L.A.'s Latinas.

THEY OVERCOME PREJUDICE, CULTURAL HURDLES TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS

PATRICIA Perez is a nameplate partner in one of the largest Latino-owned public relations firms in the United States.

The laundry list of clients represented by her Pasadena-based firm, Valencia, Perez and Echeveste, reads like a who's who of big-name corporations: McDonald's, AT&T, Disneyland, DirecTV and Farmer's Insurance.

She pulls down a six-figure salary and is very prominent in local business circles. But for all that, her relatives still wish she would stay at home and do the traditional things that many Latinas have done for generations before her: take care of her husband and establish a family.

"I have an incredibly supportive husband, but the rest of the family to this day has no idea what I do," Perez said. "Traditionally, men are viewed as having jobs that are important to them. A woman's job is primarily the family."

Perez is far from alone. She belongs to a growing population of L.A. Latinas who, after laboring for years, are achieving considerable financial success and recognition. But despite overcoming what in many cases are daunting workplace obstacles, successful L.A. Latinas still struggle on the home front -- due to years of acculturation that have taught them that they should be raising children, not capital.

"I think the majority of (Latinas) have this huge cultural divide that keeps us split between two worlds. We are conditioned in the United States to learn that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to and that you can achieve the American dream. But unfortunately we go to family reunions or go home for the evening, and the emphasis is on family," Perez said.

The dilemma is being faced by an increasing number of Latinas, who are becoming better educated and inspired by the career heights reached by other Latinas.

Entrepreneurial explosion

Never before have so many started their own companies or risen to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder. Between 1987 and 1996 (the latest data available), the number of Latina-owned U.S. businesses grew 206 percent, to 382,400, according to the National Foundation for Women Business Owners. Of that total, nearly one-third were in California.

Growth has not just been in raw numbers. Latina business owners have grown in percentage terms. Today, 10 percent of the 1,600 California members of the National Association of Women Business Owners are Latina, said Frances Nevarez, president of NAWBO's California chapter. Five years ago, it was only 2 percent.

But to make it in the business world, many Latinas are being forced to leap barriers that not only encompass their culture, but their gender and skin color.

"When I was in a corporation, the glass ceiling was made of brick," said Martha Diaz Aszkenazy, who worked for a financial planning firm before starting her own company, Pueblo Contracting Services Inc., the general contractor on the rebuilding of Angels Flight on Bunker Hill.

"I can count on my hands the number of Latinas who are partners in law firms," added Antonia Hernandez, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

But while workplace obstacles may remain considerable at many corporations, Latinas are often challenged even more by their culture's diminished emphasis on female education and career goals.

A lack of education remains one of the biggest barriers, said Huntington Park Mayor Rosario Maria. "If we aren't educated, we can't compete," she said.

Arduous climb

Marin should know.

The successful businesswoman and politician was 14 years old when her family moved from Mexico nearly three decades ago. "I come from a culturally traditional family. There is a double standard that the man is the provider and the woman is not the breadwinner. Those are very strong and important factors that determine who goes to college," she noted.

When she and her brother graduated from high school the same year, it was assumed that her brother would study at a two-year community college and Rosario would get a full-time job to help out the family. Rosario got a full-time job, but she also attended night school at East Los Angeles Community College.

"My father's opinion of this was, 'It's OK if you go to college but you have to pay for it,'" she recalled. "My mother was the most supportive. I think she is a holy woman. When she saw that I was determined to go to school at night, she would stay up with me until 3 and 4 in the morning while I wrote my term papers, sitting right next to me."

Seven years later, Rosario graduated from Cal State Los Angeles with a degree in business administration. While her struggle took place 20 years ago, Latinas are still fighting to go to college. "You'd be surprised how many times I go to a high school or a junior high to speak and there are young Latinas who do not see themselves as the potential university graduate," the Huntington Park mayor said.

With that in mind, the nonprofit TELACU Education Foundation in East Los Angeles has a program aimed at educating parents about the benefits of letting their daughters leave home and attend college.

"We do find that the majority of kids we deal with are first-generation people, and many of their parents don't understand that young women can go out and have a professional career and make money like many Latina women are doing now," said Anna Sauceda, the foundation's executive director. "I have girls in my office all the time who say their parents are going to disown them if they go away to college. It is very cultural for us to have the girls stay home until they get married."

Supportive father

Education was one of the determining factors that led Roxanne Zavala to become president of her own company, Anoroc Precision Sheet Metal Inc. in Gardena. Zavala's father, who was from Mexico, always emphasized the importance of education, even for his daughter. He was on the Placentia Unified School Board in Orange County for several years and was the president of the North Orange County Community College board when he died. "I have always loved learning," said Zavala, whose $2 million company makes landing-gear components for Boeing 757s.

Zavala, 47, got her bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton and later received a scholarship from USC to get her MBA. "One of the things my parents taught us, which has helped me, is perseverance. We're in it for the long haul," Zavala said.

That perseverance has helped her overcome some of the hurdles she encounters as a woman in a male-dominated industry. "It is a bit of a surprise for most men to see that I can hold my own," she noted.

Zavala is just one of the several successful L.A. businesswomen who serve as a positive role model for young Latinas.

Another is Maria de Lourdes Sobrino, founder and president of Lulu's Dessert Factory and Fancy Fruit Corp. Sobrino started her company 18 years ago, after her travel and convention management business - catering to Mexican visitors in Los Angeles - suffered from a peso devaluation and a recession.

She decided to start a company producing desserts and began with her mother's recipe for gelatin, a popular Mexican food item. Her first product was a ready-to-eat dessert that comes in a plastic container. She marketed it from a 700-square-foot store in Torrance, where she made 300 gelatin cups a day by hand.

Today, her $9.2 million company makes 50 million gelatin cups a year and she has formed a sister company, Fancy Fruit, which makes frozen fruit bars.

Sobrino, 47, has moved from her 3,000-square-foot Gardena location to a larger factory in Huntington Beach and is building a 70,000-square-foot factory in Rancho Santa Margarita to handle expanded production.

Her success, however, has not come without personal sacrifices. Her two marriages, one to a Mexican and the other to a Cuban, didn't survive her corporate aspirations.

"I have definitely fought against the machismo of a culture," Sobrino said. "I have always believed in myself."

Recipe for Success

GETTING ahead in the business world is tough enough, but being a Latina - both a woman and a minority - can often make the corporate ladder seem like Mt. Everest. Having at least a college-level education and paying your dues on the lower rungs are usually prerequisites to advancement. But, according to several successful Latinas, other steps that are particularly crucial include the following:

* Make yourself visible

In the past, there was a perception that Latinas would shy away from the limelight. But, to step out of the wings, Latinas need to speak up about their accomplishments and let themselves be heard.

Securing corporate donations from your place of business is a pivotal way to emerge as a leader in both your company and community.

"You become a viable player by backing up your community involvement with dollars," said Kerry Lopez, director of programs and training for the Coro Foundation, a leadership development organization.

* Find a mentor

It's hard to go it alone. Seeking out women - in your field or others - to guide you on the corporate track can help push you along in your career.

That means finding people you admire and being willing to receive constructive criticism. If anything, it should be easier now than in the past, when Latinas were more hard-pressed to find successful Latinas in the business arena. It's easier to visualize the possibilities if you can see them.

* Network, network, network

Be a joiner. Seek out professional organizations, both Latino and otherwise, to get noticed and make essential contacts. On many of these occasions, you're talking to corporate leaders and getting one-on-one advice from them, which can be invaluable both professionally and personally.

* Consider the family

One path that more Latinas are following is the family-owned firm, especially joining forces with their husbands.

In many traditional Latino family businesses, the automatic father-son hand-over is going by the wayside. With advanced education and networking opportunities, Latinas have fashioned themselves into potent business leaders.

* If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

One way to knock down doors is to join up with others who can facilitate faster openings. Many Latinas say they've jump-started their businesses or launched projects by linking up with white counterparts.

Linda Griego, managing general partner of downtown restaurant Engine Co. No. 28, has tried unsuccessfully to launch a Latino-based television pilot for the past few years. Now she's on the lookout for a partner who is well-connected in the industry to crack the barrier.

"I won't go away, but I need a partner to help me get my message across," Griego says.