Gabriela Hernandez' sense of style has always been informed by the chic elegance of such film stars as Rita Hayworth and Bette Davis. So when Hernandez decided to create her own makeup company, Besame Cosmetics, it was only natural she would return to Hollywood's golden age of beauty.

Silicon Valley-based Hercules Technology Growth Capital, a publicly traded venture capital firm that supports initiatives in the tech and life science arenas, has received a multimillion-dollar vote of confidence from the Small Business Administration.

Smiling from behind their rounded spectacles, Abuelito Pancho and Abuelita Rosa sing Spanish lullabies that stir warm childhood memories for many Hispanics - and tug at their purse strings. The silver-haired grandparent dolls are the inspiration of three working moms from Miami who set out to preserve Hispanic culture for future generations. They ended up on the toy shelves of major retail stores, including Toys "R" Us and Target.

Alarmed by what they see as the House rehashing anti-immigrant legislation, Hispanic leaders and community groups across the country are launching voter-mobilization campaigns and holding press conferences urging the Hispanic community to make its voice count in the November elections.

Americans aren't No. 1 anymore, and their government is largely to blame. That seems to be the bottom line of a new survey of global competitiveness in which the U.S. slipped from first to sixth place, behind Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Singapore.

Shareholders for Univision Communications Inc., America's largest Spanish-language broadcaster, have approved selling the media group to an investors group that includes media mogul Haim Saban.

Minority entrepreneurs across California will have the opportunity to endure basic training for survival in the marketplace.

The term "small business" doesn't mean what it used to. Small businesspeople today have to deal with the same issues big businesses do -- global markets, complex supply chains, and fluctuating currencies -- and they have to do it without an army of MBAs to support them.

Purchase your copy of latest research from HispanTelligence: The U.S. Hispanic Economy in Transition: Facts, Figures, and Trends (2005 Edition) -- a comprehensive study of the emerging Hispanic market.

Get the entire 2006 Hispanic Business 500 Directory in Excel format.

The 2006 list of 100 influential Hispanics spans a range of stellar achievers – from the boardroom to the classroom to the studio – all making ever-deeper impacts nationally and worldwide.

Our list of who's raising the Hispanic profile in 2006.