Bilingual employees becoming a necessity
Clovis, New Mexico
By Helena Rodriguez

From bilingual haircut signs at Wal-Mart to Spanish radio ads by local auto dealers, local business owners are trying to get their messages out to a growing population of Hispanic consumers.

U.S. Census figures from July 2001 show Hispanics are the largest U.S. minority, comprising nearly 13 percent of the U.S. population. That’s up from 12.5 percent of the population in April 2000.

(...)

“Our Hispanic clients appreciate coming into a place where there are people they can communicate with and who can help them, and not just with insurance needs,” said Ronnie Tafoya, who sells Allstate insurance on Prince Street.

Tafoya said his company provides some informational materials in both English and Spanish.

(...)

Dillard’s department store inside North Plains Mall has 30 to 40 employees, and about one-third are bilingual, Assistant Sales Manager Shannon Sneed said.

“It’s always an asset to have bilingual workers. We don’t consciously look for people who are bilingual, but in this area, we are definitely lucky if we find them,” Sneed said.