ELKHART, Ind. — The Latin Business Expo has returned for its fifth year! Local businesses gathered to showcase their products to the community. This expo helps get the word out about Latin businesses in the area, but it also helps the members of this community network with one another which the creator of the event tells ABC 57’s Sidney Moore, this is essential for success.
Yolo Lopez DeMarco, the owner of the Latino Business Expo explains, "I have a passion for bridging gaps, for seeing where the holes are, and seeing what we can do to help each other out and grow. And so, one of the things I noticed years ago was that there was not a lot of networking within Latino-to-Latino businesses, but also Latino to American businesses.”
Before the event opened to the public, owners and employees that attended got the chance to network with one another during a luncheon where many guest speakers gave speeches including the Mayors of Elkhart and Goshen.
Not everyone who attended had to be bilingual. Translating headphones were available for anyone who needed them at the event.
Some visitors came from larger businesses as well like banks, insurance firms, hospitals and more.
Being a business owner can be tough but being bilingual can give some of these owners the upper hand.
Everyone at this expo has a different story of how they ended up where they are today and for Giselle Hernandez, she is a first-generation American who sells houses for a living. Hernandez says, “I was born and raised in South Florida. I am a first, first generation American. My parents are immigrants from Cuba, so Spanish was the first language that we spoke at home, and my parents always made sure that we had a very rich culture at home, and they just nurtured us being completely bilingual just to have a better future.”
Hernandez tells ABC 57’s Sidney Moore how beneficial it is being able to fluently speak two languages. Having the knowledge of more than one language can also have a big impact on business.
Margie Corral, Owner of Angel Construction and Roofing, explains, "to communicate with another contractor to fix their home so they come to us and we're able to, you know, translate everything that they need so they can get their house fixed.”