LATINA Style Magazine Announces the 2009 LATINA Style 50 Report

50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work for in the U.S.
WASHINGTON, -- LATINA Style Magazine proudly announces the LATINA Style 50 Report for 2009. Now in its 12th year, this annual evaluation sets the standard for identifying corporations that are providing the best career opportunities for Latinas in the U.S. The LATINA Style 50 Report is the most respected evaluation of corporate America's career advancement opportunities for Latinas. This year, more than 800 of the most prominent corporations in the United States were included in the extensive search. Companies responding to LATINA Style's questionnaire are evaluated based on issues that LATINA Style readers identified as most important to them in the workplace. Among the principal areas of evaluation are: number of Latina executives, mentoring programs, Latina board members, educational opportunities, alternative work policies, dependent/child care support, employee benefits, women's issues, job retraining, affinity groups and Hispanic relations. Evaluations for the 2009 annual report were based on 2008 data. "Latinas' climb to the upper echelons of the corporate ladder has been severely impaired by the harsh economic conditions in today's market. Their lack of seniority has put them at a disproportionate disadvantage in the implementation of retention efforts," says Robert E. Bard , president and CEO of LATINA Style, Inc. "We commend the companies that in spite of the economic and market pressures have made significant efforts to maintain or even increase Latina representation in their upper ranks. We have gone to great lengths to provide a reliable resource for Latinas to evaluate companies and after a year of research, we firmly believe that the 2009 LATINA Style 50 truly represents some of the best opportunities corporate America has to offer." Kaiser Permanente, based in Oakland, CA, is the company of the year. Kaiser Permanente is one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente's mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of their members and the communities they serve. Kaiser Permanente currently serves 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. "We are honored to be named as the best company by LATINA Style in the publication's 50 Best Companies for Latinas to Work for in the United States," said George Halvorson , chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente. "Diversity is a critical piece of our values as a mission-driven organization. It would be impossible for us to improve the health of the communities we serve if we didn't recognize and support the diversity in those communities. For us, diversity is not an add-on agenda, but a core business principle, and the diversity of our members and staff is a reflection of our success." An annual awards ceremony honoring the LATINA Style 50 Companies will take place on February 4, 2010 during LATINA Style's Diversity Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. For more information regarding the LATINA Style 50, please visit the magazine web site at www.latinastyle.com. 2009 LATINA Style Top 50 Companies Kaiser Permanente AT&T Inc. Marriott International, Inc. Verizon Communications, Inc. Southern California Edison Prudential Financial Macy's, Inc. Johnson & Johnson WellPoint, Inc. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. IBM Corporation McDonald's Corporation General Mills, Inc. PepsiCo, Inc. Bank of America Corporation Principal Financial Group Wells Fargo & Company Citi BNSF Railway Company Darden Restaurants, Inc. MGM MIRAGE Northern Trust Comerica Bank The Coca-Cola Company Kraft Foods, Inc. State Farm Insurance Companies Sodexo, Inc. UnitedHealthcare, Inc. New York Life Insurance Company Aflac Incorporated American Express Company Xerox Corporation Kellogg Company Army & Air Force Exchange Service Credit Suisse USAA Fannie Mae Morgan Stanley Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation Colgate-Palmolive Company American Airlines Comcast Corporation Allstate Insurance Company Freddie Mac Qwest Communications Wyndham Worldwide Corporation MetLife, Inc. Aetna Inc. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies Hyatt Hotels Corporation Honorable Mention Burger King Corporation Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. General Motors Company Ryder System, Inc. Union Pacific Railroad Company CONTACT: Alma Luisa Andrade (703) 312-0904 Phone almaluisa@latinastyle.com