Latina Entrepreneurship
in Atlanta, GA
By Melissa Barrera-Sosa
According to a study done by the Pew
Research Center, Georgia has the
fastest-growing Hispanic/Latino
population in the United States. With an increase
of 118 percent over the past 15 years, more than
half of those who make up that number reside in
the Atlanta Metro area. When those numbers are
broken down even further, they show that the
median age of metro area Latinos is 26 and many
are first-generation Americans and born to parents
who came to the United States from Latin
American countries to meet the demand of the
building boom that accompanied the Atlanta
Olympics in 1996 and never left.
These numbers matter because they help
tell the story of the ever-expanding impact of
Latina-owned businesses that have emerged
during that same timeframe. Terri Denison, who
serves as the District Director of Georgia’s Small
Business Administration, believes this growth in the
Latino demographic has helped Latinas leave their
mark on the Atlanta area as well as on the entire
state. She cites a study conducted by American
Express (2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses
Report), which found that from 2002 to 2018, the
number of Latina-owned business in Georgia has
grown from 4,886 to almost 40,000, with much of
that growth occurring in the metro Atlanta area.
One of those businesses is H3Media, a
successful marketing firm started by CEO Andrea
Rivera. Rivera is a fountain of knowledge for
emerging Latina entrepreneurs. She says that it is
important for Latinas to get connected and take
advantage of the plethora of resources that are
available to help them succeed. One such resource
is the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,
where Rivera has been a member for the past
eight years. Rivera emphasizes that through her
involvement with the GHCC, she has had the
opportunity to receive leadership training, business
referrals, mentoring, and made connections that
“I like to compare the
chamber membership to
that of a gym. You can pay
your dues, but unless you
actively attend meetings
and programs, you won’t
see the results you want or
expect.”
— Andrea Rivera.
proved important as she established her business.
She has seen the same ring true for other women
involved in the Chamber and offers this gentle
reminder, “I like to compare the chamber
Andrea Rivera, CEO, H3Media.
membership to that of a gym. You can pay your
dues, but unless you actively attend meetings and
programs, you won’t see the results you want or
expect.” Involvement is key!
18 www. lat inastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol . 26, No. 1, 2020
/www.latinastyle.com
