This weekend, the Houston- and Northwest-Arkansas-based marketing and public relations agency, Market Street Consultants (Market Street Consulting LLC) was recognized by the Public Relations Society of America Houston Chapter (PRSA Houston) at its 37th annual Excalibur Awards for its team’s expertise and contributions to the public relations industry in the fourth-largest city in the United States. Market Street Consultants’ co-founder Juan Alanis was recognized as Public Relations Professional of the Year, while co-founder Anjelica Cazares received the award for Podcast of the Year.

Cazares is the producer and host of the ‘Latina Leadership Series’ which is a part of her weekly podcast titled ‘If Not You, Then Who?’ She was awarded Podcast of the Year for the ‘Latina Leadership Series’ that hosts individual Latina leaders from across the United States. Each guest on this special series – which is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, and at anjelicacazares.com – shares their individual path to leadership, as well as how they continue to navigate life and the various challenges in front of them.

“Creating the ‘Latina Leadership Series’ has been a labor of love. As Latinas we continue to experience huge disadvantages, especially as it relates to being able to successfully attain our higher education goals, and to achieve true equity,” Cazares shared of her award. “Latinas in Texas earn 30 percent on the dollar to what their white male counterparts earn, and we do not achieve pay equity until an entire year later in the month of December. The Latinas who I speak with are just as passionate about changing this – one Latina success story at a time.”

The ‘Latina Leadership Series’ is sponsored in part by Walmart and has included previous guests such as Elvia Quintanilla, founder of the Texas Technical Trade School; Ilsa Garcia, Board Chair for the National Hispanic Professional Organization Houston Chapter; Aurora Losada, former Managing Editor at the Houston Chronicle; and Cyndy Garza-Roberts, Director of Public Affairs for Comcast; among various others.

An award-winning former journalist and blogger, Alanis has previously served on the PRSA Houston board and has spent the last two decades building his career in the public relations industry. He has served as a spokesperson for Houston’s three primary airports, the legacy nonprofit organization The Salvation Army, and held leadership positions within agencies Lopez Negrete Communications and FleishmanHillard, before launching the Texas- and Northwest-Arkansas serving agency Market Street Consultants. Alanis is a regular speaker at national conferences on topics including diversity, equity, inclusion, communications, and multicultural marketing. He also serves on the board of directors for the Houston Arts Alliance.

“At the core of our business is helping our clients gain the visibility they need to succeed. We do this collaboratively as an extension of their team, and when it comes to nonprofit organizations and small businesses, we leverage our own working relationships with responsible corporate citizens to make sure our high-quality services are accessible,” he shared. “It’s a win-win-win for everyone involved. If there’s one thing that the last two-and-a-half years have taught us, it is that we need to be nimbler and more creative than ever to meet the changing landscapes of our own industry and those of our clients.”

Through its unique business model, Market Street Consultants is able to meet businesses and nonprofit organizations, in or serving underserved communities, where they are to help them scale their operations. The agency is able to do this by working with premier business clients who prioritize equity and who engage in responsible corporate practices.

PRSA Houston is the Houston chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and its annual Excalibur Awards recognize the best of Houston’s public relations industry and professionals.