Local Hispanic business leaders talk millennials, familia, road bumps and opportunity

District Taco co-owner and CEO Osiris Hoil received some good advice not long after he came to the U.S.: “You don’t need to work hard; you need to work smart.”

When Hoil couldn’t afford a formal education to learn English on his restaurant salary, working 70 hours a week, he found his own way. After his shifts, around 10 p.m., the 18-year-old would spend time in the restaurant’s bar, talking to people.

“The drunk people were teaching me the words that I’d need to know,” Hoil said lightheartedly but sincerely at the D.C. Hispanic Impact Summit on Friday, drawing laughter from the audience.

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Profiles of Success recognizes Latino leaders in metro Phoenix

Valley leaders serving the Latino community took center stage Friday in the annual Profiles of Success program. The awards event is organized by Valle del Sol, a non-profit organization for the Hispanic community in the Phoenix metro area.

The group honored 12 individuals and businesses for their work serving the Latino community. During the ceremony, they also honored former Gov. Raul Castro, the first and only Latino to hold the state’s top office, who died in April.

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Ruben Diaz Jr. > bronxboropres.nyc.gov

Ruben Diaz, Jr Bronx Borough President. 

1) What do you need to be leader?

Leading by example is key. Sometimes you have to show your constituents that you are willing to make the same sacrifices that you are asking of them in order to achieve overall success. A good example is our "#Not62" campaign, where we are emphasizing to the residents of The Bronx to live healthier lifestyles. It would not make sense for me to ask this of Bronxites, preach about the importance of healthy eating and exercise, and then I do the exact opposite. Nothing wrong with indulging with a cupcake here or there but a key component of "#Not62" is showing off the different ways to be healthy via social media.

2) Being Hispanic...Does it have any influence on your business?

Considering that 54.6% of The Bronx's population is Hispanic and considering that 37.6% of businesses owned in the borough are owned by Hispanics, absolutely, it does have an influence on how I go about business. Being bilingual, as well as being born and raised in The Bronx, I can make a connection with Bronx residents. Growing up in the burning Bronx of the 1970's and the 1980's, I have gone through similar experiences as a large portion of my constituents, helping me in understanding the needs of the community.

3) In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?

I don't believe in quitting, I believe in finding solutions. Because I have a lot of people depending on the decisions that I make, I cannot afford to cower to adversity. All you can do is keep going, pushing for results.

4) If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

If I could change one thing, I would have it so that whenever we go through the ULURP [Uniform Land Use Review Process], the public review process, that the borough presidents have veto power. The ULURP is whenever you have a project that is going to be developed on public property, and it has gone through the Request For Proposal process (RFP), or you need re-zoning – whether up-zone or down-zone an area – you have to go through the community board, the borough president and then the City Council. Currently, if the borough president is against a project, he or she can be overruled by the Council or the planning board. So I would have it where the borough presidents would have veto power.

I would also change that our budget be autonomous, being that we get elected by the people of our borough.

5) What was your childhood ambition?

I wanted to be an NBA basketball player. I was going to be a New York Knick in my mind.

6) Tell us about three people that you admire?

The three people I admire the most are my son, Ruben Diaz III – my son is just the best person on the planet. I admire U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and I admire NBA legend Magic Johnson.

7) For business meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

I prefer lunch meetings. I'm more of an introvert in the morning and when I have meeting at night, sometimes they can go on longer than you expect. At lunch, you're just sharper and you have more pep in your step.

8) What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?

I sacrificed being around my wife when we were a young married couple. I got first elected into public office at the age of 23. I ran for office for the very first time at the age of 22. I sacrificed being around my sons. I was up in Albany, during my time on the State Assembly, three or four days a week, six to seven months out of the year for 13 years. That's a lot of sacrifices on your family time.

9) What is your favorite quote?

I have a lot of favorite quotes. Most recently, I used a quote in my "State of the Borough" address from former New York Governor the late Mario Cuomo's 1984 National Democratic Convention speech: "We believe in a government strong enough to use words like 'love' and 'compassion' and smart enough to convert our noblest aspirations into practical realities."

10)  Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?

I believe in this line of work, you have to be innovative, always thinking outside the box. There are always pitfalls along the way, especially dealing with different personalities, various groups and various entities with their own set of goals that require innovative thinking in order to find solutions everyone can live with. You have to be quick on your feet, navigating past those obstacles in order to do what's best for your constituents.

11)  A brief description of the Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, with a population of 1.4 million people, and is home to the largest Hispanic population in the city. Since I was elected as Bronx Borough President, in 2009, we've seen unprecedented, transformative growth having built nearly 16,000 new units of housing, and created more than 15,000 new jobs, with unemployment down nearly five percent and investments record highs. We have seen a lot of success and growth during my tenure office and we will continue to build on these successes in the coming years.

See Mr. Mr. Ruben Diaz Jr. Biography

Election 2016: No Republican Candidates Addressing Hispanic Advocacy Conference

WASHINGTON -- If the GOP thinks they’re going to win more Hispanic voters in 2016, they appear to have decided that speaking at large gatherings of Latino leaders isn’t the way to go. None of the 2016 candidates will address the annual convention of the National Council of La Raza -- the largest Latino advocacy group -- being held next week in Kansas City, Missouri, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Republicans have long contended that winning Hispanics is key to winning the White House, as Latinos are the fastest growing constituency in the country. And President Barack Obama was able to secure his victory thanks to winning the Hispanic vote by a more than 36 point margin in 2008 and 44 point margin in 2012.

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The Advantages of a Diverse Board

There’s little question that the executive suites and boardrooms of America’s top companies have diversified over the past two decades. Plenty of research shows the increasing differences in gender, ethnicity, social class, and cultural background of directors and corporate officers at large firms. Proponents of diversity in business argue that minority leaders can provide unique insights and broaden their firms’ knowledge networks, bringing their varied perspectives to bear on the complex decision-making process that occurs at the board level.

However, most of these studies have focused on how diversity at the apex of a company can show up in relatively broad measures of corporate performance, such as stock returns in the wake of a minority executive’s appointment or the perceived ability to employ a more multicultural workforce. As a result of this wide-angle view, the findings have been fairly ambiguous and inconsistent.

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National Latino convention coming to Utah July 7-11

SALT LAKE CITY — Next month, tens of thousands of Latino activists and business leaders from around the country will descend on the Beehive State for a week of seminars and community building.

To make the week run smoothly, organizers seek volunteers for the League of United Latin American Citizens 2015 National Convention and Exposition at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City from July 7-11.

The convention will be the organization’s 86th national event, expected to bring around 20,000 people to Utah.

The convention addresses issues of the Latino community, as well as subgroups such as women, veterans and youth.

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25 Most Influential Hispanics in America

From music to politics to business, Hispanics are remaking America. TIME presents 25 titans leading the Latino charge into the 21st century

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