1. 5/13/2016 Forma Automotive CEO Rosa Santana Celebrates New Opportunities in the Alamo City
http://wetexas.biz/forma­automotive­ceo­rosa­santana­celebrates­new­opportunities­in­the­alamo­p353­90.htm 1/3
Friday, 13 May, 2016
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Supplier Diversity 2016
Forma Automotive CEO Rosa Santana Celebrates New
Opportunities in the Alamo City
Rosa Santana, founder and CEO
of Integrated Human Capital, has
built a solid reputation in the
staffing industry. Winner of
countless awards and accolades,
Santana could easily look back at
all of her accomplishments and
rest on hard­earned laurels. As
one who thrives on new
challenges and opportunities,
however, Santana has created a
new company called Forma
Automotive, a Tier I supplier to
Toyota — but not as a supplier of
staffing services.
The relationship began when IHC provided staffing services to many Toyota suppliers, as the
carmaker was building a facility in San Antonio. Santana and IHC were known by Toyota
associates at many different levels.
"That [familiarity] got us to the point where they approached me and offered me this Forma
opportunity. They said, ‘We want to offer you an opportunity as a Tier I supplier for something
that’s not related to staffing. It’s not your core business,’” Santana recalled, adding, "I am
always looking at diversification.”
Forma Automotive will be purchasing all of the parts necessary to assemble the truck beds for
Tacoma trucks and selling fully assembled beds to Toyota. Jim Holloway, general manager,
supplier relations, diversity, risk management & systems, purchasing, Toyota Engineering and
Manufacturing North America Inc., is enthusiastic about working with Santana and her new
company.
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2. 5/13/2016 Forma Automotive CEO Rosa Santana Celebrates New Opportunities in the Alamo City
http://wetexas.biz/forma­automotive­ceo­rosa­santana­celebrates­new­opportunities­in­the­alamo­p353­90.htm 2/3
"From the beginning, Rosa’s staffing
company has been providing services to
many of the onsite suppliers. While
supporting the onsite suppliers, Rosa
showed great initiative in developing a
relationship with Toyota both in Texas and
with TEMA members,” Holloway said.
"Through her Tier II business and initiative
in building the Toyota relationship, it was
quickly evident to us that Rosa operates
her business much like Toyota —
continuous improvement, respect for
people, mutual trust and mutual benefit.
Rosa has demonstrated a willingness and
capability to expand into a space that is
new to her. We are confident that through
strong partnership and collaboration, this
[venture] is a huge win­win.”
Santana agreed. "It is my understanding
that we are going to be the largest certified
WBE supplier to Toyota, and we are going
to be the first certified Hispanic female
supplier of direct parts to Toyota. It’s very
different than what we’ve done, but we are
up for the challenge!” she said. Toyota will
serve as a teacher and mentor to Forma Automotive, her company. "Toyota has a pretty large
plant surrounded by onsite suppliers. We are ecstatic about the fact that we are creating new
jobs in San Antonio!”
Forma is expected to begin assembling the truck beds in January.
Nurturing connections
The relationship with Toyota is one that transformed within a few years of opening IHC. Santana
began participating in a mentoring program developed by Johnson Controls. Flying to Michigan
once a month to participate, she met with a group of corporations and minority business owners
in order for her to understand their human capital needs and for them to understand her
strengths as a company and as an individual.
After learning during one of the Michigan trips that Toyota was going to build a site in San
Antonio, Santana opened a small office in the Alamo city.
The first contract signed through the San Antonio office was with a Tier I supplier Santana had
met at the Toyota Opportunity Exchange the year before. The supplier needed a crew to clean
the construction site where Toyota was building its new facility.
"That’s how my relationship with Toyota started,” Santana said, adding that the San Antonio
branch has experienced solid growth. "Today, that supplier [that introduced IHC to Toyota] still
cleans many sites around the area, and they are still my client. We have earned the staffing
business of a great number of onsite suppliers to Toyota.”
She added that she is thankful to the carmaker for giving her the opportunity. "They took a risk
and I am grateful to Toyota for giving us the chance to prove that we have the ability to come
through for them.”
Setting sail
Becoming a Toyota prime supplier is one of many opportunities that Santana has grabbed by the
horns on her entrepreneurial journey, which began in 2002 when she created Integrated Human
Capital. She had two decades of staffing under her belt: 17 years in corporate staffing and three
more years at a staffing firm where she served as a senior vice president until her job was
downsized.
"One thing that I learned is that it felt really good to put people to work and to help people and
companies with what they needed. I knew how to lead teams that can find, qualify and place
talent with companies,” she said. So, it wasn't a big surprise when Santana decided to launch
IHC.
A certified women­owned business enterprise, minority­owned business enterprise and
historically underutilized business, IHC provides human capital solutions, such as temporary
staffing, professional/executive search, onsite staff management and payroll and human
resource services.
Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, IHC serves hundreds of clients throughout the United States
and Mexico.
She gives credit to her two daughters for part of that success. Both of them help her run the
businesses. "I learned to surround myself with great people and two of those great people are
my daughters,” she said. "They are my left and right hands. They are at the forefront of what I’m
doing. We are very close, and we always talk openly about everything. They are who I’ve built
these businesses for, and they want to be involved. It’s a true blessing that they want to be
involved and are so active in the companies and in my life.”

3. 5/13/2016 Forma Automotive CEO Rosa Santana Celebrates New Opportunities in the Alamo City
http://wetexas.biz/forma­automotive­ceo­rosa­santana­celebrates­new­opportunities­in­the­alamo­p353­90.htm 3/3
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