Bloomberg contributor Karen E. Klein interviews Martha de la Torre and Joe Badame about their strategy for El Clasificado’s future expansion
The article appeared on August 4, 2011 in the online version of the worldwide business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P.
“Growing up in East Los Angeles, Martha de la Torre spoke South American-influenced Spanish, which often elicited playground taunts from her classmates, mostly Mexican- Americans. Midway through elementary school, she swore she’d never speak Spanish again, except to her Ecuadorean grandmother.
Today she runs El Clasificado, the largest free, weekly Spanish- language classified print publication in the U.S., reaching more than 1.5 million people. It’s the flagship title of the thriving 130-employee publishing company de la Torre and her husband, Joe Badame, started 23 years ago for Southern California’s Latino population.
In June, the couple rebranded, changing their company’s name from El Clasificado to EC Hispanic Media to reflect the growth of their five online editions as well as their geographic expansion into the agricultural heart of Central California. With 2010 revenue of $16.3 million, the business is on track to hit $19 million this year, de la Torre says.”
Read the complete story at Bloomberg.com.
