Top 10 Facts about Puerto Rico and Its U.S. Citizens

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- On the eve of the Republican primary in Puerto Rico, the Hispanic Leadership Network released its "Top 10 Facts about Puerto Rico and its U.S. Citizens." Below are some interesting facts about La Isla del Encanto and its American electorate. 

• Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory with Commonwealth status whose residents are U.S. citizens by birth since 1917 (CIA World Factbook, 2012).
• While its residents are U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans cannot vote in the U.S. general presidential elections because Puerto Rico is not a state (U.S. Constitution).
• Currently, more than 10,000 active duty military personnel from Puerto Rico serve across the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration).
• Since 1917, more than 200,000 American citizens from Puerto Rico have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, serving in every conflict since World War I (Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration).
• Puerto Rico hosts primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties; there are 23 delegates available in this year's GOP primary (CNN Election Center, 2012).
• Puerto Rico's total population is 3,998,905 (CIA World Factbook, 2012).
• The unemployment rate in Puerto Rico is 15.1% (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).
• More than half - 51.6% - of Puerto Ricans have private insurance coverage (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).
• More than 20% of Puerto Ricans have a bachelor's degree, whereas only 16% of Puerto Ricans residing in the mainland have a bachelor's degree (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010).
• Florida is gaining a net 7,300 Puerto Ricans a year, far more than any other U.S. state (U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 2011).

For more information about HLN, visit our website athttp://hispanicleadershipnetwork.org/, visit our page on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/HispanicLeadershipNetwork or follow us on Twitter @HispanicLN. 


SOURCE Hispanic Leadership Network

Carlos Palomares Named Chairman of Banesco USA

CORAL GABLES, Fla., March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Banesco USA, a full service commercial bank based in Coral Gables, announced the appointment of veteran international banker Carlos Palomares as Chairman of its Board of Directors. 

Palomares will replace Raul J. Valdes-Fauli, an attorney and former mayor of Coral Gables who had chaired Banesco USA -- formerly known as BBU Bank -- since the institution's beginnings in 2006. Valdes-Fauli had recently requested his succession to be able to devote longer hours to his partnership in the global law firm Fowler Rodriguez Valdes-Fauli. 

Palomares is president and CEO of SMC Resources, a consulting practice that provides advice to senior executives on business and marketing, and board member of the Pan American Life Insurance Group. He has held senior management roles in the consumer financial services industry spanning the US and international markets for more than three decades. He served as chief operating officer of Capital One Federal Savings Bank, and previously served with Citigroup as country manager for consumer banking in Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, chairman and CEO of Citibank's consumer bank in Italy, president and CEO of Citibank-Florida, and chief operating officer for Citibank, Latin America. 

"Our bank is delighted that a seasoned professional with Carlos Palomares' extensive banking experience and knowledge of the South Florida and international marketplaces has agreed to join our board as chairman," said Rafael (Rafo) Saldana, President and CEO of Banesco USA. "Carlos is a highly respected leader in our industry and a solid member of our community. The invaluable expertise he brings to our institution will enable us to accomplish all our strategic initiatives." 

Saldana said Palomares arrives at the "precise moment" when the bank is poised to undertake a number of "expansion challenges" both locally and internationally. 

The Board issued a message lauding the work of Valdes-Fauli as chairman. The message read in part: "We are convinced that we would not be where we are today without Raul's generous support and commitment, beginning at our project stage…Banesco USA and its shareholders will forever have a debt of gratitude with Raul Valdes-Fauli." 

Palomares was born in Cuba and graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree in quantitative analysis. His civic and business roles in South Florida have included serving on several local boards. He is past chairman of the Beacon Council, a trustee of the Florida International University Foundation, and a member of the executive committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. 

Since opening more than six years ago, Banesco USA has been growing gradually in Greater Miami's competitive banking market. In addition to its main office in Coral Gables, the bank has a branch and operations center in Doral and a branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

Additionally, Banesco USA plans to add a third South Florida branch in April through the purchase of one of Great Florida Bank's branches in Weston, Broward County. The bank opened in Coral Gables with less than a dozen employees. Today, it has over 100 employees, with plans to add 30 to 35 more this year, according to President Saldana. 

At the end of 2011, Banesco USA reported annual earnings of $3.8 million, more than double its profits of $1.7 in 2010. At year-end the Coral Gables bank reported it had $490 million in assets, $425 million in deposits, and $296 million in quality loans. The loans were up almost 47 percent from 2010. 

"Our full-year results show we have become a market leader supporting the growth of South Florida with a focus on medium-sized businesses, trade finance, and the real estate industry," adds Saldana. 

Banesco has its main office at 150 Alhambra Circle in Coral Gables. For more information, visit http://www.BanescoUsa.com. 

SOURCE Banesco USA

Minority Biomedical Entrepreneurship Conference

CLEVELAND, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The nation's first Minority Biomedical Entrepreneurship Conference (MBEC), will convene May 21-22 in Cleveland. MBEC offers a unique platform for minority professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, students and industry leaders to engage, network, collaborate and exchange ideas. 

Minorities represent less than 5 percent(1) of the growing biomedical industry workforce, and a fraction of that number engages in entrepreneurial endeavors. To address the issue of underrepresentation, and to increase minority competitiveness in the biomedical industry, The America21 Project, a minority innovation and competitiveness initiative, and BioEnterprise, a biomedical business accelerator, partnered to created MBEC. The intent is to hold the conference annually. 

Keynoting the conference is Dr. Frank Douglas, President of the Austen BioInnovation Institute and former Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Aventis. A national steering committee of Hispanic and African-American leaders in the biomedical industry – including Guy Fish, Vice President Fletcher Spaght Ventures (Boston); Ron Foy, Managing Director Cambria Capital (San Francisco); and Marissa Trevino, Founder Latina Lista (Dallas)- guide the conference mission and direct the agenda. A nationally-recognized speaker line-up – including Dr. William L. Daley, Vice President Business Development & Licensing, U.S. Medical Affairs, Sanofi (New Jersey); and Monica Sturgis, HR Business Partner, Boehringer-Ingelheim (Cleveland) – complete an inspired conference agenda. 

"Cleveland, with its rapidly growing biomedical industry and nationally recognized research, clinical and educational institutions, is the ideal location for the first-ever Minority Biomedical Entrepreneurship Conference," said Baiju R. Shah, President and CEO of BioEnterprise and Co-Chair of MBEC. "The entrepreneurial environment is one that embraces and provides an unparalleled support network to biomedical innovators." 

The Minority Biomedical Entrepreneurship Conference tackles many challenges minorities face in the biomedical industry. Attendees will be offered mentoring opportunities with industry leaders and investors, entrepreneurship education, and practical advice on starting and growing a biomedical company. Entrepreneurs looking for funding are afforded the opportunity to present before a group of seasoned biomedical investors. To view the complete conference agenda and register, visithttp://www.minoritybiomedical.org. 

"The underrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos in the biomedical industry undermines national economic competitiveness," said Johnathan Holifield, a co-founder of The America21 Project and co-chair of MBEC. "MBEC confronts the problem by bringing minority entrepreneurs together with industry veterans and investors for mentoring, networking and education." 

(1) Diversity in Academic Biomedicine: An Evaluation of Education and Career Outcomes with Implications for Policy, Donna K. Ginther, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Kansas, September 22, 2009. 

SOURCE BioEnterprise Corporation

Minority Biomedical Entrepreneurship Conference

Minority Biomedical Entrepreneurship Conference

Top Ten Facts about Hispanics in Illinois

Claudia Díaz Guillén

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- On the eve of the Republican primary in Illinois, the Hispanic Leadership Network released its "Top 10 Facts about Hispanics in Illinois." In Tuesday's primary, there are 749,000 eligible Latino voters in Illinois. Below are some interesting facts about Hispanics in the Prairie State. 

-- There are roughly 2.3 million Hispanics in Illinois which constitute 15.8% of the state's population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). 
-- There are 749,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Illinois (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010). 
-- In Illinois, 38% of Hispanics are eligible to vote. In contrast, 77% of the state's Non-Hispanic White population is eligible to vote (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010). 
-- A third (33%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois is 18 to 29 years old, compared to 27% of Non-Hispanic Black eligible voters and 20% of Non-Hispanic White eligible voters (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010). 
-- In Illinois, 28% of Hispanics do not have health insurance. In contrast, only 9% of Non-Hispanic Whites do not have health insurance (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010). 
-- The annual personal earning of Hispanics 16 and older is $21,600, whereas the annual personal earning of Non-Hispanic Whites is $33,000 (Pew Hispanic Center, 2009). 
-- The median age of Hispanics in Illinois is 26, whereas the median age of Non-Hispanic Whites is 40 (Pew Hispanic Center, 2009). 
-- Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew over 35% in Illinois (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). 
-- Roughly 4% of all Hispanics in the United States reside in Illinois (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010). 
-- In Illinois, 27% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared to 20% of Non-Hispanic Black eligible voters and 9% of Non-Hispanic White eligible voters (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010). 


ABOUT JENNIFER S. KORN