ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN SALT LAKE CITY TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTURE OF AAPI BUSINESSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[August 16, 2023]
Contact: Emily Fuder (efuder@nationalace.org)
ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITHGOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN SALT LAKE CITY TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTUREOF AAPI BUSINESSES
[August 3, Salt Lake City, Utah] – The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE), alongside affiliate partners, Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR) and Pacific Island Chamber of Commerce, hosted an AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) small business owners to discuss the current state of business in Salt Lake City.
Governor Cox (Utah), SBA, PIK2AR and National ACE after the AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable on August 3, 2023.
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. The Salt Lake City event is National ACE’s fifth roundtable this year.
Roundtable Attendees on August 3, 2023 in Salt Lake City
With over 40 attendees, participants discussed the unique challenges facing Utah’s residents and small business owners. The conversation explored access to capital, government contracting, visibility of small businesses, Pacific Islander representation, and mental health.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox shared that Utah has more female entrepreneurs per capita than any other state in the nation. “We’re the most entrepreneurial state in the nation per capita. That’s what we do. We believe in it, we innovate, we build businesses. We’re leading the nation in economic growth,” he said,
Roberta Reichgelt, Director of Business Development at Salt Lake City Corp, emphasized the city’s commitment to small business by sharing that the city of Salt Lake offers help with starting or growing your business with funding up to $100,000.
Daniel Tuutau, Owner of DB Productions Utah, addresses the cultural barriers to starting a business. “It’s part fear, one part education. It’s cultural. My father taught me that as a Tongan, debt is bad. Taking on a load is bad. So we bootstrap what we can and it takes years.”
Susi Feltch-Malohifo'ou, CEO of PIK2AR added that “many of us have fears about money. I get it, we’re scared. Success is on the other side of fear.” She also emphasized that “our mental health is important. We can’t take care of our business if we don’t take care of ourselves.”
Joining AAPI entrepreneurs at the event were Utah Governor Spencer Cox; Nubia Peña, Senior Advisor - Equity & Opportunity, Office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox; John Gygi, Utah District Counsel of SBA; Ben Raju, Director of Program Management of SBA; Paula Kramer, Regional Manager, APEX Accelerator; and Roberta Reichgelt, Director of Business Development, Salt Lake City Corp.
“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.”
Additional Resources for Utah Small Business Owners:
Business.Utah.Gov/usbci
Business.Utah.gov/innovation
inutah.org
Business.utah.gov/immigration
Business.utah.gov/grants
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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.
About Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR):
Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR) builds alliances, bridges across all communities, providing culturally relevant services to eliminate violence and its effects, increase income into ethnic and overlooked communities through business, preserving and perpetuating all Pacific Island cultures art forms for empowered positive change for all-around health and wellness.
About the Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce:
The Pacific Island Chamber of Commerce, or PICC, is comprised of socially responsible and socially conscious individuals and organizations who, while business-oriented, hold the belief that people and profits are of equal importance. We specialize in helping Pacific Islander Businesses grow and thrive within the community. PICC serves as an education and resource hub for business owners and entrepreneurs of all levels, creating prosperous collaborations with an emphasis on under-served and ethnic communities.
