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Los Angeles, CA – August 8, 2008 – The focus of this installment of Su Socio de Negocios, the small business expo hosted by El Clasificado to provide Latino small businesses with resources, tools and education, was how to stay in business, add value and sustain growth in a struggling economy

An economic forecast released last month by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) painted a dismal picture for the 2008-2009 Economy, with industries essentially divided into two groups running on decidedly different tracks. Going backwards are the housing industry, manufacturers and distributors of products tied to housing, residential real estate, housing finance, and commercial and investment banking, many of which are El Clasificado’s core clients. The rest of the economy, according to the LAEDC, is moving forward, albeit slowly.

The report also noted some sectors and geographic regions with potential to grow, including Health services, which is expected to add 35,000 jobs in 2009, and Professional, Science and Technological services, with job increases expected at 35,000 next year. Los Angeles County as a whole is expected to add +0.6% jobs in 2009, according to the report, but regions such as East LA and the San Fernando Valley, two of the regions served by El Clasificado, are actually bracing for more job losses.

With such a grim outlook for the coming year, dozens of small business owners flocked to the free “Su Socio de Negocios” expo on Wednesday, July 23 in search of valuable resources to strengthen their business. The event featured an interactive panel discussion in Spanish, with representatives from the LA City Minority Business Opportunity Center (MBOC), the LA City Community Development Department (CDD), and micro lender Financiera Confianza who volunteered their time to discuss the City’s tax incentive programs, as well as preparing a small business to qualify for, acquire and repay loans. The interactive panel coupled with dozens of exhibitors’ office product demonstrations allowed the expo to serve as a platform where Latino microbusinesses can receive training for sustainable growth during an economic downturn.

“Any time there’s trouble with the economy, small businesses feel it especially hard,” commented Martha de la Torre, Founder and Publisher of El Clasificado, the organization that presents these events. “We designed this Su Socio de Negocios event so that it may offer solutions for businesses looking to stay competitive and thrive in their industry.”

El Clasificado’s “Su Socio de Negocios” expo also featured a booth exhibit and networking area, and included Aetna, Sprint, Wells Fargo, Comerica and State Farm as its main sponsors. The next “Su Socio de Negocios” event will be a breakfast networking seminar, and will be held on Tuesday, September 16th at El Clasificado’s Los Angeles headquarter facility.

“Su Socio de Negocios” is a free series of small business training workshops in Spanish held in different Hispanic grassroots communities throughout the year. The expo series is presented by El Clasificado, a multi-media print, online and grassroots event marketing solutions company connecting buyers and sellers in the Hispanic community since 1988. El Clasificado is the weekly source of information for more than 1 million Latinos on everything from health and education to consumer alerts and real estate. El Clasificado is a verified publication with a weekly circulation of over 335,000, and is distributed in nearly 200 cities in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

For media inquiries and to request additional information, please contact María Elena Aguilar at 323-837-4094 or via email at meaguilar@elclasificado.com.

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