Negocios Now

Supplier Diversity & Diversity Inclusion Edition

Negocios Now is the Hispanic Business Publication in Chicago with National Distribution

Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1297783

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 8 of 23

www.negociosnow.com Octubre 2020 9 NegociosNow NegociosNow By David Steinkraus O zzie Godinez said he's always had the urge to be an entrepre- neur, ever since age 12 when he delivered newspapers on the South Side of Chicago. In 2006 he became that entrepreneur when, with partner Pablo Acosta, he started PACO Collective, a marketing agency intended to do right what so many others were doing wrong. What he saw, Godinez said, was com- panies approaching the Hispanic mar- ket in a predictable way. There was no respect for this segment of the popu- lation and its diversity of educational attainment and economic status. He and Acosta began PACO as a Hispanic-focused agency, but from the start, he said, it was conceived of as a company that would be diverse and use that as a strength. The PACO staff now has people who are Hispanic, African American, Cauca- sian, Middle Eastern, and Asian. "W e built a team to represent the markets we serve," Godinez said. "You put diverse minds to solving a business challenge, and the output is so refined, and the ideas so good and so pure, that it allows us to use those ideas and transcend cultures." Diversity designed into PACO Collective from the start Godinez's own history reflects what he wanted for PACO. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and was raised on a farm by his grandparents until age 5. He then joined his parents in Chicago where they were already working. "We were one of three Latino families in an all African American neighbor- hood. I hadn't seen Black people ever. I didn't speak the language, and I hadn't seen snow," he said. Ever since, "I've embraced being around people who don't look like me." Build from scratch At the very beginning of PACO, Godi- nez and Acosta had nothing. "Usually people leaving an ad agency to start their own firm take one good client along as a starting point," Godinez said. He and Acosta didn't do that. They found their own clients, often with old- fashioned cold calling in that largely pre-internet age. Their first large client was Harris Bank, now BMO Harris. "After year two we got some pretty big clients that I didn't anticipate we would actually land," he said. The client that really opened doors was ComEd, which PACO still works with. "Without ComEd's supplier diver- sity program, PACO might not be as large and as successful as it is," Godinez said. They began their work with ComEd as a subcontractor and then were hired directly to help with other pro- jects. The partnership with ComEd provides not only work but also cre- dibility when PACO speaks to other potential clients. And clients have stayed. PACO is 14 years old, and most clients have been with the com- pany for many years, some nearly a decade. Such longevity is unusual in his industry, Godinez said. The boiling societal debate about diversity and equality has brought added inquiries to PACO's diversity- oriented business. "We're happy that these conversa- tions are finally happening. It's what we've wanted for so long because this is the work we've been doing at PACO for years," Godinez said. "We now have an opportunity to share with the rest of the world what this really means from a marketing standpoint. It's great that people are finally listening and taking it more seriously." Not so big PACO employs about 30 people, but Godinez said he doesn't want to grow to more than 75 to 100 employees because he sees value in being small. "If you get bigger, in this industry, you run the risk of losing your company culture and identity," he said. He knows the names of all his employees and their families, and in some cases the names of their exten- ded families. "I think as a smaller agency, and as technology continues to advance, I don't know that we need more people," he said. "It's more about being nimble and resourceful, which is how we began and how we want to continue to operate."

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Negocios Now - Supplier Diversity & Diversity Inclusion Edition