Phenomenal Women in Leadership Brunch
Maestro Entrepreneurial Center, San Antonio
(L-R): Nicole Navarro-Velesiotis, Rosa Santana, and
Lisa Navarro-Gonzales. May 5, 2018.
Rosa’s birthday dinner with family.
(L-R): Samuel Silva (grandson),
Costa Velesiotis (grandson), Rosa Santana,
Andreas Gonzales (grandson), and
Adan Silva III (grandson).
August 15, 2016.
Rosa Santana at the arrival of first and only
granddaughter, Zoe Josefina Velesiotis at
Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. October 28, 2016.
“What we have experienced in five years
is amazing,” she states. “They have groomed
and mentored us to deliver results. Toyota
doesn’t treat us as suppliers, they treat us
as a partner, as family. The relationships that
they cultivate with their partners is admirable.
They truly take the time to get to know us.”
Whether it’s in the auto industry, staffing
industry, or outsourcing industry, Santana
thrives on serving and delivering the best
results to her clients.
“Rosa’s initial role at the plant was in
providing staffing services to many of our
23 on-site suppliers.” says Chris Nielsen,
executive vice president of product support
and chief quality officer for Toyota Motor
North America (TMNA), and executive
general manager, Toyota Motor Corporation
(TMC). “Success in that role has led to
growth with Toyota beyond the San Antonio
plant into direct staffing services as well as
call center operations.”
Innovation and growth are in Santana’s
mind at all times, and she takes every
opportunity to keep moving forward. A couple
of Santana’s favorite quotes “What you
dare to dream, dare to do” and “plan your
work and work your plan” have served as
motivation. “I never felt there were any
obstacles in my career. If there were any, I
didn’t see them. I was too focused on
excelling,” she shares. “We are always
looking at improving everything we do.”
Santana wants to clear the path for others
and hopes the impact her businesses have
had with Toyota demonstrates that there are
other women like her that, when provided
opportunities, can deliver results and scale.
“Toyota knows who is buying their product,
they know who makes the decisions in
households and they know that Hispanics
are the fastest growing population in the U.S.,”
she states. “At the end of the day, I believe
Toyota recognizes these as business imperatives.”
“Despite ongoing advancements in
advanced technology and automation, the
assembly of automobiles is still, and will
likely remain, a people-centric business,”
says Nielsen. “Rosa Santana and her
Santana Group play a key role in the
ecosystem of Toyota’s plant in San Antonio
by providing high-value, people-centric
services, which are central to the core of
our operations. If the operation or service is
people-centric, we believe Rosa can always
be trusted to deliver high-value services
that contribute significantly to our sucess.”
Santana encourages entrepreneurs to
become certified as minority business
enterprises through NMSDC or women
business enterprises through WBENC and
to network with suppliers. Most importantly,
she encourages entrepreneurs to not shy
away from any opportunities.
For Santana, building great teams is key
to her legacy of continuous improvement
and exceptional customer service, and she
strives to ensure that her businesses will
continue to improve and grow. “I feel I have
done my job when our customers tell me
we are delivering results,” she says.
Her daughters, Lisa and Nicole, now
serve as the Vice Presidents of Forma
Automotive and Integrated Human Capital
respectively, and Santana is positioning
them to take the reins of the companies.
“Growing a business like I have and
evolving into a group of companies does not
happen with one person,” she shares. “In
front of me stands a phenomenal team of
leaders and team members that make it all
happen. Without them nothing happens.”
LS
Want to comment or have any questions on
this article? Email us at info@latinastyle.com
“ Innovation and growth are in
Santana’s mind at all times,
and she takes every opportunity
to keep moving forward. ”
24 www. lat inastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol . 24, No. 5, 2018
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