Futuro Sólido’s mission is to empower immigrant employees, their employers, and the brokers and vendors who serve them, through inspiring and effective communication which promotes prosperity, growth, and a solid future for all.
As a former middle school teacher, Melissa, our Founder and CEO, knew next to nothing about HR and benefits, but she did know how to engage a reluctant audience and read a room. Once she managed to get a contract or two, translating booklets or going back and forth between English and Spanish at enrollment meetings, she quickly realized that Spanish-speaking employees were not leaping for joy at the opportunity to participate in benefits or retirement plans, and that the messaging, designed for those born and raised in the US, was not resonating with them.
Her Light Bulb moment happened when her husband, a native of Colombia, took a look at a 401K presentation she was working on and told her it was completely missing the mark, no one would participate. With his help (and the client’s blessing), she added a few slides to the beginning, addressing immigrant employees’ typical objections and concerns about retirement plans in this country. The result was dramatic. Senior employees, who had for years refused to participate, not only signed up but helped new hires enroll.
Since then, Futuro Sólido has developed products and strategies to illustrate for Spanish speakers why benefits are called “benefits” in the first place and provide the tools they need to make decisions in their own best interest, enroll in the plans that serve them, and use those plans advantageously.
I’m a fearless kitchen explorer, always ready for culinary adventures and discovering new taste sensations, even when things don’t go as planned. A while back, I found video games nerve-racking; now, I’m a passionate gamer thanks to my father’s encouragement, and I bring my virtual world to life by sculpting and creating amazing things from games and movies.
I’m a history freak, so you can expect from me a good talk about daily life in the Preclassic Mayan period or the reasons for the Japanese economic miracle. I also enjoy listening to music from around the world, going from bossa nova to French house or even the cheesiest wedding songs: I’m open to any music recommendation!
A great day for me would include a long hike in the beautiful Colorado mountains with my bilingual dog Cooper, a Frappuccino, board games with friends & family, and planning my next travel adventure.
