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The Business Consortium Fund, Inc., a non-profit business development program of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, is supposedly the nation’s most comprehensive financing and business support organization dedicated exclusively to the ethnic/racial minority-owned business sector. It was created to be a “difference maker” for minority-owned businesses that need capital and business support services to grow their business but are unable to obtain financing from conventional source

For years, the Edward Roybal Comprehensive Health Center in the heart of one of the country’s largest communities of Mexican immigrants in East Los Angeles has been the home of prenatal care for the record high Latino birth rate.

But in recent years officials there began seeing a noticeable drop in pregnancies among immigrant women – a decline apparently driven by the recession and which has been symptomatic of a national decline in births among immigrants.

This week, that drop became official a

Cost was not the only reason why Evelyn Escobedo didn’t want to leave home when she went to college.

“Staying close to home was my sense of security and not losing myself,” she said. “And having a safe haven to always come back to.”

Escobedo is one of many Latinas not leaving the nest for college. Though they are attending 2- and 4-year colleges in greater numbers than their male counterparts, many wind up choosing schools near their parents. While finances are a commonly documented factor in th

Hispanic Business has named Indiana University School of Education Dean Gerardo Gonzalez to its 2012 list of "Hispanic Business Influentials," which recognizes prominent U.S. Hispanics, nominated because of outstanding achievements in their respective professions.

The list of 50 includes honorees in business, government, executive leadership and entrepreneurship from across the country. Hispanic Business has announced a list of 50 influential Hispanic leaders annually for the past 30 years.

For

Graduates of Kutztown University's Latino Business Resource Center assembled anxiously for an entrepreneurs course graduation ceremony Thursday night at the Crowne Plaza Reading, Wyomissing.

The 23 aspiring entrepreneurs met in the hotel's wine room for the formal occasion that not only celebrated their completion of the eight-week business course, Programa de Negocios para Empresarios Latinos, or Business Skills for Success for Latino Entrepreneurs, but also announced recipients of awards and s

Macerich Co isn't usually in the business of hosting religious processions in its mall parking lots.

But when it allowed a Good Friday event featuring a costumed Jesus, prisoners and Roman guards at a Phoenix mall last year, hundreds of shoppers turned out from the heavily Hispanic community, where re-enactments of the Stations of the Cross are a major occasion.

The response proved to Macerich that its program to attract the surrounding population to its malls was working.

A small but growing nu

They are not only the fastest growing population in the country, but Latinos are also spending 3 times more at the super market than everyone else.

With more than $1 trillion in purchasing power, Latino consumers like Arlette Mendoza are gaining the attention of big name brands.

“I personally like it," said the mother of two. "I think it's good that everyone else is discovering just how good our food is."

Cereal companies, including General Mills are using flavors like Dulce de Leche with the ho

With the holidays just around the corner, most employees are thinking about taking time off work.

But for many Latinos, paid leave won’t be an option. According to a study released Tuesday by the Center for American Progress, Latinos have the least access to paid sick days or parental leave, let alone paid vacation.

Only 38.4 percent of Latinos have paid leave available, compared to 64.7 percent of Asians, 60.4 percent of whites and 57.4 percent of blacks. The study attributes the difference to

As pundits continue to examine the outcome of various races and ballots cast Nov. 6, one persistent truth cannot be understated or ignored: the power of the Hispanic-American vote is growing, and this voting bloc's priority issues -- including education reform and school choice -- must be addressed by those elected into state and national offices.

A record 23.7 million Latinos were eligible to vote in the 2012 presidential election, up by more than 4 million from 2008, according to an analysis o

There's a reason the new Gerber baby is Latina, Sofia Vergara is now peddling Suave and Covergirl, and J.Lo's seductive Glow is the highest grossing celebrity-endorsed perfume of all time.

Latinos love to buy. Well, some things. They tend to over-index as consumers of cosmetics, shampoo, perfume and baby products like food and diapers. In fact, a recent study by Nielsen states that if Latinos living in the U.S. were their own country, their buying power would be one of the top twenty economies i

Hostess sweets have tempted the sugar-starved among us for more than eight decades. Now, the company is going out of business. That moves the focus on Hostess’ brands—Twinkies, Devil Dogs, Wonder Bread, Ho Ho’s, to name a few—from the store shelf to the auction block.

It seems quite plausible that the next Twinkie maker could be a Mexican company run by a billionaire family.

Meet Daniel Servitje Montull. He and his family are worth more than $4 billion by our tally. Servitje runs Grupo Bimbo, a

Latinos are enjoying the limelight after they helped re-elect president Obama. Pollsters and researchers who correctly predicted the Latino vote are also seeing their clout rise. These are companies that study Hispanic demographics for politicians, but also for companies trying to establish relationships with Latino consumers.

President Obama hired the consulting firm Bendixen & Amandi International to do his polling in the Latino community. Managing partner Fenand Amandi says the research shows

Sitting a few steps away from a black marble memorial to his friend Mickey who was stabbed to death two years ago at age 15, Ronald Ramos looks bewildered when asked why he didn’t take the SAT, seek financial aid and apply to college after graduating from high school.

“Parents don’t know what the system is here,” he says in an interview at Georgetown South, a Latino neighborhood in Manassas, Virginia. “We don’t know what to do.”

Hispanics such as Ramos are the fastest growing component of Americ

Latino voters are "suddenly the 'it' demographic in U.S. politics," and, seemingly overnight, support for immigration reform is also en vogue: A recent Bloomberg headline trumpeted the "The Political Inevitability of Immigration Reform." Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner is "confident" that Washington will finally find "common ground" on a "comprehensive approach." Even FOX News has "evolved" on the immigration issue.

However, as many delighted immigrant advocates dance in the proverb

While Latinos are gaining in political clout, they are also falling down the economic ladder, new Census numbers show.

Latinos poverty rates climbed to 28 percent after the census reconfigured its algorithm to take into account medical costs and government programs. The Hispanic poverty level rose after the government took into account safety-net programs such as food stamps and housing, which have lower participation among immigrants and non-English speakers.

Among the Findings:

—If it weren't

Getting motivated to save can sometimes be tough. Here are some “sneaky” ways to help you reach your goals:

1. Label your accounts. Did you know that people who assign specific goals to savings accounts put away 31% more than people who don’t?¹ It’s true!
2. Use photos to stay motivated. Got something specific in mind? Try using a picture of what – or who — you’re saving for to keep your eye on the prize. Keep it on your computer or in your wallet – wherever it will be most useful in the battle against

Ten outstanding Latinas, from around the country, are to be honored on Monday, November 12th at the first-ever Next Generation Latina Awards.

The awards will be presented by Latina Magazine, in partnership with The National Council of La Raza and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, at a private breakfast at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel in New York City and will feature a keynote address by playwright and Tony Award nominee, Quiara Hudes, (“In the Heights”).

The 10 recipients are: Texas State Represent

This is part one of a two-part column about area Latinos and the challenges they face to become a part of the American fabric – especially the workforce. Two of the three women I interviewed were not legal immigrants. Their English was not adequate to tell their stories, and Marie Connelly, director of Centro Latino, translated for both. Occasionally one of the women would reply in English. I was never able to reply in Spanish.

Opportunity, security, and safety are the three reasons why Gaby, Ah

Veterans Day "Appreciation Event & Rally"

Monday, November 12, 2012 | 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Great Hall of Union Station (210 S. Canal)

#53VETS

Fifth Third Bank Chicago announces plans for its annual “Veterans Day of Appreciation” event on Monday, November 12, 2012.  The bank will transform the Great Hall of Union Station (Canal & Jackson, Chicago) into a patriotic celebration for those serving in the military. 

From culture to politics, Hispanics are gaining influence in the U.S. But when it comes to franchising, U.S. Hispanics are severely under-represented -- owning just a fraction of all franchised small businesses.

In a recent report on Hispanic franchising, BlueMauMau cites a U.S. Census Bureau survey of businesses to quantify the gap in Hispanic franchise ownership. In 2007, Hispanics represented 16 percent of the total U.S. population. Yet Hispanic-owned companies represented 9 percent of U.S. s