business in the United States. 94% of these Latino companies were in New Mexico (23.6%), Florida (22.4%), Texas (20.7%), California (16.5%), and Arizona (10.7%).

In 2007, Hispanic Businesses were mainly owned by people of Mexican origin (45.8%), Cuban (11.1%), and Puerto Rico (6.9%). It is not surprising that almost half of all Hispanic businesses in the U.S. were owned by people with Mexican origin because they are the most populous group among Latinos in the United States. It could be interesting to relate this data to the socio-demographic distribution of these Latino groups to know future tendencies and marketing opportunities.

Among these four major groups from 2002 to 2007, Mexicans have increased 47.7%, Puerto Ricans 43%, Cuban 65.5%, and the other Hispanic-owned businesses have increased 30.6%. It could be interesting to explore some socio-demographic changes among Cuban population to understand its huge increase in business-ownership.

It is crucial for financial organizations to know and understand the magnitude of the Hispanic market dynamic, and its benefits and competition as well.

In the United States there were 2.3 million of Hispanic-owned businesses, which represented an increasing of 43.7% between 2002 and 2007. They corresponded to 8.3% of all non-farm businesses in the country and 1.6% of total employment.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007.

Hispanic-owned businesses with no paid employees represent 87%.

However, Hispanic businesses with 100 or more employees increased by 26.4% between 2002 and 2007 and generated $74.2 billion in revenues.

Construction, repair and maintenance, and personal and laundry services industries are the most common areas (30%) of businesses among Hispanic population and they account for 10.4% of all U.S. businesses in these sectors. Among Mexican-owned firms, these areas account for 32.3%; Among Cuban-owned firms 28.4%; and among other Hispanic group-owned firms, 30.5%. Among

Puerto Rican-owned firms, 28.8% were not only in the areas mentioned above, but also in health care and social assistance.

In conclusion, it can be said that Hispanic population is one of the most dynamic groups economically and socially in the United States. They offer extensive new opportunities of investment and new markets nationally. It was observed in the fast growing of Hispanic-owned businesses between 2002 and 2007.

Traditional “Hispanic states” such as California, Florida, New York and Texas have been experiencing a tremendous growing of new firms and it is crucial for the recovery of the national economy. It is also interesting that Hispanic and nonHispanic businesses are equally represented nationally, 50% and 50% respectively. Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans are the biggest groups among Latino-owned firms.

However, as Hispanic population is expected to continue growing fast, these groups are also likely to

diversify, especially among origin and occupational sectors.

More studies about these tendencies based on past patterns can help business campaigns and marketing studies improve their sales and competition level.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau. “Census Bureau Reports Hispanic-Owned Businesses Increase at More than Double the National Rate”. Sep 21, 2010. 18 Oct 2012 http://www.census.gov/newsroom/ releases/archives/business_ownership/ cb10-145.html.

U.S. Census Bureau. “Survey of Business Owners (SBO)”. 2007. 18 Oct 2012 http://www.census.gov/newsroom/ releases/archives/business_ownership/ cb10-145.html.

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Member Spotlight

E m m a E s pi n oza

Emma Espinoza is the Executive Director of Information and Technologies Operations at AT&T. Emma is a Kansas native where she grew up with nine siblings. She attended Washburn University in Topeka KS, being the first in her family to pursue higher education. After earning her degree in Accounting, Espinoza joined AT&T, then Southwestern Bell. Since that time, she has served the company for over 34 years in a variety of locations and roles.

In addition to being a current Board Member of the Hispanic Chamber, Espinoza is the past president of the Hispanic Chamber. She is also currently involved with AT&T’s HACEMOS Group, a scholarship provider for Latinos.

She also serves as a mentor for AT&T’s employees.

IN HER WORDS… What values have you picked up on the road to success?

EMMA ESPINOZA: The business world has changed since I entered it. While I have been at AT&T my entire career, I haven’t always been in the same city, or have held the same position. Adapting to change and seeking out a mentor have been the greatest values I have picked up along the way. I entered AT&T with an entry level position and through the years worked up to a senior management role. I handled change by making sure I totally understood what my new challenges were, and I always sought out a mentor to help me get through a new group, new area, and change in general.

Change is hard and going through it alone versus reaching out and finding someone who can help you, someone you can emulate and grow from can make all the difference between success and failure. There is nothing wrong with finding someone to help you.

Why are your involved with the Hispanic Chamber?

EMMA ESPINOZA: When I first moved to St. Louis I always wondered where all the Hispanics were. As I continued my work here in St. Louis for AT&T I began to see a number of Hispanics in leadership positions, with their own businesses, and scattered throughout the metropolitan area. I joined the chamber to help the organization connect this scattered community. I also believed in its mission to assist small businesses and

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its philanthropic activities. Since joining the Hispanic Chamber I have gotten the opportunity to be involved with it in a variety of leadership roles. I have served as a board member, secretary, and my most recent role as past president.

I have always been an advocate of helping Hispanic employees get connected through my leadership roles in AT&T, involvement with the Hispanic Chamber seemed like a perfect fit, allowing me to develop some comradeship within the community. As the years have gone by it has been obvious to see that this organization is a good thing. This is a good organization that needs to stick around and continue. I look forward to being involved for a long time.

What is some advice you have for the Latina’s out there?

EMMA ESPINOZA: When I first entered the business world there weren’t a lot of Latinas in the business world. Today most companies recognize the growth within the Hispanic population which has ultimately opened up a lot of doors for the Latina businesswomen.

With these opportunities however Latinas will also find that they now have a lot more competition, which is ultimately promoting growth and an increase in knowledge for the Latina. Some advice that I would give these Latina’s would be: 1. If you really want to move up you have to have your masters, now as you come in more companies are looking for a masters degree.

2. Get a mentor.

3. Go after leadership roles and accept challenges.

As Latinas we can’t afford to be timid and quiet, we have to be at the forefront like everyone else.

4. Believe in your self-worth. You can be anywhere as long as you believe in yourself and speak up for yourself.

5. Bilingual is the thing, keep practicing and improving on all your languages.

The world has changed, there are more opportunities right out of the gate now. Back when I graduated with my degree it was a very male dominated business world. Now I encourage kids right out of college that you just got to go for it. The positions are out there, you just have to be as bold!

The purpose of the “Spotlight” column is to highlight notable Hispanics that are members of the Hispanic Chamber. We want to share their stories, their history and why they love to call St. Louis home. If you have a suggestion for a “Spotlight” column, please call 314.664.4432.

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Warm hugs from our visitors are my therapy.

Get to Know Casa de Salud

Volunteer Delia Domingo Davis Casa de Salud provides clinical and mental health services for uninsured and underinsured patients, focusing on new immigrants and refugees who encounter barriers to accessing other sources of care. Volunteering at Casa provides the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of those less fortunate and to bring better health and prosperity to our region. If you would like to make a difference in the health of your community, you have come to the right place!

What is your occupation?

MBA student at Washington University.

How did you first hear about volunteering with Casa de Salud?

When I first met Maxine Clark, Founder and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, she shared with me the mission of Casa de Salud. I knew right away that I wanted to help.

How has volunteering at Casa de Salud benefited you?

For me, volunteering at Casa is not entirely selfless. Growing up in Miami, FL, I took for granted the Latin “backbeat” of Spanish buzzing out of every corner and feeling like everywhere you walked into was home. When I walk into Casa, I am home again. I’m sure many of us interpreted for our moms and family members at doctor’s appointments before we even knew what interpreting was. It’s more than just English to Spanish – it’s making that patient feel respected and at ease as they have conversations that otherwise would be uncomfortable or difficult.

How long have you been volunteering at Casa and what keeps you coming back?

About one year. Warm hugs from our visitors are my therapy. Many of the volunteers probably feel that way. I also come back for the laughs. Working next to people like Jorge, Eileen, Dan, Ana, Anne, Zahira, Sr. Rosie and the rest of the Casa family is an absolute blast!

What would you say to others considering volunteering at Casa de Salud?

I’m a mom, an employee and a student. Make time!

Your mamita will be proud!

Casa de Salud is able to provide the services that it does due to the generosity of its medical, interpreter, patient advocate, front desk and special events volunteers. To be considered for the above opportunities, individuals are invited to submit an application. To learn more about volunteering with Casa de Salud or to request an application, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Dan Richter at 314-977-1258 or drichter@casadesaludstl.org.

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Grab this moment

St. Louis-area Hispanics Converging events, most notably the 2012 national election in which Hispanics played a decisive role in the outcome, have shone a spotlight on Hispanics that could create long-lasting momentum. The timing of the national election, the continuing rapid growth of the Hispanic population, possible immigration reform and a stable yet slow-growing national economy has opened a window of opportunity best captured in one word: potential.

So how does this confluence play out in the St. Louis-area economy and its businesses?

Hispanics, who number 52 million people, are fastest growing minority group nationally, a trend also mirrored in our region. In the St. Louis metro area, however, the percentage growth is high although the actual numbers remain low relative to the overall population, which is nearly 3 million people.

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis created a socio-demographic analysis of the metro region last fall that provided many insights about local Hispanics and their impact.

The analysis exposed many opportunities as well as challenges for the Hispanic and general populations.

Here are insights and commentary on some key findings:

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• The St. Louis metro area grew its Hispanic population by 59 percent in the last decade. The U.S. Census Bureau reported last year that 75,420 Latinos lived in the metro area, or 2.7 percent of the population. Furthermore, the St. Louis Regional Chamber and other major organizations have

winter 2013 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

established a large task force designed to increase the number of immigrants in the region.

• St. Louis Hispanics have a disproportionately high workforce participation compared to the general population. The chamber analysis showed that Hispanics in St. Louis had an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent compared to 7.9 percent for the U.S. average for the time surveyed.

• Nearly two-thirds of the Hispanics in the St. Louis area were born in the United States or 48,202 people.

The foreign-born Hispanic population is 27,218, but only 26 percent of them have become naturalized citizens. Citizenship carries the right to vote and other significant benefits.

• The high percentage of U.S.-born Hispanics here means that tools for basic social integration such as obtaining legal status and English proficiency are important but less critical than in urban areas that have had huge influxes of Latino immigrants.

• While St. Louis still faces issues of racial equality and tolerance, the area doesn’t suffer from racial polarization regarding Hispanics akin to some states that have passed extreme laws in reaction to Hispanic growth.

The relatively small Hispanic population here means less political capital has been spent to thwart immigrants,

although the Missouri Legislature is far from progressive. National immigration reform could change that dynamic if new federal laws are enacted to increase immigration.

prominent Hispanics exist in the business world. Through who and how do Hispanic groups articulate their agenda to the wider community?

• The Hispanic agenda jibes with bigger ambitions to grow the population and workforce in the region. That requires Hispanic leaders to integrate programs and find champions if this region will grow and prosper into the future.

Hispanics and immigrants of many nationalities need to be at the forefront of that economic strategy.

• Hispanics in St. Louis have the chance to build their image and structures as they seem fit. The groups and organizations are not hamstrung by history and obstacles that could limit their ability to collaborate with others on a range of issues.

• Even though many Hispanics have jobs, too many are low-wage earners. Poverty is higher among local Latinos than the general population. The chamber analysis cited statistics that household income for Hispanics in St. Louis of $46,143, below the national average of $50,502. Almost 21 percent of the Hispanics here live in poverty, which included a third of whom who have children under age 18. Almost 23 percent of the Hispanics lacked health insurance, higher than the national average.

The low wages and lack of health benefits are common among the working poor, including Hispanics.

Challenges

• The St. Louis area has a pan-Latino population from many countries and ancestries.

Nationally, 70 percent of the Hispanics share Mexican ancestry.

This region and its Hispanic organizations are a blend of nationalities and cultures that is very diverse. This mixture is not a liability, but it can make coalescing and setting common agendas more of a challenge.

• The Hispanic population in the St. Louis area is geographically dispersed and lacks large neighborhoods or identifiable enclaves. Cherokee Street is an emerging focal point. And arts and cultural events have grown and attract multiracial crowds. As the population grows, so should the Hispanic critical mass that is visible and important to the overall community.

• A byproduct of the diffuse population is a dearth of elected Hispanic officials, although some

• Educational and cultural gulfs exist between recent immigrant entrepreneurs and long-established Latinos who are fully acculturated in the white-

collar world. That separation is common in many other cities and, in fact, often is more pronounced than here. Spanish-oriented programming and outreach is vital for Hispanic organizations to stretch beyond their base.

• Long-term growth means institutions and non-profits should link with the next generations of youth, college students and young professionals. St. Louis has outstanding higher educational institutions that can help grow future employees and leaders.

Personal connections to the local Hispanic culture can be instrumental in recruiting and retaining rising Hispanic talent.

Hispanics occupy the public radar in the Gateway City. But they must take the initiative to raise their visibility and collaborate even more than before. The demographics are not large enough yet to command attention unto themselves.

Community-wide goals of population and economic growth dovetail with the agenda for Hispanic-focused organizations.

Greater St. Louis must embrace this moment to stay competitive and enhance our quality of life.

St. Louis Hispanics have a great opportunity to influence their destiny.

Gilbert Bailón, Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Gilbert became the editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in May of 2012. Prior to that, Bailón had been editorial page editor of the Post-Dispatch since November 2007. He previously worked at the Dallas Morning News, where he was vice president and executive editor. Bailón also worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Los Angeles Daily News, The San Diego Union and The Kansas City Star.

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Investment Ideas from This article was written by Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Tom Lennartz, First Vice President – Investment Officer in Clayton at (314) 726-5050.

10 things investors should know today It’s true for all of us: Our perception influences our decisions. However, what we perceive isn’t always what’s really going on. Today many investors seem to be acting based on their perceptions of what’s happening in the economy and the markets, but those notions don’t necessarily match up with what Wells Fargo Advisors’ top strategists are actually observing in the markets and economy. This helps set the record straight on 10 issues that we believe are critical for investors to understand today.

The stock market is up over 100% since the recession ended in 2009

Investors remain cautious surrounding uncertainties related to the Fiscal Cliff and debt ceiling debate. However, the stock market is up nearly 129% since March of 2009 (3/9/2009 through 12/31/2012 based on the S&P 500). We still believe one of the best ways for many individuals to accumulate wealth over time is through having the right investment mix that includes allocations in stocks.

But then what? When do you invest again? Investors with cash may sit on the sidelines waiting for the market to go down before investing at all. But how low does the market have to go before you finally jump in? What if the market continues to climb? Investors should look past short-term market swings, focus on the longer-term picture and maintain a well-diversified portfolio.

to determine the right mix of investments based on an investor’s risk tolerance and investment objectives.

Diversification is key

Managing risk and return requires planning. Diversification is a strategy designed to work overtime to reduce the tendency of a portfolio to make extreme moves, whether down or up, so that investors can focus on making progress International markets are improving toward their long-term goals.

There have been plenty of international With the constant barrage of information issues to worry about over the last three available in today’s 24/7 world, it’s imporFixed income carries higher risk years, given the European debt crisis, tant to not get caught up in the day-tothan usual unrest in the Middle East and problems day market volatility and news headlines.

After 30 years in which interest rate trends in China to name just a few. However, That’s one of the reasons why it is so provided fixed-income investors with a international markets generally improved important to have a plan. An investment strong tailwind, rates do not have much in the second half of 2012 and were plan that considers your goals, concerns, further to fall. We would be very cautious up double-digits for the year. We are risk tolerance and financial circumstancabout locking in a long-term fixed-income cautious with our international approach, es will allow you to focus on the longstream for a significant time period while but believe there are long term while still giving you the flexibility to the Fed is undertaking policy actions that term opportunities. make changes when necessary. Making could be inflationary over the long term. investment decisions based on emotion, It’s never too late to start saving The U.S. economy continues to grow for retirement short-term market activity or perceptions What many people fail to realize is that, While it’s always best to start saving that don’t reflect reality can make it more although it has been at a slow pace, the early, late is better than never. Even difficult for you to work toward those U.S. economy has been in recovery mode starting at age 50, you can accumulate long-term goals. Having an investment for over three years and is actually doing a significant amount. Just adding $1000 plan allows you to focus on the longmodestly better, based on current Gross each year to your $5500 IRA provides term while still giving you the flexibility to Domestic Product values. We believe the the potential for a significant amount of make changes when necessary. underlying fundamentals remain positive, additional retirement income by the time The investments and investment strategies with some rebound in the housing and you are 67. mentioned in this article are provided for auto markets, as well as progress in informational purposes only. We would need Cash is expensive consumer confidence.

By holding cash, investors are potentially to review your individual situation before Municipal bankruptcies are not recommending appropriate strategies to you. missing out on strong investment widespread returns. Most cash and cash alternative Investments in securities and insurance Municipal bankruptcy filings in 2012 have investments provide little if any return products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANKraised some concern among investors. in the current environment. Unless cash GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE Although this might appear to be a trend, is necessary to meet near term liquidity we believe that municipal bankruptcies will Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a needs, we would not overweight this continue to be a rare event. registered broker-dealer and a separate non-bank asset class in today’s environment.

Successful market timing is seldom a viable strategy

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Asset allocation is critical

Poor-performing and/or volatile markets Asset allocation can be an effective way for investors to balance a portfolio among often tempt investors to just pull out of various types of investments. The key is stocks completely.

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affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.CAR #0113-03599

7 LinkedIn Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

I

f you are not convinced yet that Social Media is important for your small business, you may want to look at your year-over-year revenue figures and see how much your business is growing. If you have a new competitor in your area or online, your sales have probably taken a hit because the consumer is always looking to try something newer, or perhaps cheaper, in a product or service, and they may decide to try out your competitor. This is a good time to conduct a “competitive scan” of how your competitors are utilizing social media, especially LinkedIn. If your competitors aren’t using LinkedIn, then this is a prime opportunity for you to beat them to the punch!

Here are 7 LinkedIn marketing ideas to think about for small businesses: 1. Why is social media, including LinkedIn, important?

For your company: A way to market your products and services 24/7 and provide customer service.

For yourself: Open new business opportunities and find prospective clients through network building.

LinkedIn has over 200 million users worldwide and is the most widely accepted social network among business people.

2. What if you don’t engage in social media marketing?

Your competitors are probably considering how to engage and you may lose your advantage. You also risk missing out on marketing to the next generation of consumers (ie Generation Y and beyond).

3. My clients don’t use social networks! As smartphones and tablets proliferate, they soon will!

LinkedIn has easy-to-use iPhone and Android apps that work well at networking events or business meetings when you want to quickly brush up on a person’s background and skills.

4. Where do I start? Start with your personal LinkedIn profile then move to your company’s profile. After you copy over the important information from your resume, take the extra steps to complete your profile with a business photo, skills, education, etc…

5. Why is a LinkedIn profile for my company? Because your company can have its own profile and post updates as if it were a person! By posting frequent and consistent updates of news with the company, you remain top-of-mind with potential customers.

6. How do I use LinkedIn for lead generation?

Through expanding your network through places of work, colleges, high schools etc... you will inform people of what you are doing now. People do business with people they know, like, and trust — the essence of marketing!

7. Important things to add to your LinkedIn profile — your photo, a summary of your experience and a plug for your company. You will also need 3 thirdparty recommendations to complete your profile.

It does take time to carefully build a LinkedIn profile for you and your company, but the results will be worth it. Building a robust network of referral partners and potential customers will increase your revenue with a nominal investment of your time!

Ed Mayuga, a partner at AMM Communications, Public Relations Marketing & Training of St. Louis, Missouri , is an executive trainer in the areas of PR, business development, content marketing, internal communications, marketing, reputation management, search consulting, and social media. Founded in 2008, AMM Communications provides marketing communications services to small- and mid-sized companies, who want to sell more through promoting a brand. Ed can be contacted at (314) 485-9810 or ed@ammcommunications.com.

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The

“Hidden” Hispanic by Martha Garcia-Kampen

“Hispanics can be of any race, and some 18 million Hispanics — or roughly 37 percent — used the “some other race” category on their 2010 census forms rather than identify as black, white or Asian. Because of that, the Census Bureau is considering making Hispanic a distinct category”

What Does This Term Cause You to Think Of? When I first heard the phrase, “Hidden Hispanic,” I must admit that I wondered if it had something to do with undocumented workers who were hoping not to be “found.” As a first generation Mexican American, perhaps it’s my sensitivity to that subject, or maybe I am just another victim of indoctrination by the media, but I soon learned that this term conjures up a variety of emotions for many Hispanic Americans.

A “Hidden Hispanic” is a person who may not be considered Hispanic; either through self-definition or by others (co-workers, neighbors, community, U.S. government). Hispanics can be of any race, and some 18 million Hispanics — or roughly 37 percent — used the “some other race” category on their 2010 census forms rather than identify as black, white or Asian. Because of that, the Census Bureau is considering making Hispanic a distinct category. On the 2010 form, the bureau asked whether or not people identify as Hispanic, and if the answer was yes, from which country of origin.

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Depending on a person’s own perspective, they are either categorized as Hispanic — or not.

Diversity is inherent in the term, “Hispanic,” as it generally represents people of Spanish-speaking countries of origin. Of course, Portuguese is not Spanish, but often included in the Hispanic category. Then there’s the Basque region, a swatch of northern Spain and southern France, which has its own language, but often included in the Hispanic category. And what of the Brazilians of South America? They speak Portuguese, but are considered “Latinos,” which in turn puts them

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into the Hispanic category! And then there’s the Dominican Republicans….

In order to ascertain a better handle on how this term affects our local community, I conducted a survey of St. Louis young Hispanic professionals.

The following questions were asked, and answered.

NOTE: Comments indicated are not necessarily from the same respondent (A, B, C, etc): Q1: Do you consider yourself a “hidden Hispanic” and if so, why?

62% NO 38% YES – Somewhat

Comment A: “Yes, I would consider myself a hidden Hispanic as I don’t particularly fit the stereotypical physical description of what many consider Hispanic. I believe people view me one way and in reality, if they knew, they may look at me in a different light. I have recently run into a couple of situations in which people that I have worked with for years are truly surprised to learn of my heritage.”

Comment B: “Yes, because I don’t have the traditional look, accent, or speak Spanish. Many people assume I’m Italian, but rarely do I have people ask if I’m Hispanic.”

Comment C: “Although I’m very proud of my heritage and my Spanish name I did try to Americanize myself more (I adapted in a way).

It didn’t help that I was the only Hispanic at my school and others didn’t fully understand where I was coming from sometimes. This forced me to work on my accent and downplay traditions/emotions. I tried to just be “me” and act “normal”.”

About Martha Garcia-Kampen: First-generation Mexican-American, Martha Garcia Kampen 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 & Cultural Strategic Marketing consultation to businesses, Educational development on cross-cultural communications and trains corporate leaders and teams in the areas of Inclusion & Diversity. Contact Info: Kampen Consultants, LLC 745 Craig Road, Suite 212, St. Louis, MO 63141. 888-887-6536. Martha@kampen.com; www.kampen.com

Q2: What reactions/responses have you experienced when co-workers learn that you are Hispanic?

Comment A: “Interestingly enough, as open as I was about my heritage, I always managed to elicit surprise from those who found out I was of Hispanic descent.”

Comment B: “My appearance and last name are a dead give-away. I embrace my culture as a component of my business practices by greeting customers and coworkers with a hug and kiss on the cheek. I have nothing but positive reactions. To my knowledge, I’ve never received any level of hindrance on my career advancement, treatment in the community, or experiences with customer service personnel.”

Comment C: “Generally positive reactions.”

Q3: Has the fact that you are Hispanic made a difference in your work environment (positive or negatively)?

Most have experienced either a positive or neutral stance on their Hispanic heritage making a difference in their work environment.

Comment A: “I am fortunate to work for a company that values its employees at the individual level and meaningfully embraces our’ various ethnicities and backgrounds. Because of this, it is clear that being a Hispanic has made quite a positive impact in my work environment. However, that is from a corporate level.”

Comment B: “I do not think it had really made a difference and I get the same treatment everyone else gets. One positive thing for me is that the company is working on a diversity initiative and due to my Hispanic background I will be part of a team that will be promoting this initiative.”

Q4: Is this a positive or negative term for you?

Most express the term “Hidden Hispanic” as a neutral to slightly negative term, though respondents do not want that to be confused with the fact that they are predominantly positive about the term “Hispanic.” All respondents stated being positive about being Hispanic, though several mention the diversity within that category, that many non-Hispanics do not realize.

Comment A: “Negative because it covers people from many different cultures and also due to the negative stereotypes that have been built around Hispanics. People that do not have frequent interaction with Hispanics or that had bad experiences with Hispanics may think we are all the same and will not take us out of that box unless they get to know us very well. Overtime as the Hispanic

population grows more and interaction with Hispanics is more frequent with everyone, the negative stereotypes will probably change to positive ones.”

Comment B: “I don’t see anything wrong with the term except that with my background it evokes feelings of hiding the truth or doing something wrong.”

Q5: Have you preferred to remain “hidden” until it is beneficial or necessary to let co-workers know of your Hispanic heritage?

Interesting perspectives. Most respondents indicated they do not purposely try to remain “hidden.” Most are proud of their Hispanic heritage, and not interested in “hiding” it from co-workers. However, those who are first generation Hispanic American, where English is their first and primary language, with more distant ties to their cultural heritage, letting people know of their Hispanicity has been a non-orneutral issue. A great example was shared of how being a “hidden Hispanic” was beneficial to the company: “One example where this was the case was when I first started at the location I’m currently serving, I was in the process of checking people into their work locations. I’d been arranging them to get ready for the different jobs they’d be functioning in, and in that time overheard a group of Spanish speaking employees making disparaging remarks about some of the their English speaking coworkers. As soon as I had a grasp of the positions I turned to the small group and addressed them in Spanish, pointing out that everyone there was a valued member of the team, and if they had issues with the performance their teammates were exhibiting that they were welcome to bring it to my (or any other manager’s) attention so that it may be addressed. I had to relish the look on their face for a brief moment. Their puzzled and surprised looks were great, but I appreciated most that I was able to drive two points home: first, that I was a manager there and second, they should always be mindful of their surroundings because they never know who is listening.”

Because of the broad range of diversity within the term Hispanic, we may always experience variations in responses to that idiom. Perhaps in time, as the United States continues to become culturally integrated, we can all be better served by not dividing people into groups based on the color of their skin, their language of origin or where their ancestors came from. Until then, let’s celebrate and engage the diversity and values Hispanic professionals and workers bring to our business community.

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The five

C’s of Credit

By: Steven L. Albart

Do you wonder what guidelines bankers and other providers of credit use to determine if your business is credit worthy?

I recommend that you become familiar with the Five Cs of Credit: • Character • Capacity • Capital • Collateral • Conditions The Five C’s of Credit are the backbone of every credit decision made about your company.

Account Receivables (A/R’s), inventory, equipment, real estate, stock portfolio and personal residences. Each piece of collateral will have different advance rates depending on the creditor. For example, banks typically Character may be the most important factor of all the Cs. lend up to 80 percent of the value on real estate or 70 percent on A/R’s. A business will have greater access to The other four Cs don’t matter if the individual lacks credit when the Collateral is more tangible and the loan poor character and decision making. Businesses create to collateral value is a low percentage. a reputation in the business community regarding how bills are paid and problems are solved. Often, high character companies are engaged in community philanthropy or involved with local trade and professional Once the first four Cs are reviewed, the last step is to understand the economic and intangible Conditions associations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce surrounding the business. Business owners should of Greater St. Louis. High character companies do what take a proactive approach in keeping their Creditors up is right and ethical and set examples of how to do to speed on business conditions within their industry business with others. as well as information regarding projections, backlog and management changes. A creditor’s decision on the Conditions surrounding a business will be heavily Does your company have the Capacity to have credit? influenced by the business owner. The more information In short, do the gross revenues exceed all expenses in on the positive outlook of your business and industry will order to pay back the company’s debts? Creditors want be helpful. to make sure there is enough excess cash flow to repay all debts. Bankers will use an accounting formula known These same principals can also be applied in your as EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation business everyday regarding credit decisions on a new and Amortization) to calculate cash flow for businesses. client. Unless your client pays COD, your business is A healthy business will have more than 1.20 times annual extending credit. Although you may not be able to request cash flow to their annual debt service obligations. financials, you can still apply many of these principals in

Character

Conditions

Capacity

Capital

Capital represents the net worth or equity of a business.

The equation to calculate the net worth of a business is “assets less liabilities equal net worth.” Another ratio that helps creditors make decisions on the creditworthiness of a business is the debt (liabilities) to net worth ratio.

Creditors like to see debts less than two times the net worth. The greater the net worth or Capital will enhance a business’ ability to obtain credit.

your credit decisions.

The Five Cs of Credit are very basic concepts that establish the foundation of the creditworthiness of a business. I encourage all business owners to sit down with your banker, CPA, and creditors to enhance each “C” so that you can maximize the creditworthiness of your business!

Collateral

What Collateral does the business have to offer? Typically, creditors want to secure debts with Collateral such as

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Steve Albart is a Senior Vice President with Enterprise Bank & Trust in St. Louis. He can be contacted by calling 314.849.7500 or sending an email: salbart@enterprisebank.com.

winter 2013 HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

As part of the Latino Legacy Project, Belas Artes Gallery brings to St. Louis the Brazilian artist Cecilia Andre with the art exhibit SARAVÁ. The title of the exhibit refers to an Afro-Brazilian expression that can be used as a greeting such as “Hello.”The public opening reception occurred on March 9, 2012 - 6:00PM at 1854 Russell Blvd. St. Louis MO 63104. An extension of the exhibit will be displayed at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce St. Louis. For more information visit www.belas-artes.net or www.ceciliaandre.com”

please

SAVE THE DATE For the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis'

Annual Adelante Awards Helping Shape the Future

Keynote Speaker: Margarita Flores Vice President, Community Affairs Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

201 3

Friday, April 26, 2013 Sheraton Westport Chalet Details to follow

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Membership Sponsors

DIAMOND Regional Business Council

PLATINUM Centene Corporation

SILVER

BRONZE FRIEND

Armstrong Teasdale LLP Midwest BankCentre AutoZone Missouri Job Corps CB&E Construction Group NextGen Information Services Commerce Bank Pangea Group Crown Linen Service People’s Health Centers Dean Team of Brentwood Prudential Drury Hotels Ranken Technical College Emmis Communications St. Louis Regions Bank Enterprise Bank & Trust River City & Lumiere Casino Enterprise Rent-A-Car Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel and Suites Sheraton Westport Hotels Facilitec Corporate Furnishings Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP Fifth Third Bank St. Louis College of Health Careers Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis St. Louis Post-Dispatch Hospitality Staffing Solutions UMB Bank Madrina’s Ice Cream United Way McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. VisionIT