Stella Mercado co-founded Mercom Corp. in 2000, and serves as its CEO and president of the board of directors. As CEO, Ms. Mercado has overall responsibility for corporate finance, treasury, revenue, accounting and tax policy, as well as regulatory reporting and supervision. As president, she aligns corporate and strategic planning, provides overall direction for the company, and incorporates a fun and optimistic corporate atmosphere.

Privately held Mercom, founded by siblings Stella and Larry Mercado in 2000, is a certified Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Business (EDWOSB/WOSB) and a Small Disadvantaged Business concern, as well as a graduate of the SBA 8(a) program. The company was No. 163 on the 2012 HispanicBusiness 500 directory with revenues of $30.9 million and 65 employees in 2011.

Ms. Mercado is a board member of the Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University and is a founding member of the Grand Strand Technology Business Council. She is a member of industry associations such as AFCEA and BICSI.

She received a B.A. in international relations and Spanish from the University of Virginia. She lives in Pawleys Island, S.C., and enjoys golf, softball, reading, and spending time with her son, Alex.

In 1990, Patricia Pliego Stout changed the name of her company to the Alamo Travel Group Inc. (ATG) and became the sole owner, president and CEO. Since then, ATG has become a global provider of government, corporate and leisure travel services. The company had revenues of $133 million and employed 56 people as of 2011.

Throughout her 30-year career, Ms. Stout has been recognized for her achievements as a business leader, entrepreneur and role model for women in business, including a 1992 nod as Entrepreneur of the Year from the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC) and inclusion on HispanicBusiness' 2004 Elite Hispanic Women list.

In 2012, she was honored by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as Business Woman of the Year and received a $25,000 scholarship that enabled her to attend the Tuck School of Business’ Executive Program at Dartmouth College.

Along her career, Pat has been on many boards. In 2010 and 2011, she served as board secretary of the Society of Government Travel Professionals (SGTP). She has been on the American Express Business Travel Services (BTS) advisory board since 2010, is on the advisory board of the Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos, and will assume the chairmanship of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2014.