Helping People "Communicate in Spanish"

Workplace Spanish, Inc. develops, teaches and publishes job-specific Spanish and English training programs that result in improved communication, teamwork & productivity – or enhanced customer service and health care – with Hispanic employees, customers, citizens or patients in workplace situations.  Our materials are succinct, easy-to-use, and have proven to be effective and beneficial. 

Originally founded in 1998 as a travel language company, we created & marketed pocket-size foreign language cards, in 10 languages, that simplified communication for travelers.  Rather than using complex grammar and linguistic pronunciations, our approach was very basic and took much of the mystery and apprehension out of foreign language. 

As we watched the tremendous growth of the Hispanic population and workforce, we began to realize that our simplified approach would serve a greater need in the workplace where the Hispanic population boom was creating difficult language barriers for employers and organizations accustomed to dealing only with English speakers.

In late 1999 and 2000 we taught our first Workplace Spanish® classes in the commercial construction and home building industries.  These were quickly followed by government, customer service and landscaping classes.  It was apparent that our type of training produced very tangible results and reduced frustration for workers.  The classes enabled people to communicate in basic, but very meaningful ways.

In 2001 we began to focus exclusively on workplace communication needs in Spanish.  The following year we started publishing our programs for employers and colleges / schools.  Since then Workplace Spanish® has become the most popular brand of job-related language materials.  Over 45,000 people in 47 states have used our materials to achieve basic Spanish communication skills.  Our programs are taught in 300+ colleges & schools across the country and used by hundreds of business & government organizations.

While we are very proud of our growth, and the needs that we meet, we continue to look for new opportunities to promote better communication & teamwork and greater efficiency & productivity in the workplace.

Language training must pay dividends

We combine language expertise with over 35 years of business experience in diverse industries & occupations; because of this experience our perspective is practical and "real-world." 

We understand that most (if not all) organizations invest in Spanish training to meet specific business objectives, not to create perfect Spanish speakers.  To briefly state our approach:

• We approach language from a business perspective, instead of language for language sake.  We focus on helping organizations achieve their communication and business objectives.
   

• Our goal is to help improve teamwork, productivity and service by learning customer needs — then by teaching or providing materials in a simple, easy to digest format – no grammar, no hard-to-understand textbooks —     no prior Spanish experience necessary.
  
  

• We expect our materials and training to produce positive results for our clients.  We can customize our programs to meet their specific needs.  
   

• Our materials are quick-reference training tools - they are excellent tools for class instruction or for self-study and quick look-up on the job.  Each manual comes with a job-specific audio CD.  
  

The Workplace Spanish® Team  (see many of us on our "Selling & Teaching DVD")

Workplace Spanish® has a highly skilled group of teachers, certified translators, program developers  and cultural experts from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile and of course, the United States.  Our associates are selected not only for their language skills, but also for their energy, enthusiasm and customer service dedication.  Meet some of our outstanding people:

Tom Sutula -- President & CEO - Tom is the founder of the company; his business background includes senior positions with Sears as Marketing Director of Craftsman^® Tools, as General Merchandise Manager, and as National Logistics Manager.  He also served as VP - Marketing for Hitachi Home Electronics and as COO of Shop at Home, Inc. -- a TV home shopping company.  He draws on broad experience in general management, operations, marketing, sales, retail, manufacturing, human resources and training.  He understands workplace needs and is the #1 customer advocate! 

Dr. Lucia Ribeiro -- Senior Advisor - Lucia is head of the foreign language & ESL department in the Cobb County, Georgia Public School System.  Previously she headed the foreign language lab at Kennesaw State University.  She is a certified translator & interpreter, a consultant to companies, and a developer of many specialty Spanish programs that she has taught to corporate and government clients. 

Richard Weir -- Senior Advisor - Dick has a wealth of marketing & advertising experience ranging from consulting with Ernst & Whinney to Director of Marketing at Citicorp to operating his own very successful ad agency (Weir Communications) for 13 years.  Most recently he was VP - Sales and Marketing of Mitchell's Formal Wear which doubled in size during his tenure.  He now serves as a consultant to our company.

Claudia Diaz Kukucka -- Director of Programs & Instruction - Claudia is a native of Colombia and a certified translator and interpreter.  She has considerable business experience, especially in the sales and marketing area.  Claudia has taught Human Resources, Construction, Customer Service, Government,  Manufacturing and Sales programs, and has upgraded our programs by developing practice conversations for our training manuals.  You will hear her voice on many of our CD's.

Jean Colton -- Customer Service - Jean is also a certified translator (in German) who has worked as Admin. Asst. to senior executives at Ciba Vision.  She plays a very key role on our team by providing a very high level of service and responsiveness to our customers.  Jean is usually the first point of contact and one of the key reasons we are able to build such highly successful customer relationships.

Susan Wall -- Controller - Susie has brought a wealth of financial and operational talent and experience to our company.  Susie has served as Controller & Process Improvement Manager for SchlumbergerSema and as a Senior Accountant for National Data Corporation.  She has  made major improvements in our ordering processing, website structure and inventory systems. 

Julie Pantoja -- Senior Instructor - Julie is a native of Puerto Rico who was raised in New York and is currently living in Georgia.   Her background includes working as an interpreter and translator in medical, legal and business fields.  She also worked at Coca-Cola for 10 years in positions including I.T. and space management administration.  She has a very energetic style and has recently taught Customer Service, Health Care, Government, Police & 9-1-1 classes, as well as sales classes.  Julie conducts many of our "train the trainer" sessions.

Cecilia Santamarina -- Instructor - Cecilia is a native of Argentina and a certified translator and interpreter.  She was very instrumental in the development of our health care program and has taught that at local colleges.  Cecilia has also taught supervisor classes for Georgia Power Company, business travel Spanish for CIENA Corporation as well as home improvement classes for The Home Depot and classes for teachers and administrators with Easter Seals.

Carolyn Powers -- Bookkeeper - Carolyn is a welcome addition to our team.  After a long corporate career in operations, finance and information technology with Oxford Industries, Accenture and other organizations, Carolyn began using her experience as a consultant and bookkeeper to small business.  We look forward to utilizing her skills in the accounting and info tech areas.