Message
LATINAStyle®
Publisher’s Founder & Publisher Anna Maria Arias
President & CEO Robert E. Bard
Robert@latinastyle.com
Chief Operating Lupita Colmenero
Officer Lupita@latinastyle.com
Managing Editor Gloria Romano-Barrera
Gloria@latinastyle.com
The 2019 50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work for in the United States.
It is certain that this year will go on the record books as the strangest time of our lives.
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has brought civilization to a standstill. Who could
have possibly imagined that something could stop the world on its tracks?
Sadly, so many people have lost their lives during this pandemic. For us, March 12
was the date that we decided it was excessively dangerous to keep on working under the
present conditions. So we convened the staff in the conference room and indicated that
we would start “working from home.” No one was to be furloughed or laid off.
As the days went by and no solution was forthcoming, the burden placed on the
health of our company was becoming unbearable. When we finally “returned to work” it
was the last week of June. For a small company whose work focuses not only on the
production of a national magazine but also on the all-important conferences we hold across
the nation the pressure was excruciating. We got on the phone with all our community
partners to strategize how to proceed. You have to go virtual everyone said. Yes, that was
obvious, but what about our corporate partners who are the lifeline of our company? How
would they support a virtual partnership?
The layoffs around the country were and continue to be massive, how will
corporations respond to a virtual relationship? How long can we keep our staff employed
without client and corporate support? It has been a scary time. The lack of sleep, the
stress, the horrible news spewing out of the TV every day were making life unbearable. It
has certainly been the scariest time we have faced since we lost our founder Anna Maria
Arias in October 2001. How do you manage the financial stress while dealing with the
threat of a virus that is killing people? Killing our families, our relatives, our friends and
acquaintances.
We finally mustered the courage to call our longtime corporate partners expecting to
hear the worse. Yes, ‘it is very bad’ we were told, we are going through major changes,
enormous cutbacks, massive layoffs, complete restructuring, and change of priorities.
Here it comes, I thought, we are doomed. But guess what? it did not happen. Our
company has been in business for the past 26 years and many of our partnerships go back
to the very beginning. One by one they reassured us that they would stand with us;
they believe in our mission, Latinas are essential to the welfare of our country and our
communities we were told.
It is with our deepest gratitude that we thank the companies that have supported our
efforts through the years but most especially now. Most of these companies are part of
our LATINA Style 50 Report. In addition, they have stood not only with us but with our
Hispanic organizations as well. They have been the lifeboat of our community.
4 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 26, No. 4, 2020
Contributing Victor Hugo Coronado Castañeda
Graphic Designer
Contributors Bianca Ortiz Wertheim
Brian T. Moynihan
Cecilia Aragon
Frank Gómez
Irene Franco Rubio
Kathleen C. Chatara
Marisa Rivera
Marcela Miguel Berland
Paloma Alaniz
Sofia Santos
Senior Events Manager Tania Davila
Tania@latinastyle.com
Accounting & Maria E. Gallegos
Circulation Director maru@latinastyle.com
Director of Beana Ramirez
Corporate Relations Beana.d@latinastyle.com
Social Media & Valeria Rodriguez
Marketing Assistant Valeria@latinastyle.com
Program Assistant Jennifer��Romero
Web Address www.latinastyle.com
Stock Photography istockphoto.com
Stay healthy, Stay safe.
LATINA Style is published bimonthly by LATINA Style, Inc. 2102 Empire
Central, Dallas, TX, 75235. Subscriptions are available at $20 for two years
for a total of 12 issues. To subscribe to LATINA Style call (214) 357-2186 or send
checks to LATINA Style Magazine, 2102 Empire Central, Dallas, TX,
75235. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial
or advertising matter. Editorial submissions must be accompanied by a
self-addressed, stamped envelope. The publisher assumes no responsibility
for return of unsolicited manuscripts or art. No part of this magazine may
be reprinted or otherwise duplicated without the written permission of
the editor. Copyright by LATINA Style, Inc. All rights reserved. "LATINA
Style" (ISSN 1531-0868). Vol. 26, No. 4, 2020.
Robert E. Bard
/www.latinastyle.com
/www.latinastyle.com
/istockphoto.com
link
link
link
link
link
link
link
