Industry: Media/Publishing

Owners: Alberto Monserrate and Miguel Ramos

Milestone's Involvement: Milestone Growth Fund, Inc. worked with the company for 12 months prior to making an investment. We helped them with all of the necessary steps to form a company including to strategize, acquire the Minnesota Hispanic Directory, structure their financing, recruit a board of directors, and find a CFO. Today Milestone continues to provide professional guidance to help LCN become successful.

LCN—Largest publisher in Minnesota Targeting the Latino Population
When Alberto Monserrate and Miguel Ramos discovered that the Latino population in the United States had tripled in one year, they knew they had a market for their media business. Today the Latino population is the largest population in the U.S. and Latino Communications Network (LCN Media) is now the largest publisher in Minnesota that targets the Latino population.

Monserrate and Ramos formed LCN Media in March 2000 starting with their original concept to expand into various markets; they started with Vida y Sabor, an entertainment website and the print magazine. After the success of this first venture, Monserrate and Ramos purchased the Minnesota Hispanic Directory in 2001 and in 2002-03 added Iowa to the directory's distribution making it the Minnesota-Iowa Hispanic Directory. Having an excellent two-year working relationship with Nuestra Gente , an all-Spanish newspaper, Monserrate and Ramos and the newspaper joined forces to expand LCN.

Today LCN continues to be a leader in the Latino community with the three publications that are a staple in the Hispanic, Latino communities of Minnesota and Iowa.

Summary of Success: 2000 – Present

• 2000 – Latin Communications Network (LCN Media) is founded
• 2000 – Launch Vida y Sabor , an entertainment website and print magazine
• 2001 – Purchase the Minnesota Hispanic Directory to add to publishing business
• 2002 – Enlarged directory to include Iowa ; now the Minnesota-Iowa Hispanic Directory
• 2002 – Joined forces with Nuestra Gente to expand company

Media Features:

• December 2003, How LCN Media Grabs Opportunity, Upsize Minnesota (LCN Media)
• December 2002, Nueva Media, LCN Media taps Minnesota's exploding Latino market (Focus: Minority Entrepreneurs), by Stacy Freeborg, Minnesota Business Magazine , December 2002
• July 5, 2003, Latino publishers merge, fund growth plans for three titles, by Amy Kamenick, The Business Journal

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