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Detroit The
First Annual Latina Pioneer Summit was held in
Detroit on Oct. 12, 2005. This high-powered
conference was attended by over 200 people,
including Latina professionals, entrepreneurs and
students, and was produced by LATINA Style
Magazine in partnership with the Michigan Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce (MHCC) and National Society of
Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) Detroit Chapter. The purpose
of the Latina Pioneer Summit was to provide a forum
to empower Latinas to succeed in their personal and
professional lives and to expose the metro-Detroit
community to this tremendous resource and network of
accomplished Latinas.
Hispanic buying power in the United States exceeds
$750 billion, and Latinas have a strong influence on
how that money is spent. They also represent the
fastest growing segment of the small-business
community, generating over $67 billion in sales, and
their businesses are a primary source of employment
for other Hispanics. Latinas are also one of the
fastest growing groups in the U.S. labor force,
numbering 7 million, and are projected to increase
another 37 percent to 9.2 million by 2010.
 More than 150,000 Hispanics live in the Detroit area,
capital of the automotive industry, and they have an
estimated annual purchasing power of nearly $2
billion. It is clear that Latinas are playing a
significant role in the auto industry. Detroit-based
studies on consumer power indicate that women
influence nearly 85 percent of all car purchases and
are directly responsible for 40 percent of all car
purchases in the United States.
The response
and reception by the Detroit community to the
Pioneers Summit was impressive. The day began with a
networking breakfast where Latinas gathered in the
luxurious Royal Park Hotel to network and share
their professional and personal victories and life
lessons. At the opening breakfast ceremony,
attendees were welcomed by Lizabeth Ardisana,
president of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce, David Olivencia, president of NSHMBA-Detroit
and Robert Bard, president of LATINA Style
Magazine. Lourdes Duarte of Fox 2 News served as the
mistress of ceremonies, and Alma Crossley, director
of Marketing Dealer Development for General Motors,
was the breakfast featured speaker.
 Crossley’s enthusiasm and direct advice as a Latina
in the automotive industry was the perfect
transition to the executive panel, titled “Engaging
the Hispanic Consumer: Industry Leaders Share
Insight Into Innovations in Hispanic Marketing.”
Crossley was joined on the panel by Lisa Bacus of
Ford, Teresa Iglesias of Dominos Pizza, Michelle
Cook of DaimlerChrysler, and Sonia Maria Green of
General Motors in sharing valuable insight and
personal experience on how to navigate the difficult
road that a Latina faces in an industry dominated by
white men. They had their audience exploding in
laughter as they shared “innovative ways” of
breaking into the old-boys network. Green put it
best: “If you are not one of the old boys,” she said,
“adopt one of them! They are wonderful mentors and
can be your biggest advocate in a traditional male-dominated
industry such as the automotive industry.”
The entrepreneur panel focused on “Overcoming
Obstacles: How Latinas Knocked Down Barriers to Grow
Their Business” and included Christine Arciniaga of
JMA Manufacturing, Jeanette Avila of El Rancho
Restaurant, Margie Carlson Garza of Alliance
Technology Solutions, and Irma Elder of Elder
Automotive. Each of the panelists spoke of the
struggles and satisfaction of owning her own
business. Guadalupe Lara, manager of community
relations at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan,
was the LATINA Award Luncheon keynote speaker and
stressed the need and importance of clear
communication between individuals.
 Tears flowed as six Latinas pioneers received
surprise awards for their contributions to the
advancement of the Latina and Hispanic agenda. The
award winners were Dolores Sanchez as the Media
Advocate of the Year, Blanca Fauble as the Executive
of the Year, Irma Elder as the Entrepreneur of the
Year, Maria Elena Rodriguez as Community Leader of
the Year, Jane Garcia with the Lifetime Achievement
Award, and Michelle Cook with the Inspiring
Leadership Award.
Sponsors for the event included General Motors as
the Title Sponsor, DaimlerChrysler was Gold Sponsor,
Office Depot and Ford Motor Company were Silver
Sponsors and Kellog was the Breakfast Sponsor.
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