Founder and CEO of San Antonio-based culture-inspired marketing agency MarketVision, has completed The Coca-Cola Company’s year-long Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises Supplier Mentoring Program. Garcia was one of three minority business owners, entrepreneurs and executives in the 2011-2012 program, Garcia was nominated to participate by Lauventria Robinson, VP Business Development - Diversity at Coca-Cola.

“Just being selected for the program was an honor, since many applications are submitted each year. The inspiration I gained from participating has already helped us define our agency ‘space’ with clarity and propel our business to a new level,” said Garcia. “Sometimes we business owners get so busy running our companies, we put our own business plans on hold. You can’t ever stop learning or just rely on past success. The market and industry are constantly evolving; you have to be prepared to continue to enrich and improve your go-to-market strategy. At Kellogg they called it ‘the secret sauce of success.’”

Along with agency president Luis Garcia and vice president of Innovation Frenchie Guajardo, she spearheaded MarketVision’s recent evolution and rebranding to its current positioning as a culture-inspired marketing partner that helps brands build relationships in multicultural America. The agency has won several new accounts in the past year, which Garcia attributes in part to the mentoring program.

Empire Roofing’s National Recognition

During the National Roofing Contractors Associations' (NRCA's) 125th Annual Convention, Empire Roofing Inc. was awarded two of the highest honors for commercial roofing companies, the NRCA's Gold Circle Award for Safety and the NRCA Gold Circle Award for Innovative Solutions. Empire also received the Honorable Mention Award for the Outstanding Workmanship Award. Sponsored by NRCA, the Gold Circle Awards program annually recognizes a select few contractors from around the world for outstanding contributions to the roofing industry.

“Empire Roofing has had the pleasure of working with the most demanding clients and takes part in several difficult projects every day,” said Ronnie McGlothlin, co-founder of Empire Roofing. “However, this was likely one of the most challenging projects our company has ever done. Receiving this award makes me grateful for our exceptional employees and the safety policies implemented by our company.”

In the news

Mariela Ure

Mariela Ure is senior vice president of Wells Fargo’s Hispanic Segment Strategy. She is based in Charlotte, N.C., and started her position in December 2011. In her role, Ure is responsible for leading Wells Fargo’s efforts in delivering products and services that meet the needs of the Hispanic market. She oversees segment-specific strategies, the development of business and marketing plans, and determining the company’s priorities and community investments to maximize the company’s service to Hispanic communities. Ure joined Wells Fargo from Bank of America’s Enterprise Marketing group, where she led the development and implementation of marketing programs focused on corporate social responsibility. Ure holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Business Management from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Nicole Cacere

Nicole Cacere Hispanic-American teen chef’s healthy dish earns top scholarship in first nationwide Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Meatless Monday recipe contest. First prize winner and recipient of a $5,000 scholarship,  Nicole Cacere, of John Marshall High School, in LA won for creating Black Bean Mole Stew. Cacere intends to take her culinary education to a very artistic place. She maintains a 3.3 GPA and participates in the student-run Cafe Blue on her campus.
Cacere’s passions include pastry, cake design, sugar sculpture, and overall aesthetic pleasures of food.  “I use food as a medium to express my artistic vision just like a painter might use watercolors,” she states.