Florida CEO Selected as HispanicBusiness Woman of the Year

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - April 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Santa Barbara, Calif. (April 5, 2013)--Carmen Castillo, CEO of Superior Design International (SDI) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been named the prestigious 2013 Woman of the Year by HispanicBusiness.com, Editor and Publisher Jesus Chavarria announced Friday.

Ms. Castillo is the first female Hispanic CEO and owner of a billion-dollar corporation in the United States and has led the company that provides procurement outsourcing, independent contractor compliance programs and payroll since she founded SDI in 1992. The South Florida company has more than 2,000 employees and reported $1.3 billion in revenues in 2012.

"Of course I appreciate the honors, but I'm more into obtaining new contracts and providing customer service than getting awards," Ms. Castillo said. "My clients expect 24/7 accessibility, and we provide that for them."

Ms. Castillo's intense focus on growing her company is one of the major reasons she stood out among the growing ranks of Hispanic female executives. She joins a prestigious list of past Women of the Year recipients that includes New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and Maria Goytisolo Hackley, managing director-financial institutions group for Citibank. HispanicBusiness has presented the award for 11 years.

"HispanicBusiness.com congratulates Ms. Castillo and her remarkable team for reporting the first U.S. Hispanic woman-owned company with annual revenues in excess of $ 1 billion," Mr. Chavarria said. "To our knowledge this is a very big first."

Nine finalists for the 2013 Woman of the Year Award are Catherine H. Giordano, president and CEO

of Knowledge Information Solutions Inc.; Stella Mercado, CEO of Mercom Corp.; Carmen Jacob, president of NextGen; Veronica Moreno, CEO of Olé Mexican Foods; Laura K. T. Schriver, chair and CEO

Languages Services Assoc.; Livia Whisenhunt, president, CEO and founder of PS Energy Group; Lynette Spano, president and CEO of SCI Consulting Services; Patricia Pliego Stout, president and CEO of Alamo Travel Group; and Rosa Santana, founder and CEO of Integrated Human Capital.

"We proudly present the entire 2013 HispanicBusiness Woman of the Year cast," Mr. Chavarria said. "In 2013, the research team tapped into one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial generations of recent years. We salute these individuals empowered by their own unique potential."

Complete stories on the Woman of the Year and the finalists are now available at HispanicBusiness.com.

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Contact Information:
Gregg Mansfield, HispanicBusiness
805-964-4554, gregg.mansfield@hbinc.com