STOCKTON, Calif. — Credit union marketing agency Andermahr & Company, has expanded its services to include Spanish language translation services and targeted cross-cultural marketing services for the commercial and financial industry. "It has been a long time coming," said Andermahr CEO Anthony Mannor. "We have been carefully researching and developing the tools necessary to reach out to this community in a culturally relevant and inclusive manner for about three years." Andermahr & Company is approaching the 40 million people of Mexican, Central and South American heritage living in the United States. "Being in the central valley has been a great help to our efforts," said Mannor. "It was a natural fit for us. And now what we have developed in Stockton as a community will affect Latino communities all over the country." According to Mannor, reaching out to this market goes beyond translation services or even bilingual ads.

"It requires a complete restructuring of the methodology of communication and imagery" said Mannor. "The American Latino community is not necessarily looking to be blasted by messages in Spanish only. It is okay to have the message in English, but maybe the image is that of a professional Latino family in a luxury car on their way to a Quincea?era where the product is a personal loan for a gift or an auto loan for the family. This is the marketing for the next generation of Americans." For over 25 years Andermahr & Company has been providing marketing and design services for the financial industry. Mannor says it is past time for credit unions to devote a specific part of their marketing and communication resources to make themselves available to the Latino community.