ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN LOS ANGELES TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTURE OF AAPI BUSINESSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[March 14, 2023]
Contact: Emily Fuder (efuder@nationalace.org)
ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN LOS ANGELES TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTURE OF AAPI BUSINESSES
[March 8, Los Angeles, California] – The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) hosted the first AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable in 2023 for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) small business owners to discuss the current state of business in Los Angeles.
The AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable is an open forum for AAPI business owners in the United States to connect with policymakers, corporate partners, and community members to find solutions for the barriers facing minority-owned small businesses today.
Over 60 participants discussed the unique challenges facing Los Angeles’ residents and small business owners. The conversation highlighted a lack of visibility for small businesses, the increases in anti-AAPI discrimination and violence, structural inequalities, inaccessible permitting language and procedures, access to capital, and the youth of the AAPI community.
March 8, 2023 AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable, Los Angeles, CA
Mike Eng, California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board Member and former Califormia State Assembly Member (ret.), called on small business owners to consider three questions: “(First) Look around today and ask yourself, ‘Who isn’t here at the table?’. We need to find out who isn’t here; they need representation in this room in the future. (Second) Five years from now, who will take your seat? We need to talk about how to sustain ourselves, who will take our place, and what our legacies will be. It’s important that we mentor the youth who will one day take our place. (Third) What do you think is going to be the next crisis we face? Resources that will save our lives are in this room right now.”
Julie Clowes, District Director, SBA “We want to help. In order to fix a problem, we need to know that one exists. We want people to know that the SBA does more than just PPP loans. We engage in various programs from microlending to venture capital. We do equity injection, certification programs, and guarantee loans up to $5 million. We want to help small businesses get their piece of the pie via contracting at the federal level. We aim to increase the use of minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses. We are happy to say that the SBA website is more user-friendly now.”
Simon Saecheng, owner of New Century Insurance Services, shared, “A lot of my clients were feeling helpless until the PPP program came out. The government programs are amazing but confusing. We know that the government is trying to help but getting the help is hard. These programs need a certain simplicity. Most small business owners do not know how to find the help they need. There are too many agencies and departments, making it hard to know which one will help. We need a more ‘user-friendly’ state government. Simplify it.”
Ben Raja, SBA District Director, LA speaking at the small business roundtable
Joining AAPI entrepreneurs at the event were Former Mayor of Monterey Park and current District 4 City Councilmember Henry Lo, City of Monterey Park; Mayor Allen Wu, City of Walnut; Mike Eng, State Assemblymember (ret.); Justin Lock, Senior Counsel and Chief of Staff, Community Relations Service, U.S. Department of Justice; Paul Chang, Regional Advisor of WHIAANHPI, US Department of Labor Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator; Gloria Pulido, External Affairs for State Treasurer Fiona Ma; Ben Raju, Director of Program Management, SBA; Angela Chang, KCAL Insurance Agency, Chief Strategy Officer, National ACE Board Member; Dennis Huang, Executive Director, Asian Business Association; and Lois Klavir, President, Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Greater LA.
“Our business community continues to face many challenges. From access to capital and contracts, to capacity building, maintaining sustainability, language accessibility, and discrimination, AAPI entrepreneurs must overcome many barriers when starting, retaining, or scaling their business. Our policymakers play a significant role in protecting our community, allowing our small businesses to operate safely, and creating prosperity,” said National ACE President and CEO, Chiling Tong. “This conversation will help policymakers to understand the unmet needs of our community so we can find solutions.”
March 8, 2023, AAPISTRONG LA Small Business Roundtable, Los Angeles, CA
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About National ACE:
National ACE’s mission is to serve as a strong advocate of AAPI business interests and positive change on all issues that enhance and advance the goals and aspirations of AAPI business owners, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders. National ACE strives to do this through supporting and promoting issues that impact the AAPI business community, improving the economic development and economic impact of the AAPI community, advancing coalitions and enhancing community building, and fostering the next generation of AAPI entrepreneurs and executives. National ACE provides a unified voice for the business interests of AAPIs nationally. Learn more at www.nationalace.org or www.aapistrong.com.
