State Farm Insurance Co. is trying to help Hispanics expand their businesses.
The property/casualty insurance company unveiled the State Farm Hispanic Small Business Resource Center, which will reside within the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City's office in Downtown.

According to a release, the goal is to see business professionals use the resource center to hold meetings, training and seminars. READ MORE

There are many professionals that attend networking functions out there. Some people attend events for leads, some to get familiar with what kind of events are going on around town, and others attend to connect with their peers and other professionals for business or partnership reasons.

There are actually quite a few networking etiquette rules that are unspoken at networking events, so I thought I’d share a few tips on best etiquette practices during networking events so you can increase your networking power over time.

Minding these tips will allow you to network better, and you’ll quickly become more popular with your peers.

1. Whip out the compliments

Compliment other attendants at events – usually when you are attending a networking event, there is some kind of line for nametags. There are other professionals waiting in line to pay or to get their nametags. When you greet someone and make them feel good publicly, other professionals in line see you. Doing that helps you to project your warmth, inviting nature, and most of the time, it gets you into a professional conversation right away before you even enter the event. READ MORE

Hispanic and Latino shoppers across the United States wield more than $1.2 trillion of buying power annually with projections of $1.5 trillion by 2015, according to Nielsen. That economic power is why Wal-Mart, Home Depot and most major retailers invest in marketing efforts to woo this important demographic.

Experts said consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies and other retail suppliers are just starting to scratch the surface with targeted marketing efforts to Hispanics. McKinsey Group reports that retail spending of Hispanic consumers will nearly double over the next 10 years and account for almost one-fifth of total retail spending. READ MORE

I hear from many "older" job seekers these days who are frustrated with today's job search process. They are convinced that their "advanced age" (30, 40, 50, or more) is causing them problems. I think they could be right, but NOT, perhaps, for the reason they think...

Although I do not doubt that age discrimination exists, I know that other things could be negatively impacting these people. It basically comes down to looking -- and being -- out of date, using old-fashioned job search techniques. READ MORE

Innovation is the life blood of any successful business; without it ,companies cease to offer brands, products, services and experiences that delight their customers. Eventually, companies that don’t disrupt themselves with their own innovation get disrupted out of existence by more innovative players. But finding great new ideas and turning them into products and services that customers love is no easy task. Just ask any entrepreneur, top executive, marketer or anybody with the word innovation in their title.

The technology revolution has opened up the world to infinite possibilities of how to make just about any product, service or experience better and more relevant to people. READ MORE

After a year in operation, CNN Latino will close this month the programming aimed at attracting Spanish language and bilingual Hispanics because its inability to meet business expectations, according to Geraldine Moriba, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for CNN Worldwide.

Geraldine Moriba re-affirmed to me that CNN is committed to best serving the Latino community and that the news network is a champion of diversity in the workplace.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is, undoubtedly, disappointed and concerned about the decision. This decision comes on the heels of the closure of NBC Latino. READ MORE

Lately, workplace diversity has been generating a lot of buzz. Countless studies have been done over the last couple of years. Every week, the blogosphere generates a ton of thought-provoking discussion about this topic. And it is all happening for good reason: Diversity could be the key to business success.

Today, businesses have greater access to global talent. To attract and retain the best of what the world has to offer, leadership teams need to become more understanding and sensitive on what it means for an employee to feel not only valued and appreciated, but also respected. And when leaders earn their respect, employees will do all that they can to encourage organizational growth. READ MORE

The Hispanic community is growing at a fast pace. They are getting embedded into mainstream culture and emerging as a powerhouse of economic influence.

Hispanics are playing an important role in U.S. business success. As of today, they are the second-largest consumer market, and it is estimated that their purchasing power will increase 50 percent by 2015 to $1.5 trillion.

Despite the misconception about this powerful group, Hispanics are the largest immigrant group that exhibits culture sustainability. They even have different product consumption patterns compared to mainstream culture. READ MORE

Many job seekers are inclined to jump at the first job offer that comes their way. But what if it isn't exactly the type of position you wanted? Should you still take it?

Heather Huhman, a career and workplace expert for the online career site Glassdoor, said that while those who have experienced a long-term job search probably feel as though they should take what they can get, there are other options.

"When you encounter offers you don't completely love, you must ask yourself if you will accept the job offer, attempt to negotiate or wait for a better opportunity to come along," Huhman wrote in a recent blog post. READ MORE

We all know networking has the potential to dramatically enhance our careers; making new connections can introduce us to valuable new information, job opportunities, and more. But despite that fact, many of us are doing it wrong — and I don’t just mean the banal error of trading business cards at a corporate function and not following up properly. Many executives, even when they desperately want to cultivate a new contact, aren’t sure how to get noticed and make the right impression.

I’ve certainly been there. Years ago, I was a speaker at a tech conference — as was a bestselling author. By chance, we met in the speakers lounge and, massively unprepared, I fell back on platitudes. It’s great to meet you! I love your work! I handed him my card. If you’re ever in Boston, it’d be a pleasure to meet up! He hasn’t called, and frankly, I’m not surprised. READ MORE

Have you ever gone to a networking event that seemed like it was going to be great, you attend, then leave finding that you didn’t find what you were looking for at all there?

Business professionals from all kinds of backgrounds often spend time networking inefficiently. Going to events with just a few of these tips in mind will help ensure that you make the most out of your two to three hour networking events.

1. Ask first, talk second

Always ask in every conversation what the other person is looking for first. Not only does this make others warm up to you, they will be more likely to connect with you on a personal and business level if you seem interested in helping them achieve their dreams, goals, and desires.

2. Remember to ask the Magic question

I remember a few conversations I’ve been in where I first meet someone and we have a conversation that is filled with small talk. No one is asking ‘what are you looking for? What do you need from me? What can I do to help you get it?’ Weeks later, I run across people I’ve met at prior networking events and we do get into that kind of conversation. READ MORE

Diversity is critical for organization’s ability to innovate and adapt in a fast-changing environment. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs and most admired leaders will tell you the same thing. Diversity is essential to growth and prosperity of any company: diversity of perspectives, experiences, cultures, genders, and age. Why? Because diversity breeds innovation. And innovation breeds business success. Don’t believe me? Take a look: READ MORE

Cristina comes to Telemundo Wisconsin from Univision Chicago. Cristina spent her childhood living in the Midwest and Mexico. Her childhood education was bilingual, which is what led her to achieve a clear grasp of the Spanish language at such an early age. She discovered her passion for TV as a young child. Cristina remembers watching the news when she was a little girl imitating news reporters and anchors.

Her first encounter with a camera was at age 17 with local television stations doing commercials and local entertainment news.

After graduating Cristo Rey Jesuit High School she was accepted to complete a Communication Degree at DePaul University. Cristina left the US and expanded her education overseas as well. READ MORE

Decades ago, many people found their first full-time job and stayed with the company until retirement. Today, it's not unusual to have worked for two or more different companies by the time you reach age 30. In many cases, this means that workers are interviewing for new positions while they're still employed.

Searching for a new job while you already have one can be a difficult situation to navigate. Depending on why you want to leave your current employer, there's great potential to get yourself into hot water, especially if you don't get the job for which you're interviewing. READ MORE

“Todo es posible” — anything is possible. That’s the slogan for CNN Latino, a Spanish-language news service launched just over a year ago. But already it’s coming to an end. The channel is slated to shut down this month.

This follows the quiet closing last month of the new English-language NBC Latino, which used the tagline “The Voice of American Hispanics.”

With other Latino media outlets going strong, what can we make of the closing of these two news services? READ MORE

If your firm hasn't adopted a strategy to reach out to Hispanics via social media, you're missing out.

Consider: Social media is affecting our lives in the way we interact with people, get the news, buy products and perceive brands. Today, building your company's presence on social media is key to gaining a significant competitive advantage.

Meanwhile, Hispanics embrace technology faster than any other demographic in the U.S. According to a Pew Hispanic Center Research study, 68 percent of Hispanic Internet users are active on Facebook, Twitter and other social network sites, compared to 58 percent of all U.S. Internet users. READ MORE

Silvia Tergas was recruited out of college to work for Macy’s, moving from up from sales to the financial division. Though she really enjoyed helping colleagues answer questions about their 401Ks and other financial matters, she never pictured herself working in the world of investments.

“I didn’t see myself reflected in the profession. I saw it as very male-dominated...wearing pinstripes and living in New York,” she said. She didn't see many Hispanics in the field, either.

It wasn’t until Tergas, who's of Honduran and Cuban descent, helped her own family manage their retirement that she decided to make a career switch. READ MORE

Companies focused on tech and mobile know the value of the Latin American audience — or at least they should. In 2013, consumers in Latin America spent an average of 10 hours per month on social networking sites, and five of the world's top 10 most socially engaged online markets are now located in LatAm.

Overall Internet usage is also exploding in the region, as well as the prevalence of smartphones — estimates from earlier this year gauge that there are 140 to 200 million smartphones in Latin America.

And brands are sitting up and taking notice. Over the past couple of years, huge tech companies, social networking sites and mobile apps, such as Pinterest, Shazam, Waze and Airbnb, have announced expansion efforts, targeted ad campaigns, Spanish-language services and more, specifically appealing to the Latin American market.

Below, we take a look at 13 global companies and how they've expanded to Latin America. READ MORE

Dominican University announced that to celebrate the memory and legacy of Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, the pioneer missionary priest who founded the congregation of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, each of the university’s schools will recognize a recent alumnus whose characteristics echo that of “Fr. Sam.” Each of these alumni will be known as a “Young Mazzuchelli Model.” Dominican’s Brennan School of Business will present alumnus Roberto Sepulveda (MBA 2010) as its Young Mazzuchelli Model on the evening of February 11, prior to the annual lecture by the Christopher Chair in Business Ethics.

Born in , in 1806, Fr. Mazzuchelli came to in his early twenties, joining the priesthood and going on to bring the church to the far corners of the . He founded a number of parishes, as well as , which would later become . Fr. Mazzuchelli was known for qualities including his strong sense of purpose, intellectual curiosity, and community leadership. READ MORE

The Navy prides itself on being a top diversity employer, and in the past several years, has increased its efforts to improve diversity outreach, awareness, and recruiting.

Diversity allows for a stronger, talented work force, and outreach in recruiting increases the number of individuals with whom recruiters may connect to discuss Navy opportunities.

According to Ty Fitzgerald, PRISM Media Relations, the Navy Strategic Diversity Working Group earned the Association of Diversity Council’s number one ranking in 2013 amongst notable competitors such as... READ MORE