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Dear Friend,
It’s time to take stock of how far we have come as we welcome 2022 with renewed purpose, vigor and optimism.
At 91, we took the disruptions head-on, continued working, harder than ever, and proudly brought to our members and supporters another year filled with business development programs and opportunities – with wondrous impacts.
In all, 2021 was a very good year and I will show you some examples here. To our partners in corporate America, government agencies and national nonprofits who steadfastly and generously stand by us throughout – a million thanks!
To the Pan Asian American/AAPI businesses, you inspire us to do better every year. We salute your perseverance and ingenuity. You rose to the challenges when it counts the most.
On behalf of 91, I trust that your holiday season is filled with hope and courage. Many good wishes for a fresh, bright, and prosperous New Year!
Sincerely yours,
Susan
Susan Au Allen
National President & CEO
US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce
Education Foundation (91)
SBA Grant Award
We are honored and humbled that the U.S. Small Business Administration selected 91 – the Asian American organization – s one of 8 national recipients of a Tier 1 level competitive Community Navigator Pilot Program. The $5 million 2-year grant comes with major responsibilities – to help reduce barriers to entry, retool, upskill, and grow small businesses. This initiative aligns with our historic mission to help Pan-Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and other small and underdeveloped businesses succeed in the mainstream. We are well-prepared for this mandate.
FCC Appointment
I am also honored and humbled to be no discrimination in the implementation of this law.
This follows my nearly 4-year service on the FCC's Advisory Committee on Digital and Economic Empowerment which also focused on bringing employment, broadband access, and business opportunities to the underserved and unserved communities.
Wells Fargo “Open for Business” Fund
91 was that provides support for Community Development Financial Institutions and other nonprofit organizations like us that serve small and underdeveloped businesses. With this fund, we provide targeted small businesses with specially-designed technical assistance training and advisory services on financial literacy, management capacity, digital empowerment, marketing and promotion strategies, and how to recruit, train and retain employees.
We launched a new platform for 91’s 22-Year Certification Program that connects quality and bona fide Pan-Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and small and underdeveloped businesses for special access to doing business with America's Fortune 1000, medium and small companies as prime or subcontractors. Our certification experiences also open doors to folks who want assistance in applying for 8(a) or other government small business status certifications.
As a 91-certified member, you are eligible for application into the . It accords you with early payment for the products and/or services you have invoiced your customers or clients for which you have to wait for months or longer to get paid.
Chief Procurement Officers Roundtable and Forums, Corporate Forum
In our 4-year partnership with Howard University, our popular Chief Procurement Officers Roundtable and were as robust as could be. The Corporate Forum on supply chain evolution and sustainability with Boeing, Ryder Systems, and Marriott International was led by two brilliant students from the Howard University Center for Excellence in Supply Chain Management. We need more talents like them in the marketplace
CelebrASIAN Business Development Conference Part 1: TOGETHER TOMORROW
In June, the first part of our CelebrASIAN Business Development Conference offered 25 programs - a wide array of supplier development information, resources, best practices, and billion-dollar procurement opportunities – including , Doing Business with , , , , , and the ; ; and Discussion with . 66 speakers talked to over 1,000 participants to help their businesses thrive in the post-pandemic revival.
CelebrASIAN Business Development Conference Part 2: SYNERGY FORWARD
TThe 2nd part of CelebrASIAN Business Development Conference: Synergy Forward in November convened panels and workshops on business growth strategies. The 9 leaders of the country's top national small and underdeveloped business nonprofit organizations .
CTO/CIO FORUM
Our very forward-thinking was as engaging and substantive as anyone who have attended this session in the past 4 years could expect. Small businesses who want to gain entry into the corporate technology and procurement niche had a ball!
Employee Business Resource Group Leadership Caucus
Held the annual to discuss the role of evolving EBRGs in building corporate culture.
Other Programs
With our corporate, government and large nonprofit partners AARP, AT&T, Caesars Entertainment, Facebook (now Meta), FirstEnergy, Home Depot, Kellogg’s, and Travel & Leisure; Federal Reserve Board of Atlanta, U.S. Departments of Education and Transportation, we presented more business development resources and opportunities, including those arising from pursuing Environmental Social Governance (ESG) practices.
At the conclusion of the CelebrASIAN Business Development Conference on November 10, 2021, we announced our new program, Supplier Development Champions, a growth-based initiative that recognizes corporations that walk the talk and demonstrate with transparency, progress in their supplier development spending efforts.
With Google, we presented 11 digital training courses to help developed businesses adapt, grow, and better serve their clients and customers. Topics like , , , , , and , have been uplifting to businesses hardest-hit by the pandemic.
“What’s Your Pitch?” Innovation Competition
In search of the “next big thing,” we held the final round of our exciting Innovation Competition in October. The 3 national winners received $50,000, courtesy of AT&T, Nationwide, Southern California Edison, Trane Technologies, and Wells Fargo.
Shark Tank Competition
Collaborated with Shark Tank featuring Neurogum Co-Founder Kent Yoshimura.
Business Express
Our Business Express: Ready? Let’s Grow! Executive Coaching program, sponsored by Wells Fargo, Altria, CVS Health, Google, PGA, and Southern Company, reached a new level with Business Expert Cohort! In October, 30 small and underdeveloped businesses began the first of 8 virtual learning meetings on strategic growth and planning, talent acquisition and retention, and other vital topics to help them expand their enterprises in 2022 and beyond.
1-on-1 Business Matchmaking Meetings
In September and October, more of our signature 1-on-1 Business Matchmaking Meetings with our corporate partners at FirstEnergy, T-Mobile, and International Paper. 20 years after launching this program, we do it so well that both sides of the table, the buyers and sellers, were happy!
Regional Chapters
Our Regional Chapters across the country remained active throughout the year with virtual outreach, training and business development activities such as Application for PPP, Tax Planning, R&D Tax Credit, Federal R&D Grants, Regional Business Summit, Preliminary Regional Rounds of “What’s Your Pitch?” Innovations Competition, and many others such as Development in Action (DiA) Award, and Chinese New Year Celebrations.
Allyship
Through the , we strengthened our over 10-year partnership with the country's leading small and underdeveloped business organizations – National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce – to support our underserved communities with candid and substantive discussions on allyship, acceptance, activism, and mutually beneficial programs. Our four chambers of commerce started our allyship over 10 years ago when no one was watching. It was the right thing to do and that is the best motivation. We owe a debt of gratitude to Wells Fargo for providing the resources to make the CLA the success it has been, and the first ever!
Supporting Other Organizations
At Wireless Infrastructure Association’s Connect X Conference in Orlando, FL, we hosted two panels; one with NGLCC, USBC and USHCC, another with WBENC and Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum (WWLF).
At NGLCC Conference in Hollywood, FL, with 7 of 8 national nonprofit certification agencies.
At USHCC Conference in Las Vegas
College Scholarship Awards
We continued to invest in our community and future leaders through our program. This year, despite the continuing economic and other challenges, we presented 14 scholarships to outstanding recipients with financial needs, thanks to our scholarship sponsors at Ampcus, CVS Health, Cynet Systems, Dayblink Consulting, Denny’s Hungry for Education, MSL Express, Trane Technologies, UPS, and Whang Family Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT). And of course, kudos to our College Scholarship Committee: Fred Lona, Anjali Ann Ramakumaran, Jackie LaJoie, and Katie Macias.
Advocacy To Stop Anti-Asian Violence
We addressed the escalation of hate and violence against the Pan Asian American/AAPI community with 7 distinct actions:
1) Issued a 5-point manifesto for Pan Asian American/AAPI people and all Americans to help defeat hate, restore inclusion and respect. Its impact is far-reaching. But vigilance, education, collaboration will be key if we want progress.
2) Spoke to Home Depot's employees in the United States and worldwide about the rampant anti-Asian violence occurring across 50 states and Washington, DC – 3,795 reported incidents of racial animus against Asian Americans in the first 12 months since COVID-19 shut down the country.
3) Spoke at the inaugural Development Resources Group meeting at Travel + Leisure Co. about being an advocate at this critical time of American history when racism against Asian Americans is open and notorious all over the country.
4) Spoke at the US Chamber of Commerce's . The event focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on Pan Asian American/AAPI businesses, their recovery, and how entrepreneurs could lead the way in promoting equity.
5) Contributed an article to the US Chamber of Commerce’s publication ,” pointing out the trillions of dollars the federal government spends to buy goods and services every year. They are business opportunities that Pan-Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander businesses could access easier under the Order, but they must be certified first as a Pan-Asian American/AAPI/small and underdeveloped business to participate. 91 is 1 of 2 national organizations that has an over 22-year history of such certification.
6) Contributed an article in calling for calm, going beyond talking, especially talking into an echo chamber, but take action; and asked all Americans to do more to repel racism on every level and protect the primacy of reason, collaboration, equal opportunity, tolerance, dignity, and mutual respect. None of us should be complicit in our silence when we see hate in any form.
7) Published an article in Wells Fargo’s Viewpoints, advocating that as – the corona pandemic and the pandemic of racism – we must learn from the past and push for better data and accurate reporting on the Pan Asian American community, among other things. Simply stated, we all must draw from lessons of the past two years and see them as opportunities to make lasting changes to improve America’s racial relations among all group.
Other Advocacy Actions
On President Biden's inauguration, we sent to the Biden-Harris Administration 91's 8 recommendations for their legislative agenda. At the top of the agenda, we advocated for an immediate review of Contract Bundling and Category Management practices in federal contracting. They deprive small and underdeveloped businesses – 20% of all small businesses – of the opportunities to sell to the federal government.
Over 900 small businesses in San Francisco's Chinatown have borne the blow of the pandemic and racism. In addition, they have been served over 500 lawsuits filed by one small law firm in San Diego pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the threat of enormous legal fees defending the lawsuit or settling with the plaintiffs or paying fines, they sought legal help to no avail because the law was unyielding. 91 wrote a letter on behalf of BeChinatown, a nonprofit organization that helped the Chinatown small businesses to apply for PPP loans and forgiveness. The letter was addressed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who also represents San Francisco.
One of 91’s small business members in New York applied for and received approval of an EIDL. He received the first partial payment, but not the rest. His year-long efforts to learn the status of the balance of the approved loan went unanswered. 91 reached out to several avenues to resolve the delay in disbursing the loan. One week later, an SBA loan officer contacted the 91 member who received the funds within the week.
91 has been raising these issues for years. Now, the Biden Administration hears us
Our 91 National Team!
New goals to achieve and new success stories to write...Happy New Year!!!
See you real soon!
