HISPANIC CULTURE, CLOUT GROW IN METRO DETROIT
Power brokers' presence at events, live Latino acts and TV station display growing numbers, status.
By Louis Aguilar, THE DETROIT NEWS

Vicente's Cuban Cuisine, which opened two weeks ago in Detroit, is more than just another downtown eatery.

A white-tablecloth restaurant by day and salsa club on weekends, Vicente's represents an emerging market in Metro Detroit: upscale Latinos. Many businesses have made moves in recent months to serve this growing demographic.

Programming on WUDT-23, the new Troy-based affiliate of Univision, the national Spanish-language television network, is chock full of commercials by automakers and national retailers.

At the same time, many politicians and major corporations send representatives to schmooze with members of the Hispanic Business Alliance, a nonprofit group that promotes Hispanic commerce, at the group's monthly mixers. An event last week at Vicente's drew staffers of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, state senators and Detroit's Big Three automakers.

FOR THE REST OF THIS STORY VISIT:
http://www.detnews.com/2005/business/0506/26/D01-227846.htm