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HispanicOhio.com: Spotlight: José Feliciano

Cleveland partner José Feliciano, founder and current Chairman of the Hispanic Roundtable of Cleveland, was featured in the November 1, 2008, "Spotlight" column on HispanicOhio.com, the online monthly magazine designed for Ohio's growing Hispanic community.

In the article, Feliciano answered a variety of questions including how he and the firm were reaching out to the Hispanic Community to help support this growing segment, the personal accomplishments which have led him to be able to work well with people and inspire and persuade large groups, and the obstacles he felt he had to overcome as a Latino within the business community.

In response to the last question, Feliciano said, "One of the key obstacles faced by Latinos, as well as other minorities, is the proverbial glass ceiling. That is a consistent challenge in the business and civic environment of Cleveland. Performance and success in the law and in business has helped crack this ceiling for Hispanics and helped create additional opportunities for others. Any time that Hispanics bump into that glass ceiling, it develops in us a renewed sense of determination, perseverance, and motivation to overcome the challenges and help advance our goal of equality in all phases of American life – professional, civic, political, and business."

Asked what he would like to see happen in the near future so other Latinos in the community can achieve his level of success, Feliciano said, "I would like Latinos to be bigger, broader and bolder in their vision, not only for themselves but for their community as a whole. I would like Hispanics to realize that whenever they join an organization, they have an opportunity not only to participate but to add value to the mission of an organization. I want to encourage us to either lead or provide leadership in all our efforts. We need to think about our value proposition to any initiative or effort in which we participate so that the organization or entity is enhanced, developed and enriched by our Hispanicness. Finally, I would like our community to think about and be challenged by the motto of the Hispanic Roundtable: If not us, then who? If not now, then when?"

To read the full profile from the HispanicOhio.com website, click here.