We’ve frequently featured the founder of Charlotte, N.C.’s Salum International Resources Inc. on this blog. And for a number of reasons: the compelling life story that Carlos Salum has to tell about growing up under a dictatorship in Buenos Aires, his activities as a world-class professional tennis (and “peak performance”) coach and his ongoing successes as an executive leadership and personal skills adviser. He is also one of BTC’s most frequent users of Asset Report®: The Book of You.

But when National Public Radio’s Michel Martin went to Charlotte the other day and sought out Carlos and several others, it was to explore their influence as new Latino voters. While they make up only 9 percent of the state’s population and 2 percent of the registered voters, they could be an important influence on the tight Senate race next week between incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Thom Tillis. Many of the state’s Latinos are first-time voters.

On the NPR website, Carlos was quoted as saying:

Twenty-three years living under military dictatorships, that’s something to you. And when you come to this country and vote for the first time, it makes you feel that you have an opportunity to sit at the table and make an impact.

His always dignified (and photogenic) visage was also featured in the photo seen at right below.

Carlos sent this reply to a request for an update on his recent and upcoming activities:

“In Charlotte, I’ve continued organizing private dinners for Charlotte leaders at TheSircle Executive Club I founded four years ago, in residence at The Ritz Carlton. I’m also consulting some of the top influencers in the city as a leadership performance advisor.

“For the past two years, I’ve collaborated more closely with the Latin American Chamber of Commerce Charlotte, where the Latino population and its social, political and economical influence continues to grow at a fast rate, teaching a course on Peak Performance and Breakthrough Thinking for its Leadership Institute. The NPR interview on Voting Rights is connected with my increased participation in Latino issues in this region.

“In [my upcoming trip to] Europe, I will be a keynote speaker at a UBS Wealth Management offsite, as well as conduct meetings for the organization of a Foundation’s Global Forum in 2016, which is connected with the World Economic Forum. I will also meet with private clients during my trip and with the president of the Swiss Management Association, who’s one of my advisors.”

Chapter 6 of my latest book, LEAP!, provides a detailed account of Carlos’ remarkable life prior to coming to Charlotte. (He told NPR that he chose North Carolina for his new home because of the weather. He likes four seasons!)

We’ll be hearing a lot more from Carlos Salum! Meanwhile, his pro-active energies, imaginative marketing and successes as a performance counselor to influential people in business (particularly in Europe) and in civic circles (particularly in Charlotte) are an inspiration to us all. Congratulations, Carlos! Keep on making waves!