Rosa Macias: So many roles, but a mother first

By Ruben Hernandez

Rosa Macias is the kind of woman who manages to do it all. She is CEO of several outlets of Mueblarias del Sol furniture, a business and community leader, a co-host of Mujeres Únicas radio talk show, and now has taken on her first acting role in the May 18 production of Despidida de Soltera. Ask her which of all these responsibilities is most important, and she will answer: Being a mother.

Rosa embodies the best qualities of all nurturing mothers during this time of celebrating Mother’s Day on May 12.

Her recommendation for success in life and as a mother is simple and powerful: “My recommendation to do it all is to be a hard worker, have lots of patience, and above all, have so much love for your family.”

Rosa’s family consists of her husband and partner in business and life, Venancio Macias; her daughter Minerva; and her son Alejandro.

Mueblarias del Sol is a family-owned business Rosa and Venancio founded in 1997. Her son Alejandro helps run the company, as well as two nephews. “We are a family business, as well as a business founded by immigrants. I am from Mexico City and my husband from Chihuahua.”

Besides her roles as mother and business-owner, Rosa has taken on a new challenge – that of being an actress. She will play the character of Pilar in the upcoming play, Despidida de Soltera, a theater production in Spanish that will be at the Playhouse in the Park theatre in central Phoenix on May 18.

“I wanted to have the experience of having done theater,” she explains. “And I’m doing it with great will and passion. I like it. I discovered a lot of talent I didn’t know I had.”

Her taste for show business was first served four years ago, when she became one of the four-person team of Mujeres Únicas on 1190 AM radio, led by Stella Paolini. “I enjoy serving the community,” Rosa says. “I like it because we talk about issues of health, art, business and other. The audience is not all women. About 50 percent are men.”

Rosa also is a leader in a statewide non-profit organization Local First Arizona which in 2012  expanded its programs to welcome the Spanish –speaking community and launched a new initiative called FUERZA LOCAL .

Business leaders from across the Valley have united in this very important effort, Rosa says.  “I think this is a very important message for our community– we need to support each other through our businesses which will strengthen our economy and bring jobs and opportunities to our communities.” Macias leads a roundtable of Latino leaders in that organization.

So how does a Latina and a mother who is juggling so much in life manage to keep everything in balance? Easy, she says: You have to organize, organize, organize.

“Number one is to organize your time,” she explains. “Always when I organize my time I can do all I want to and still be successful at them all. But the most important is being a mother.”