DC Roundtable Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 17, 2022

ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTURE OF AAPI BUSINESSES

[June 17, Washington, D.C.] – The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE), alongside affiliate partner The Global Federation of Chinese Business Women (GFCBW), hosted an AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) small business owners to discuss the current state of AAPI small business in Washington, D.C. 

The AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable is an open forum for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander 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. 

Joining AAPI entrepreneurs at the D.C. event were Congresswoman Young Kim; Mayor Muriel Bowser of D.C.; Larry Webb, D.C. District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration; Joann Hill, Chief, Office of Business Development, Minority Business Development Agency; Matt Murray, U.S. Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), U.S. Department of State; Ann Ngo, Senior International Trade Specialist, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce; Victoria Meaney, CEO, Strategic Consulting; and Kristi Whitfield, Director, D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development.

Attendees learned about resources available to local entrepreneurs. For example, Mayor Bowser budgeted $1 billion for assistance to small and local businesses in D.C. There are also grant opportunities, online trainings, and resources to strengthen your small business, which can be found at https://www.obviouslydc.com and https://dslbd.dc.gov. For businesses seeking to expand into the international market, officials from the Minority Business Development Agency, Department of State, and Department of Commerce shared programs in their respective agencies that can help business owners navigate and succeed in that process. 

“Our business community continues to face many challenges. AAPI small business owners have battled both Covid-19 and a sharp spike in discrimination and violence. Our policymakers play a significant role in protecting our community, allowing our small businesses to operate safely, and creating prosperity,” said National ACE’s President and CEO, Chiling Tong. “This conversation will help policymakers to understand the unmet needs of our community so we can find solutions. National ACE looks forward to working with our local partners, such as the GFCBW, to advance solutions that will help our economy move forward.”

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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 GFCBW:

GFCBW’s mission is to rally global Chinese business women in solidarity. We envision the world, create consensus, contribute wisdom, and look after every corner of the earth. Through the platform of GFCBW's organization, we actively build up interpersonal networks, embrace the trend, exchange experience, and share resources. We actively absorb new information and develop Chinese businesswomen's capability of management in the fast-changing environment. We sharpen the global economic competitiveness of Chinese businesswomen and promote other countries' protection of our Chinese businesswomen's rights and benefits. We promote citizen diplomacy, facilitate exchange of international culture and business opportunities, and strengthen international cooperation of economy and trade.