This article was originally published in the Charlotte Business Journal
Monica Hernandez may be in the business of technology, but her heart has always been in the business of giving back. As the CEO of MAS Global Consulting, an award-winning IT services and consulting company, her drive to support her local community was instilled in her at a young age.
“I was born and grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Medellin, Colombia,” says Hernandez. My mom had a small business making garments and my father was a mailman. Though my mom never finished high school, she insisted that I got a college degree.”
Hernandez would be the first in her family to do so, but she didn’t stop there. She earned a full scholarship to Universidad EAFIT — the nation’s equivalent of Harvard University — and graduated with a degree in software engineering. From there, Hernandez began an internship in Dallas and later became a consultant for Oracle.
“I learned a lot about technology and business at Oracle,” said Hernandez. “But I didn’t see a lot of women, Latinas or immigrants there. I knew that I wanted to give back by using the lessons I had learned to be a bridge for education and technology for more women, Latinas and immigrants.”
Hernandez took that dream and turned it into a reality, armed with education and experience in technology and business leadership, she then launched her own company. After attending Stanford to learn how to be an entrepreneur, she learned about scaling a business and became one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S.
“I started MAS Global Consulting a decade ago, when all my husband and I had was $5,000 in our savings account,” says Hernandez. “It was entirely self-funded.”
When she told her colleagues she was developing a company to work with the largest businesses in the U.S., they were in disbelief.
“We turned that initial $5,000 investment into nearly $20 million,” said Hernandez.
Today, MAS Global Consulting is among the top three percent of Latina-owned businesses in the U.S. for Fortune 500 companies. It’s also a five-time recipient of the INC 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies, the Global IT Sector Winner by WeConnect International, among other awards. Based in Tampa with development hubs in Colombia and throughout Latin America, MAS Global now boasts hundreds of employees – many of them women and minorities. Their leadership team is also 50% comprise of women.
“I’m proud of what we’ve done here at MAS Global,” said Hernandez. “Colombia has some of the most skilled technology professionals in the world and we’ve done well for ourselves, but there’s an old saying that I live by — we have a responsibility to do good, if we’re doing well.”
It’s why Hernandez launched The MAS Future Foundation, a program that identifies women and minorities from low-income areas and provides them with tech education and certifications, including full academic scholarships.
“The MAS Future Foundation is a one-for-one initiative,” says Hernandez. “Every time we bring somebody onto our team, we support a woman or minority from a low-income area in the U.S. or Colombia with education, certificates, mentorships, and more. We fund it all ourselves, and in some ways, it’s an investment. A lot of our MAS Future recipients come back to work for us after their educational journey.”
For Hernandez, it’s also personal.
“My mom was poor, but she had a huge heart. Even though we barely had any money, she adopted two other kids, and I grew up seeing that,” says Hernandez. “So now I think, what kind of impact can I have on little girls who grew up like me? I see myself in a lot of our MAS Future recipients. If I can build better futures for people who come from a similar background, I will do it. I need to do it.”
To grow her company and give back to more women and minorities, Hernandez collaborated with JPMorgan Chase.
“JPMorgan Chase connected us with their leaders, many of whom have Hispanic heritage, so we already understood each other from a cultural perspective,” said Hernandez. “JPMorgan Chase also went the extra mile by helping us gain acceptance to the CEO Connection Growth Acceleration Program which helps diverse-owned companies scale their businesses. Through the group, I’ve met many potential partners and clients.”
“Working closely with our diverse suppliers enables us to strengthen and support business owners like Monica,” says Ted Archer, head of business partner diversity at JPMorgan Chase. “By connecting them to resources both inside and outside of JPMorgan Chase, we help them access the tools they need to grow their businesses and ultimately support economic growth in their communities.”
With this connection, Hernandez is now competitive with technology companies nearly a thousand times larger. She believes that with the right purpose, anything is possible.
JPMorgan Chase’s Global Supplier Diversity program connects certified and qualified diverse businesses with opportunities to provide their services to the firm, spending over $2 billion annually with underrepresented businesses. However, they go a step further by developing their suppliers, positioning them to secure greater contract opportunities. The ultimate goal is to foster revenue growth at diverse businesses — resulting in economic growth in numerous communities throughout the nation. For many diverse suppliers, the Global Supplier Diversity program provides an opportunity to bring their vision into reality.
“MAS Global is a business, but for me, there’s a lot more to that than just revenue,” said Hernandez. “I want to be a role model — for my daughter, my son and all Latinas and immigrants with a dream. That’s what drives me. I love that Henry Ford quote, ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are probably right.’ I want others to know that it’s true.”
To learn more about JPMorgan Chase’s commitment to minority-owned businesses, visit jpmorganchase.com/impact/racialequity/minority-owned-businesses.