By Gloria Romano-Barrera

On April 6, LATINA Style, Inc., the premier company addressing the needs of professional Latinas in the United States, kicked off its 25th Anniversary of the LATINA Style Business Series conference (LSBS) in San Antonio, TX. Hosted by Alamo Colleges District, the LATINA Style Business Series is the most successful business development program for Latina business owners in the nation focusing on creating a solid business foundation that allows Latinas to start their own business or take it to the next level.

“As the Chancellor for the Alamo Colleges District, it is our pleasure to host attendees on the first stop of the 25th Anniversary of the LATINA Style Business Series in San Antonio,” says Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District.

Mistress of Ceremony Danielle Banda, Lifestyle/Entertainment TV Host & Executive Producer, Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., welcomed Robert E. Bard, President & CEO, LATINA Style, Inc. Presenting sponsor remarks were provided by Lory Burgos, Senior Consultant, Enterprise Diverse Marketing. Orlando Castaneda, Market Executive at JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Mike Caraballo, SVP, Change Delivery Leader, Home Lending Product Strategy and Delivery, Wells Fargo & Company. Welcome remarks were presented by Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District.

The first session, Managing Your Mindset was introduced by Lisa Carrington Firmin, Colonel (USAF Retired), Carrington Firmin LLC, Xavier Cano, President, Xavier Cano Coaching shared about cognitive distortions and how they impact our work and personal mindset.

The second session, Leveraging your Network, Resources, and Financial Equilibrium, was moderated by Marina Gonzales, CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Speakers included Monique McGillen, Executive Director, Area Manager, Chase for Business; Annie M Hudspeth, Lender Relations Specialist, San Antonio District Office, SBA; Martha “Victoria” Valdez, BIPOC Program Manager, PeopleFund; and Ryan Salts, Director, Launch SA.

The third session, The Power of Communication & Social Media for Business Growth, was moderated by Melanie Mendez-Gonzales, Managing Partner of MMG Media, LLC & Founder, Que Means What. Speakers included Vicky H. Sepulveda, Crossing Bridges Consulting/Chica About Town blog; Christina Jovanna Olivarez, Founder & CEO, SBG & Hustle + Socialize, TEDx Speaker; Melissa Vela-Williamson, M.A, APR, CDP, Founder, MVW Communications; and Anamaria Suescun-Fast, CEO and Owner, talkStrategy.

The fourth session, Entrepreneurs Spotlight: Succeeding Despite the Obstacles, was moderated by Erika Prosper Nirenberg, First Lady of San Antonio & Sr. Director of Customer Insights, H-E-B. Speakers included Denise Rodriguez-Hernandez, Owner, The Eatery Culinary Group and M-Pressed LLC; Roxanne Ramirez, Principal, CNF Technologies Corporation; Dr. Erika Gonzalez, CEO & President, South Texas Allergy & Asthma Medical Professionals; Dr. Martha Livingston, President, San Antonio Counseling and Behavioral Center; and Marisel Ballard, Owner, Trustworthy House Cleaning Services LLC.

During the LATINA Style Special Recognition Awards Ceremony, Event Chair, Lisa Navarro-Gonzales welcomed Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio for remarks. He also presented LATINA Style with a proclamation for the 25^th Anniversary of the program. National Chair remarks were presented by Ramiro Cavazos, President, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Dr. Naydeen González-De Jesús, President of San Antonio College presented the keynote.

During the Awards luncheon, Event Chair, Nicole Navarro-Velesiotis recognized all the Latina entrepreneur nominees and announced the prestigious Latina Entrepreneur of the Year for San Antonio to Roxanne Ramirez, Principal at CNF Technologies. In addition, LATINA Style recognized Dr. Adelina Silva, Vice Chancellor of Student Success, Alamo College, with the 2023 Trailblazer Award, Dr. Antonio R. Flores, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), with the Excellence Award, and Juan G. Ayala, Major General (USMC Retired), Director, Military and Veteran Affairs Department at the City of San Antonio with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lisbeth Lundsteadt, Supplier Diversity Director, Nationwide, presented title sponsor closing remarks.

The LATINA Style Business Series included a networking breakfast and impactful workshops. The program also included an exhibitor market with resources from local organizations and small vendor businesses. The LATINA Style Business Series has been presented and sponsored by Nationwide for the past 11 years, and it has been a driving force behind the program’s impact. LATINA Style is also proud to count on the support of JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo as a Gold Sponsors.

Thank you to the following Latina owned businesses vendors. Balloon Vendor – @Olinas_Creations, Flower Vendor – @Bellaboo Blooms, Catering-True Flavor – @trueflavorssa, and Photography- @lucero.studio on Instagram.

We thank the following sponsors and partners for their support!

Nationwide, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Alamo Colleges District, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (HWNT), LaunchSA, PeopleFund, Southside First, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), AEM, Hustle & Socialize, and Media Partners: The San Antonio Report and Que Means What?