BY JOE ARCE AND COREY CRABLE
Dr. Tina Medina is bringing back the Hispanic business directory she began 30 years ago, updating its offerings for a digital world.
E-La Lista Latina is designed to be a website offering public relations, advertising and social media marketing services for Hispanic business owners and nonprofits both large and small. Originally in business from 1993 to 1997, the revamped E-La Lista Latina will officially relaunch this September.
Medina, of Medina Oasis Media, says her business will offer social media advertising that can be designed by her own staff calendars of local events news and updates sections on food and health job listings and, most notably, feature profiles of Hispanic professionals so they can share their success stories. Those professionals, she adds, will be businesspeople from every background.
“We want to be able to highlight our young professionals. … We can showcase the professional Hispanic talent we have. This will be a montage of local Hispanic leadership as well,” Medina explains. “I know a lot of Hispanic professionals who may not have professional degrees, but they’re HVAC technicians or plumbers or managers at restaurants, and they’ve overcome hardship or drugs, so I want to highlight them as being successful just as much as those who may have higher education. Success is relative, and we want to be very inclusive of everyone -- supportive and welcoming.”
Medina has more than two decades under her belt as a writer and consultant. She says that in that time, she has seen the local Hispanic population grow by leaps and bounds – as well as the need for affordable advertising, which she says her site provides.
“There is a void right now. We don’t have a one-stop shop or resource for Hispanic businesses and nonprofits. So, that’s our goal,” she says.
Medina says she is especially excited to be able to share clients’ ads immediately through social media platforms.
“We can take your ad and really push it on Facebook,” Medina says. “We’re talking about immediate service.”
Medina says it only makes sense to put a spotlight on successful and talented Hispanic business owners in the city as their numbers continue to grow.
“If we don’t document these stories now, who’s going to?” Medina says. “If we don’t tell our stories, nobody’s going to.”
She says that word about E-La Lista Latina has spread quickly throughout the community already.
“The response has been overwhelming,” she says. “Everybody is so pumped up about it and has been very supportive.”
Medina says that her directory “welcomes the smallest to largest of businesses to join and be part of our group.”
“I’m delighted to be able to serve the Hispanic community at this level,” Medina says. “It’s an honor, and I’m just grateful to offer great services with awesome customer service.”
For more information or to join the directory, visit www.elalistalatinakc.com.
