ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN SAN FRANCISCO TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTURE OF AAPI BUSINESSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[February 6, 2024]
PRESS CONTACT
Emily Fuder: efuder@nationalace.org
ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN SAN FRANCISCO TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTURE OF AAPI BUSINESSES
[February 6, San Francisco, California] – The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE), alongside affiliate partner, ASIAN, Inc., hosted an AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) small business owners to discuss the current state of business in San Francisco.
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 San Francisco event is National ACE’s second roundtable this year, following the Dallas roundtable in January.
With over 60 attendees, participants discussed the unique challenges facing San Francisco’s residents and small business owners. The conversation explored questions of safety, tourism returning to San Francisco, labor shortages, and an increase in contracting opportunities for AAPI small businesses.
David Chiu, City Attorney of San Francisco, took time to celebrate victories for the city’s AAPI small business community. Recent legislation passed by the AAPI caucus focused state contracting dollars on small and diverse businesses, while also pushing for greater diversity within corporate leadership settings. Chiu encouraged business owners to reach out so they could take advantage of these new avenues of funding.
As other effects of the pandemic begin to wane, San Francisco’s small business owners discussed the continued impact of reduced tourism on their economy. Juliana Sommer, a local small business owner, shared, “This region thrives on tourism. As San Francisco has suffered from [public relations] issues, we have lost so much business. We need people on the streets to promote commerce. Two flights from the Pacific Rim reopened after APEC, but we need more help to promote tourism.”
Rodney Fong, President & CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, agreed that a lack of tourism was hurting the area, and he identified the root of the problem as a safety issue. It was noted that gang violence has gone unaddressed and continues to threaten neighborhood safety—what he labeled as “the slow death of San Francisco.” This sentiment was echoed by a number of small business owners who had encountered both robberies and anti-AAPI violence in their establishments. Having a more level playing field against crime will ensure visitors of their safety and open the door for the tourism industry to start thriving again.
Joining AAPI entrepreneurs at the event were David Chiu, City Attorney of San Francisco; Elmy Bermejo, Region IX Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration; Ben Raju, Director of Program Management, U.S. Small Business Administration; and Priscilla Lim, Executive Director at JP Morgan Chase, ACE NextGen Board Advisor
“Even when faced with barriers, from access to capital to capacity building, AAPI entrepreneurs have one of the highest rates of business ownership and employ over 5 million people, enriching their local neighborhoods and fostering an overall estimated buying power of $1.6 trillion," said National ACE President & CEO, Chiling Tong. "Our policymakers play a significant role in creating an environment in which our entrepreneurs and job creators can continue to thrive. We look forward to more conversations to understand the needs of our community and strengthen the resilient AAPI entrepreneurs across the country."
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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 ASIAN, Inc.:
ASIAN, Inc. is a non-profit organization that strengthens Asian Americans and other minority communities in Northern California. By assisting in their physical, economic and social development, we seek to overcome their systemic dependencies. We have been empowering communities to reject dependency as a permanent unalterable condition. We do so by mobilizing, partnering, and collaborating with the nonprofit, business, government, and philanthropic sectors to advance social and economic equity.
