Calendar Of Events
Primer Launches 2007 at DiversityInc with Record Attendance and Inductions
01/04/2007
What a spectacular networking session we had last Thursday! On January 4th, PRIMER kicked off the new year with fireworks -- not the kind you see burst in the sky, but the ones that make your heart race, as when you see the sun rise in the horizon or an open road inviting you to chase it. PRIMER is more mature and powerful than ever, and the open road is right there before us, ready to be conquered.
PRIMER member Luke Visconti, and his business partner, Foulis Peacock, founders of the leading diversity publisher in the country, DiversityInc, and Kim Stewart, C orporate Subscriptions Director , graciously hosted this networking session at their brand new and splendid headquarters in the heart of a city that is also rising fast to the top, Newark. We were treated to the scrumptious delights of The Spanish Tavern and a cadre of excellent Spanish wines selected by Luke himself. The facilities had a magnificent view of Newark, and of New York City in the distance, and everyone at DiversityInc, especially Kim, made us feel right at home. We thank Luke, Foulis, and Kim for such a wonderful evening.
We engaged in robust discussions, including reserving some meetings during the year only for members in order to share thoughts and strategies of a confidential nature, as we develop and forge together a path for success. We also shared substantive accomplishments during this session, where we inducted seven new members, a record for PRIMER. The new members are listed below, followed by highlights from the evening:
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New PRIMER Members:
Hector García, Human Resources Vice President, Citigroup – New York , NY .
Hector has established a solid career record for over 10 years and while he has been at Citigroup for a little over a year (he was with Pitney Bowes before that), he works closely with senior decision makers at his company, which may be of benefit to PRIMER members. While at Pitney Bowes he earned the New York Region HR Professional of the Year award.
Daniel Gutierrez, Principal, Pinnacle Achievement Group International, and author, Stepping into Greatness
Los Angeles, CA. Dan is a consultant and the President and CEO of Daniel Gutierrez, LLC. He has over 15 years of professional business experience. For the past 8 years, he has spent much of this time growing his company. He is a published author and a leading motivational speaker. To demonstrate his commitment to the organization Dan has stated: “My black book is everyone’s book” so we have just gained access to hundreds of Dan’s contacts, as he has gained access to ours.
Jack Marrero, President and CEO, Princeton Associates – Princeton , NJ .
Jack comes to us with over 45 years of business experience in Teaching, Fundraising, Human Resources, and Real Estate Development. He has worked closely with various New Jersey Governors and U.S. Senators over the years in the areas of race relations and building New Jersey ’s coalition for Bilingual Education. Jack has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kean University in New Jersey; chairman of the Princeton Board of Education and is a former Executive Director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (now known as the National Conference). Jack is now a consummate fundraising consultant and advisor.
Eugene Marsh, President and CEO, Construction Project Management Services – Princeton , NJ . Eugene has over 20 years of Construction Project Management experience having worked with construction giants Turner and Bovis. He sits on boards of various business and civic organizations in New Jersey, and speaks frequently on the topic of empowerment and growing small businesses. Gene is the current Chairman of the Board of United Way for Mercer County, New Jersey, and a Board member of the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce. He is a Vietnam veteran.
Sam Ramírez, Jr., Managing Director, Samuel A. Ramirez & Co. – New York , NY .
Sam has 20 years of business experience in investment portfolio management and institutional sales and trading and is becoming a leading player in the industry, as reported by Hispanic Trends Magazine on its December 2005 cover story on Samuel and his firm. His firm is the first, the largest and the leading Hispanic-owned investment firm in Wall Street.
Gladys Soto, President, Sunset Shores Adult Day Health Center – Milford , CT.
Gladys leads this growing organization and provides much needed services to the elderly, such as financial assistance programs. She is a known and respected business leader and philanthropist. Her company recently expanded to include offices in Puerto Rico. She is married to our PRIMER member John Soto, founder and CEO of Space-Craft Manufacturing in Connecticut.
Frank Vespa Papaleo, Esq. , Director, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law & Public Safety – Newark , New Jersey .
Frank serves as the state Director of the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights. Prior to his appointment, Frank served in private practice, representing individuals and employers in the public and private sectors in the areas of labor and employment counseling and litigation, education law and general litigation. He is the first director of a major state agency to join us as a PRIMER member.
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Our Keynote Speaker - Charles Patrick García
Our keynote speaker was leading best-selling author, advisor to Presidents, Generals, and governors, Charles Patrick García (www.amessagefrom García.com) who joined us with his wife Cristina Avila, on her birthday. Charles, founder of Sterling Financial, an investment firm with locations in 60 countries, and author of the book A Message from García , shared with us his experience at the highest levels of government, both state and federal. There, he defended the value of affirmative action in education risking significant political and professional capital which he had built over the years. As a result of his resolve and adroitly navigating difficult political waters, he gained the respect of the President, a Governor, and many others. Charles is now a leading source and resource for the most senior corporate and political leadership in America , and we were honored to share the evening with him and Cristina.
Thank you to Charlie who made us the generous offer to send each member the two books listed below:
A Message from García: Yes, You Can Succeed, signed by Charles P. García
Think & Grow Rich: A Latino Choice, signed by Lionel Sosa
2006 Member of the Year – Luke Visconti
Luke Visconti was selected by the PRIMER Board as its member of the year. Luke has consistently demonstrated his commitment to the values on which PRIMER was founded, has created success opportunities for our members, and for his leadership in crafting and promoting our mission. Luke has lived the values of PRIMER from the very beginning. In 2006, he unselfishly supported, advised, and gave positive exposure to several members. In addition, he has connected members across the nation in support of their business and careers. He is always striving for the improvement of Hispanics, African Americans and others across the nation, never afraid to challenge the status quo. For these and others reasons we salute and present our member of the year award to Luke Visconti.
Congratulations!
Distinguished Guests
Our distinguished guests, as always, graced us with their presence, shared their experiences and greatly enhanced our program. Special thanks go to Marilda Gándara , President of the Aetna Foundation for her strong support. We also welcomed to our program that evening international finance lawyer David Vidal-Cordero, Esq. of the law firm Thelen Reid in Washington, D.C.; Edwin Rivera, Senior Regional Vice President, for Premiere Radio Networks; José M. Fernández , Managing Director at Goldman Sachs; Dr. Joxel García, Senior Vice President of Maximus Federal Services and former Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization and former Health Commissioner of Connecticut. We were also honored by the presence of Paula Hartman, Principal and registered New Jersey Legislative Agent with over 10 years of project management and event planning experience in both the public and private sectors; Karla Pollack, Principal and an Association Management expert who has served as Director of Member Services and Marketing Manager for a 21,000-member business association; and Victoria Muñiz , Dancing Personal Instructor and a strong supporter of the organization. In addition, Marcos Ramos, litigator in the restructuring group with Richards Layton & Finger in Wilmington , and has practiced with Wall Street firms in NY and LA.; Jerry Roberts, Director for Global Quality Control for PepsiCo; Jeffrey Robinson, a senior Human Resources executive; Mari Rodriguez, Vice President and senior marketing executive with Babbalu.com; Tares Vázquez, promising young student who is pursuing his dreams of becoming an attorney; and Magda Yrizarry, Vice President, Workplace Culture, Diversity and Compliance, Verizon.
We have come very far from where we started as an organization. We have spoken about uniting – not simply getting together. Our vision is coming to reality. Our dreams are coming to fruition. Let’s continue on the path that we are traveling, because together, we can change the world.
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