Biography – Long
(Personal/Visionary)
George M. Fernandez
Minority Health Leader, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist
At eight years old, George Fernandez emigrated from the Dominican Republic to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with his single mother, a survivor of domestic violence who spoke no English. George had to quickly adapt to the American language and culture to help his family navigate and survive this life-changing and future-shaping transition. At the age when most kids can live a carefree life, George was the male leader in his family, learning how to break through the societal barriers that made daily living a constant struggle. He had to translate and communicate for his family to advocate for their basic needs, all while facing the culminating challenges of a broken “system” where his family never qualified for social assistance programs.
Fortunately for George, his family, and those who continue to be impacted by his good work, this was only the beginning of his story. Today, George M. Fernandez is a highly accomplished and respected visionary and leader in the multicultural community. He is the President & CEO of Color & Culture which is an integrated family of brands and changemakers that provide culturally relevant, human-centered strategies to solve ever-evolving challenges. As the brainpower and visionary within Color & Culture, George is focused on helping organizations transform lives and communities by embracing all cultural identities.
“My personal and professional passion is to ensure marginalized populations never experience what my family did and always have adequate access to social assistance programs, education, and resources which are the backbone of the services we offer today.” -George Fernandez
The culmination of initiatives under George’s leadership has reached millions of individuals within multicultural markets. His work has helped hundreds of organizations maximize their reach and protect their core operations. Clients include billion-dollar, private-sector businesses, government agencies, community health partners, and nonprofits. George’s innovative approach to the modern healthcare concept remains the nucleus of inspiration for all Latino Connection’s efforts and outreach. To effectively reach critically underserved populations, we must meet people where they are, break down all barriers that stand in the way, and maintain an authentic and trustworthy approach. These concepts, which are radically different from the current healthcare landscape, are changing the world of healthcare for our diverse communities, one event and one initiative at a time.
To this day, George has always remembered his roots and the community that shaped his drive, dedication, and passion to become the servant leader he is today. In addition to representing the Latino community, George proudly represents LGBTQ communities, where he not only recognizes the unique challenges the members of these communities face, but proactively seeks ways to elevate their voices so they are heard, included, and given a seat at the table.
As a rising leader and visionary within the Latino community, George has been recognized with many unique opportunities and prestigious honors including:
- The CMS Health Equity Award
- Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC’s Diversity Influencer of the Year; and Entrepreneur of the Year
- City & State’s 40 Under 40; Trailblazer in Healthcare; and Building & Infrastructure Trailblazer
- The Jefferson Award
- Central Penn Business Journal’s Rising Star in Commercial Real Estate; Forty Under 40; Healthcare Hero; and the Game Changer Award for the most-loved CEO
Outside of work, George enjoys giving back to his community, supporting the arts, music, and entertainment, and traveling the world with his husband, Nelson.
Biography – Short
(Business)
By combining his authentic experience with a passion for leadership and service, George M. Fernandez builds companies that deliver high-impact solutions to address social determinants of health in culturally diverse markets.
George is a highly accomplished and respected visionary and leader in the multicultural community. He is the President & CEO of Color & Culture which is an integrated family of brands and changemakers that provide culturally relevant, human-centered strategies to solve ever-evolving challenges. As the brainpower and visionary within Color & Culture, George is focused on helping organizations transform lives and communities by embracing all cultural identities.
Color & Culture encompasses two separate organizations, each uniquely impactful in their own right, Latino Connection and PPO&S. Founded in 2014, Latino Connection is Pennsylvania’s premier marketing and communications agency that launches brands into the country’s most powerful multicultural market. With a passionate mission to educate and support the Latino community, Latino Connection has developed a non-traditional approach to strategic communications assignments, marketing and PR, high-quality translation, and digital media campaigns.
Since its founding more than 40 years ago, PPO&S has developed into one of the most successful advertising and communications practices in the region. Today PPO&S is a full-service, integrated marketing communications firm with an award-winning reputation for conducting marketing and advertising campaigns for a variety of private sector and mission-driven clients. PPO&S has a longstanding reputation for its client service and collaboration, along with its research-based approach to developing measurable solutions, particularly in working on issues requiring public involvement and outreach.
George is also the Founder & CEO of Fernandez Realty Group, a minority-owned commercial real estate development and property management company with a broad portfolio of over 20+ rental properties and numerous affordable housing development projects located throughout South Central Pennsylvania. With a heart for meeting the needs of the community, FRG’s low-income housing projects take a holistic approach to directly address the major social, economic, and health disparities among our minority communities.
As a rising leader and visionary within the Latino community, George has been recognized with many unique opportunities and prestigious honors including the Jefferson Award, the Harrisburg Chamber’s Business Diversity & Inclusion Champion, and multiple honors from the Central Penn Business Journal including Forty Under 40, Healthcare Hero, and Game Changers Award for the most-loved CEO.
Agency Description
Color & Culture
In November 2022, the Harrisburg-based firms of Latino Connection and PPO&S Integrated Marketing Communications merged under the corporate name of Color & Culture, Inc to combine 40 years of marketing and advertising experience with transformative energy and innovation to reach the multicultural marketplace.
George Fernandez serves as President & CEO of the combined firm of 30 marketing, communications, and mission-driven professionals. Under their leadership, Color & Culture aims to establish a new standard for cultural intelligence, powered by vast expertise and dynamic relationships.
“Color & Culture brings together a vibrant vision for the future of marketing and communications where we are innovating culturally-relevant brands for today’s marketplace,” said George Fernandez, Color & Culture CEO. “Latino Connection has carved out a unique niche in multicultural marketing, and with the combined talent and expertise of PPO&S, we are poised to launch this concept to ambitious new heights.”
Leveraging the unique strengths of each organization, the new entity of Color & Culture is transforming how clients reach Pennsylvania’s fastest-growing markets by placing culture and community first. Color & Culture helps clients reach all markets, all cultures, and all communities with relevant and compelling communications.
Both companies have a heritage of reaching and driving Pennsylvanians to take action through relevant and compelling communications, especially with hard-to-reach audiences. This first-of-its-kind agency meets a surging demand for brands that want to take a proactive approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of their outreach strategies.
Latino Connection
A Color & Culture Catalyst
Latino Connection, a Color & Culture Catalyst, is the national leader in outreach and education specifically targeted at reaching low-income, underserved communities. We have extensive, proven experience forging initiatives that are first of their kind and span across the nation with corporate and nonprofit partnerships focused on a unified mission – educating, empowering, and uplifting the Latino community.
Founded by George M. Fernandez in 2014, Latino Connection has served millions of Latinos and helped hundreds of organizations maximize their reach and protect their core operations. Headquartered in Pennsylvania’s capital city of Harrisburg, and with a diverse and bilingual staff, Latino Connection’s client portfolio includes billion-dollar, private-sector businesses, government agencies, community health partners, and nonprofits.
Latino Connection’s innovative approach to the modern healthcare concept remains the nucleus of inspiration for every unique initiative. To effectively reach and engage critically underserved populations, Latino Connection’s approach meets people where they are, breaks down all barriers that stand in the way, and builds an authentic and trustworthy relationship for the brands it represents. These concepts, which are radically different from the current landscape, are changing the world of healthcare for our diverse communities.
Most prominently, Latino Connection, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and leading community health organizations, created the CATE mobile unit, which stands for Community-Accessible Testing & Education This initiative literally put wheels in motion to deliver free, essential COVID-19 resources and education into the communities who were severely impacted by major social, economic, and health disparities which include race and ethnicity; gender; sexual identity and orientation; disability status or special health care needs; and geographic location (specifically urban).
Latino Connection is certified by the Eastern Minority Supplier Diversity Council. It is recognized as a Hispanic Business Enterprise by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as a Minority Certified Business by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
PPO&S
A Color & Culture Catalyst
Since its founding more than 40 years ago, PPO&S, a Color & Culture Catalyst, has developed into one of the most successful advertising and communications practices in the region. Today PPO&S is a full-service, integrated marketing communications firm with an award-winning reputation for conducting marketing and advertising campaigns for a variety of private sector and mission-driven clients. PPO&S has a longstanding reputation for its client service and collaboration, along with its research-based approach to developing measurable solutions, particularly in working on issues requiring public involvement and outreach.
Fernandez Realty Group
Fernandez Realty Group has a broad portfolio of over 20+ rental properties located throughout South Central Pennsylvania. With prime locations, spacious layouts, and luxury finishes, these spaces are ideal for professionals and small families. With a heart for meeting the needs of the community, our low-income housing projects take a holistic approach to directly address the major social, economic, and health disparities among our minority communities.
Founder and CEO of Fernandez Realty Group, George Fernandez is passionate about creating safe, affordable, and uplifting living environments for those in need because of his personal experience growing up in low-income housing. Every project aims to break down barriers and create safe spaces where people can live, work, and play.
Founded in 2021, Fernandez Realty Group is a minority-owned development company with ties to the immediate community, and Color & Culture, a multicultural social determinants of health agency that exists to meet the needs of diverse and underserved communities. We are intentional about taking a holistic approach to directly address the major social, economic, and health disparities among our minority communities. These disparities include race and ethnicity; gender; sexual identity and orientation; disability status or special health care needs; and geographic location (specifically urban). Beyond the physical structures alone, Fernandez Realty Group is intentional about providing a wide variety of community-based services that establish sustainable community economic development. Our projects create a diverse array of employment opportunities both in the development phase of the project and in the long-term sustaining of the program. This will build a strong tax base at both the city and state levels. The Development team aims to have a 20% inclusion goal for local MBE/WBE businesses in the immediate region to help stimulate the local economy by putting citizens of the region back to work. More information about current and upcoming projects can be found at fernandezrealtygroup.com.
Photos of George
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