Stephen Chávez, owner of the ChávezPR firm in Los Angeles and co-founder of the LatinoFoodie.com food blog, was named president of the Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) Los Angeles Chapter.
Journalist, professor and public relations professional, he is also an expert in Hispanic cuisine and broad connoisseur of the food and beverage industry. Chávez has more than 20 years of experience in the world of public relations. He was president, at the national level, of the HPRA in 2013 and has since then been a member of its board of directors.
The Hispanic Public Relations Association is comprised of 350 members and is the only national non-profit organization for the Hispanic Public Relations Industry.
“With a strong national organization behind us, I am happy to return as the Los Angeles chapter president and work with this amazing team to bring a year full of educational and professional opportunities,” said Chavez.
He stressed that they will put more emphasis on repositioning the brand and rebuilding the local chapter, as well as establishing processes for the next administration.
With over two decades in the public relations field, Chávez has focused on helping food and beverage companies connect with the Latino community through events, sponsorships, trainings, community organizations and Hispanic media.
Some of the brands he has represented include Nestlé, Verizon, McDonald’s, Kikkoman, La Tortilla Factory and the National Institutes of Health.
“Today, much of the attention of my work is dedicated to Latina bloggers, food bloggers, so that they prepare recipes using products of my clients and that really take advantage of the network of Hispanic influencers to establish relationships with food and beverages companies,” said Chávez to Abasto Media.
In his new role as president of the HPRA in Los Angeles, Chávez explained to Abasto that it is important for Hispanic public relations companies to work with the Latino millennial generation, becoming the bridge that helps connect these young bilingual consumers with business in the food and beverage industry.
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“The key is education, get out of the comfort level and use social networks as a tool to listen and have a clear idea of what consumers think,” said Chávez.
For the veteran public relations specialist, it is very important that new businesses clearly understand the Hispanic consumer and their customs so that they can conquer them as clients. He gave the example when Latinos go shopping at the supermarket. For them, he explained, it is a social experience because the whole family participates.
Chávez stressed that another reason for businesses to use the services of Hispanic public relations companies is because they can adjust more easily to their budgets.
The other members who were elected as executive officers of the Hispanic Public Relations Association Los Angeles Chapter are: vice president, Miguel Lopez of Panda Express; treasurer, Lourdes Rodríguez de Saban Community Health Clinics; secretary, Cynthia Cruz de Mitú.