I woke up on Saturday to some tragic news. Frank Amadeo, the president of Estefan Enterprises, passed away after suffering a heart attack on Friday night. He was 57 and in good health. When Emilio became a partner at L’ATTITUDE LLC, I became close to the family, but my working relationship was primarily with Frank. He ran everything from their entertainment company to their hotels and restaurants. I never saw Emilio without Frank being there by his side, making sure everything was perfect. He was a nice man and an immensely talented business person. This past Thursday, Frank and I spoke about organizing an intimate dinner at Emilio’s with a select group of Latino influencers. He was energetic and enthusiastic about what we were building together with L’ATTITUDE. The Estefans are devastated and so am I. Frank Amadeo lived an extraordinary life. He was like family to the Estefans, he worked with celebrities, attended the most prestigious events and went places most people could only dream about… and just like that, he is gone. It is a sobering reminder that everything is replaceable except our health. Sol Trujillo and I agreed that we would dedicate 2021 to the memory of Frank Amadeo. Stay safe and please be nice to one another.
The incomparable NAHREP at L’ATTITUDE (NAL) event in Miami. This year, the crowd will be bigger and the speakers will be even more impressive! If you are not familiar with some of the names, let me provide some additional color: Eddy Cue is a Cuban-American and the second-ranking executive at Apple, Orlando Bravo is the wealthiest Latino in America with a net worth of more than 8 billion dollars, and Priscila Almodovar is the only Latina CEO of a Fortune 100 company. Beyond this incredible list of headliners, the hallways at NAL will include…
I think most Latinos would agree that at our core, we are a generous people. If a member of our family is in need, Latinos as a rule, won’t hesitate to help financially. Family is central to Hispanic culture: our generosity has few limits. Maybe that explains why when it comes to making political donations and writing checks in support of actual philanthropic activities, Latinos come up short….When I interviewed Barack Obama last year at NAHREP at L’ATTITUDE, I pressed him about politicians not prioritizing issues that are important to Latino voters, he politely pushed back by saying…
Problems aren’t fun. Because of this, most people run away from problems rather than confronting them. The ability to deal with problems and stressful situations is a key component of strong leadership…one of the reasons NAHREP is one of the most successful business organizations in America is that many years ago…