767: Luis Suarez - Understanding the Latino Culture to Develop a Workforce and Better Service Client Needs!
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2025 12:12 am
Show Resources:
12:04:25 From Cliff Zlotnik : TRIVIA: How many Spanish speaking countries recognize Spanish as an official language?
12:05:29 From Don Weekes : 21 countries
12:06:40 From Cliff Zlotnik : Don, close but no cigar
12:07:15 From Don Weekes : 21 Spanish-speaking countries
There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries where Spanish is recognized as the official language. These countries span across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
alistairastewart.com+2
12:08:23 From Don Weekes : Alternately: Spanish is the official language (either by law or de facto) in 20 sovereign states (including Equatorial Guinea, where it is official but not a native language), one dependent territory, and one partially recognized state, totaling around 442 million people.[
12:09:19 From Cliff Zlotnik : 20 is what we were looking for
12:10:13 From Cliff Zlotnik : followup
12:26:14 From Don Weekes : Here in Canada, almost all of the contractors are bi-lingual (English and French), which helps when you have clients are unilingual. Most of the youngsters coming out of high school or colleges grew up with both languages. It makes life much easier.
12:27:50 From Don Weekes : All documents (including engineering specs and drawings) are in both official languages. All standards and requirements are in both languages. It works well for all workers.
12:31:34 From Don Weekes : When I moved to Canada, it took a bit of time to learn enough French to perform my work. And not everyone can do that, but it is worth a try.
12:32:06 From Kristy Cohen RIA : We appreciate all of your contributions Luis!
12:32:08 From Lorne McIntyre : I’ve observed that, in some organizations, frontline restoration technicians—particularly those within the Latino workforce—are not always afforded the professional regard their work deserves. At times, they are treated more as a labor resource than as skilled contributors, which can diminish morale and undervalue the expertise they bring to the industry. How do we shift this?
12:37:48 From Don Weekes : Congratulations to Luis regarding the volunteer of the year award! I am enjoying hearing him talk about his students. A very talented young man.
12:40:11 From Don Weekes : Reacted to "We appreciate all of..." with
12:40:25 From Don Weekes : Reacted to "
I’ve observed that,..." with
12:57:47 From Lorne McIntyre : Great show...have a good weekend. Nice cap Pete!
12:05:29 From Don Weekes : 21 countries
12:06:40 From Cliff Zlotnik : Don, close but no cigar
12:07:15 From Don Weekes : 21 Spanish-speaking countries
There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries where Spanish is recognized as the official language. These countries span across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
alistairastewart.com+2
12:08:23 From Don Weekes : Alternately: Spanish is the official language (either by law or de facto) in 20 sovereign states (including Equatorial Guinea, where it is official but not a native language), one dependent territory, and one partially recognized state, totaling around 442 million people.[
12:09:19 From Cliff Zlotnik : 20 is what we were looking for
12:10:13 From Cliff Zlotnik : followup
12:26:14 From Don Weekes : Here in Canada, almost all of the contractors are bi-lingual (English and French), which helps when you have clients are unilingual. Most of the youngsters coming out of high school or colleges grew up with both languages. It makes life much easier.
12:27:50 From Don Weekes : All documents (including engineering specs and drawings) are in both official languages. All standards and requirements are in both languages. It works well for all workers.
12:31:34 From Don Weekes : When I moved to Canada, it took a bit of time to learn enough French to perform my work. And not everyone can do that, but it is worth a try.
12:32:06 From Kristy Cohen RIA : We appreciate all of your contributions Luis!
12:32:08 From Lorne McIntyre : I’ve observed that, in some organizations, frontline restoration technicians—particularly those within the Latino workforce—are not always afforded the professional regard their work deserves. At times, they are treated more as a labor resource than as skilled contributors, which can diminish morale and undervalue the expertise they bring to the industry. How do we shift this?
12:37:48 From Don Weekes : Congratulations to Luis regarding the volunteer of the year award! I am enjoying hearing him talk about his students. A very talented young man.
12:40:11 From Don Weekes : Reacted to "We appreciate all of..." with
12:40:25 From Don Weekes : Reacted to "
I’ve observed that,..." with
12:57:47 From Lorne McIntyre : Great show...have a good weekend. Nice cap Pete!