THE TOP FLOORS STILL KEEPING HISPANICS OUT IN THE COLD

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 3, 1993                   TAG: 9303030022
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium
THE TOP FLOORS STILL KEEPING HISPANICS OUT IN THE COLD
Less than 1 percent of top officials of Fortune 500 industrial companies are Hispanic and an even lower percentage hold such jobs in Fortune 500 service firms, a study says.
The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility said Hispanics hold only 81 of 11,881 executive positions in the 500 industrial corporations.
In some cases, it said, one person counts several times, such as Roberto C. Goizueta, chief executive officer of the Coca-Cola Co. and member of four corporate boards.
To match their share of the population, there would have to be 1,070 Hispanics in such jobs, said association President Richard Jose Bela, author of the study being released this week. His Washington-based group monitors corporate treatment of Hispanics in hiring, promotion, contracts and philanthropy.
Among the Fortune 500 service companies, Hispanics hold 72 of 12,600 executive posts in only 58 of the corporations. Their proportion of the population would call for 1,134 positions, the study said.
Hispanics are best represented in the beverage, soap and cosmetics, building materials, and motor vehicles and parts industries, the study said. They are least represented in the transportation, life insurance, diversified financial and utility industries.
There are no Hispanics among top executives in the rubber and plastic, oil production and aerospace industries, it said.
"It's as if we're not on their radar screen," said Frank Cota-Robles Newton, executive director of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. "It's about time corporate America paid attention to us.
"Hopefully, we'll start to see some parity in hiring and promotion," Newton said. "There are some CEOs who don't know anything about Hispanics."
Newton's group, an umbrella group of 27 Latino-rights organizations, recently created an advisory committee for corporations to consult on Hispanic issues.
Rita Elizondo, executive director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, said Latino groups are focusing on getting more contracts for Hispanic-owned businesses and raising sensitivity in marketing.
For example, she said, many companies often advertise only on Spanish television stations, "caught in the trap that if it's Hispanic, it must be on Spanish TV."
"The majority of the Hispanic community is bilingual," Elizondo said. "This says to me [the companies] are insensitive to what's going on. I don't think anybody's actually sat down, looked at the numbers and paid attention to what's there. The bottom line is that if you're sensitive and responsive to the Hispanic community, that's going to translate into dollars."
There are 23 million Hispanics in the United States, with $188 billion in spending power, according to the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. Most are concentrated in five Southwestern states, New York, Florida and Illinois. There are more than 3 million Latinos in New York City and Los Angeles.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB