CHARLESTON, S.C. – For Hispanic Heritage Month, Sonepar companies celebrated the rich cultures and the role of Latinos in moving the country forward.
“We wanted to celebrate Hispanic prosperity, power, and progress in a unified way with your fellow associates and shine a light on the contributions of Hispanic employees, consumers, and community members,” said Gabino Martinez, Regional Operations Manager for World Electric and president of Sonepar’s Hispanic employee resource group (ERG). “Did you know that one in five entrepreneurs are Hispanic? And that Latinas create small businesses six times faster than any other group?”
Over the course of the company-wide festivities, Sonepar’s Hispanos Unidos ERG encouraged each operating company to hold a celebration that ranged from a Latin coffee hour to a themed lunch or dessert meet-up. Many associates of Hispanic origin were also spotlighted on internal and external social forums, sharing the ways in which their cultural roots inspire them.
The Hispanos Unidos board of directors also attended the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) Convention in San Antonio, Texas. ALPFA is the largest Hispanic professional organization in America. The event consisted of inspiring keynote speakers (including Sonepar personnel), personal and professional development workshops, networking opportunities, and a two-day career fair.
Hispanic Heritage Month at Sonepar’s operating companies wrapped with an empowering speaker event featuring Refugio Atilano, author of “The Latino Leadership Playbook.” Atilano talked about the number one pain point for Latinos and how to advocate for yourself.
“The work of our Hispanos Unidos ERG has helped us identify ways to be a more inclusive organization,” said Selenah Njoloma, Director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Sonepar. “By helping us integrate a bilingual onboarding and open enrollment process, providing language learning through their sponsorship of Babbel licenses, and increasing internal bilingual communications overall, the Hispanos Unidos ERG has been very helpful.”
Demonstrating their commitment earlier this year to Hispanic inclusion, Sonepar also signed the We Are All Human Hispanic Promise, an initiative for the advancement of Hispanics.
