By Gloria Romano-Barrera
Photos by Andy Ramirez, Hispanic VIP

Marking the 136th stop of the LATINA Style Business Series tour, LATINA Style, Inc., the premier company addressing the needs of professional Latinas in the United States hosted the LATINA Style Business Series on October 18 in Baltimore, MD. One of the most successful ongoing business development programs for Latina business owners in the nation in which over 36,000 Latina entrepreneurs and professionals have attended and benefited from participating, recognized Veronica Cool, CEO & Hispanic Strategist, Cool & Associates LLC, as the Entrepreneur of the Year for her dedicated community service, leadership, vision and role model for women and Elda Devarie, president of Pan American Food Brokers, EMD SALES, Inc., with the LATINA Style Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Taking place at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel at Camden Yards, leaders from throughout the country and locally gathered to celebrate Latina entrepreneurship, network and share insights through the day workshops. Workshops included Entrepreneurs Spotlight: Learning Strategies for Success; The Essentials of a Successful Business; and Successful Marketing Strategies. Moderators and guests included co-chair Katina Rojas Joy, Latina Liaison, Office of the County Executive, Prince George’s County, MD; Nina C. Roque, Executive Director, National Women’s Business Council, Small Business Administration; Veronica Tubman, Stakeholder Liaison, Communication and Liaison, Internal Revenue Service; Gabriel Zarate, Director of Business Development, R&G Insurance Agency; Rosa M. Scharf, Vice President, Senior Business Banker, M&T Bank; Ravi Aggarwal, Certified Mentor, SCORE; Sarah Sabastro, Sr. Information Management Specialist, Project Management Office (PMO), Technical Services Division, Organization of Latinos at Exelon – President; Steven R. Eiger, Director, AT&T Business Marketing, EVP Communications, HACEMOS National; Laura Ramirez Drain, Engineer, President & Founder, Random Words Marketing Group; Mariana Barrientos Roig, Co-Founder & VP of Strategy, ROIG Communications, LLC; Scott Sweren, Cyber security Consultant, Professional Services, AT&T; Susana Marino, President & CEO, Northern Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Veronica Cool, MSF, CEO & Hispanic Strategist, Cool & Associates LLC; Corina Morga, Founder, President, C.R Services, Vice Chair, Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Geraldine Barrientos, Co-Founder & President, ROIG Communications, LLC; Maricela Huerta, Co-Founder, Co-Owner, The Twins PR; Allen Gutierrez, Associate Administrator, Office of Entrepreneurial Development, SBA; Lory Burgos, Senior Consultant, Enterprise Diverse Marketing, Nationwide; Roger A. Campos, Esq. Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development; the Honorable Jimmy Rhee, Special Secretary, Governor’s Office of Small Minority and Women Business Affairs; and Isabel Mercedes Cumming, Inspector General Baltimore City Office of the Inspector General.

“It is very humbling and an honor to have our years of hard work acknowledged by LATINA Style, Inc. My team and I continually strive to provide a meaningful impact between Hispanic and Mainstream cultures to truly bridge gaps within the economy and social justice,” shares Cool. “This includes improving how Latinos access better healthcare and career opportunities through outreach and communications while supporting our clients and partners strategically to serve the Latino population. I couldn’t be more proud to be recognized for this award knowing how vital this work is to our Latino community.”

Dominican-born Veronica Cool founded Cool & Associates, a consulting firm to connect organizations to the Hispanic community; offering strategy, training, marketing/PR & language services. She and her team published the first of its kind: Hispanic Heritage Month: Essential Toolkit to facilitate the acknowledgment and engagement of the Latino segment in the United States. Committed to empowering our community, she established the Latino Innovators Pitch to scale Latino businesses profitably; along with two Facebook Groups: Yo Quiero Trabajo and Emprendedores Exitosos, that provide resources and opportunities for job seekers and entrepreneurs. Additionally, she serves on the boards of MedStar Good Sam Hospital, Open Society Institute, ALPFA-Baltimore, Governors Workforce Development Board, and Montgomery College HBTI.

Thank you Sponsors and Partners Title Sponsor: Nationwide. Official Airline: American Airlines. City Sponsors: AT&T, Parents Step Ahead. Community Partners: Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Northern Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, PROSPANICA, LULAC, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, IRS, SBA, HACU, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Cafelatino Radio Show, and CapitalWirePR.