MAESTRO
LOS ANGELES Jorge Ferraez, Publisher of Ferraez USA sharing good times with his guests, among them Jacqueline Cacho, Pilar Avila, CEO of the NAA, Jesus Monroy among others.
The Maestro recipients: Alex Nogales, President, CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Monica Lozano, Chairman of US Hispanic Media, Castulo de la Rocha, President, CEO of Altamed Health Services Corporation, and Hector Barreto, Chairman of the Latino Coalition. Monica Lozano, Chairman of US Hispanic Media received the Maestro of Professional Achievement.
not to sell a newspaper everyday,” she stated. “Our job is to inform and empower communities.” BUSINESS OWNER, ADVOCATE Entrepreneurship seems to run in the family of Héctor Barreto, chairman of the nonprofit Latino Coalition. He was presented with the Maestro Entrepreneurship Award. Barreto, 61, worked in and co-managed a family restaurant and other ventures and later started his own employee benefits and securities firms. His father Hector V. Barreto founded the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in which Barreto Jr. served as vice chairman. When he moved to Southern California, Barreto was named chairman of the board for the Latin Business Association in L.A. Last year he formed the Washington, D.C.-based Hispanic Business Round Table to promote the advancement of small businesses. When asked about populist politicians who aspire to become U.S. presidents by blaming Mexican immigrants for the nation’s problems, Barreto responded, “we have always had populists who have tried to divide this country” without succeeding. He added, “This too shall pass.” He reminded the audience that Latinos are the largest minority and have a purchasing power of $1 trillion. “We are the fastest growing sector in small business, that is not going to change,” he added. Barreto Jr. also paid homage to his Mexican-born father whom he considered a business mentor and gave him some words of wisdom about heritage. “It’s very sad to see a person who forgets where he comes from,” he said in Spanish recalling his father’s advice. Barreto Jr.’s latest venture is a line of tequilas that honors his late father that is called “Tributo A Mi Padre.” MEDICAL SERVICES Healthcare is another sector where Latinos are leaving their mark. Four decades ago, Cástulo de la Rocha founded AltaMed Health Services to serve Hispanics and other underserved minorities. He was bestowed with Latino Leaders’ Maestro of Community Service Award. Inspired by the civil rights movement, de la Rocha applied for and got a job as a director of a small clinic in East Los Angeles–he says he was the only applicant for the job. That was the beginning of AltaMed.
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Hector Barreto, Chairman of the Latino Coalition, recipient of the Maestro of Entrepreneurship.