After name change, Hispanic newspaper prints first bilingual issue

Three months into a name change, the Springfield-area Hispanic newspaper formerly known as El Mensajero printed its first bilingual issue in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The paper is now distributed to roughly 3,000 people as M30, a move Publisher Memo Latapi and crew made to distinguish "The Messenger" from Hispanic newspapers in other communities with similar names. Speaking as a leader of the area Hispanic community, Latapi sat down this morning as Springfield Business Journal's monthly guest for its 12 People You Need to Know live interview series.

"Since we're expanding as well, we were looking for the trademark and we noticed that El Mensajero is also used in different states, so we wanted to create our own brand," Latapi said of the nearly seven-year-old paper that distributes in Springfield, Nixa, Monett, Branson and parts of Joplin. "We summarized El Mensajero, which means The Messenger, just to M and 30 because (we print) every 30 days."

The Oct. 15 issue of M30 includes eight profiles under the title, "Latina Power," highlighting Hispanic women who have demonstrated leadership and influence in the community. The profiles are written in Spanish and translated in English.

"We wanted to recognize the talent that we have here in southwest Missouri, in particular for all the women who are making a difference," Latapi said.

Printing in both Spanish and English is a calculated move Latapi hopes can appeal to older Hispanics and newer generations, who he said might not speak Spanish as a first language or even at all, as well residents who want to learn more about the Hispanic community.

"We're noticing that transition," he said.

In Greene County, Latapi said the most recent data pegs the Hispanic at population at almost 9,000 and around 40,000 in southwest Missouri. With some 52 million Hispanics in the U.S. representing over $1 trillion in buying power, companies are continually seeing the need to tap into that market. Locally, Latapi said Springfield's Hispanic population is largely plugged into the construction and restaurant industries, such as 21-year-old restaurant Cielito Lindo, which he said was the longest-running local Hispanic-owned business.

As a side job, Latapi does voice-overs O'Reilly Automotive Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ORLY) Spanish radio commercials nationwide, and he points to Performance Food Group as another company making headway in the Latino market.

He said real estate, law and health care are other growth areas for the Hispanic community, since everyone needs a place to live, access to legal care and to understand the U.S. health care system.

"I think there's a lot of opportunities for different businesses. We just haven't exploited that market," Latapi said. "There's a very loyal group for brands. We just have to make sure that we target them."