Latino Leaders September - October 2023

Page 42

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY ETHNIFACTS

DATA FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS A CONVERSATION WITH MIKE LAKUSTA CEO/FOUNDING PARTNER OF ETHNIFACTS Courtesy of Mike Lakusta

Luis E. González

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Mike Lakusta , CEO/Founding Partner of EthniFacts

1. Please share your professional journey ML: My background and professional journey is a bit different than many of the people profiled in your magazine as I am not Latino. I am, however, a proud descendant of Ukrainian immigrant grandparents who came to the United States in the early 1900’s to escape Russian aggression at that time…very similar to what’s happening today for Ukrainians and many Latinos, Asians, Africans, and others who are coming to the U.S. for opportunity and a better life for their families. I began my career working for Procter & Gamble in sales and marketing of consumer products and was lucky enough to be recruited into the wine industry where I worked for the E&J Gallo Winery and several beverage wholesalers for about 25 years. During that time I lived in and managed sales and marketing teams in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and many other States that had growing Latino populations. My passion for understanding and better serving the needs of these young, vibrant consumers that are, in fact, the future of America, led me to initiate many iterations of Hispanic marketing committees, to sponsor upcoming Tejano artists, and to be involved with the Latin Grammys and Tejano Music Awards, among other fabulous opportunities. While working for a large beverage wholesaler as SVP of International Business Development & Multicultural Marketing, I had the chance to work with most major liquor, wine, and beer suppliers and to spend a good deal of time traveling to Mexico and other countries to learn and source products to better serve the needs of Latinos in the U.S. This experience led me to form relationships and become an importer that sourced the #1 selling Mexican wine product into the U.S. for national distribution.

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