The state of minority-owned businesses was the focus of a high-level panel discussion that brought together the leadership of the country’s largest ethnic minority organizations, held during the U.S. Business Series: Empowering Minority-Owned Small Businesses symposium, presented by SunTrust and Emprendedores Latinos USA on November 27, 2017 at the SunTrust Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.
Susan Au Allen, National President & CEO of the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC), joined on stage by Javier Palomarez, President & CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Ron Busby, President & CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.; and Stacey Key, President & CEO of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, discussed the power of minority-owned businesses for two hours.
“I am honored to have been a part of this informative and in-depth discussion on minority businesses, as we were able to shine the light on important issues and challenges faced by our constituents in our respective communities,” said USPAACC’s Allen. “Minority-owned businesses are the tenacious drivers of innovation and job creation in this country, and it behooves us to ensure that their path to business growth remains interminable and vigorous.”
Speaking in front of an audience composed of minority business owners and bank executives, USPAACC’s Allen addressed wide-ranging topics, including public policy affecting Pan Asian Americans and the small and minority business community, best practices and key factors for success, and the overall economic outlook.
She also shared her personal leadership journey – not the rags to riches – but the metaphorical ‘frog at the bottom of the well’ story, USPAACC’s history, growth, certification service, first-to-market programs, the purchasing power of Pan Asian Americans, as well as their faith in the American Dream, which drives their desire to innovate.
Photo below: USPAACC National President & CEO Susan Au Allen (third from left) speaks at the U.S. Business Series: Empowering Minority-Owned Small Businesses symposium, with (from left): Stacey Key, President & CEO of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council; Javier Palomarez, President & CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Ron Busby, President & CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.
Founded in 1984 in the nation’s Capital, the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) is the most established and effective national nonprofit nonpartisan organization representing all Asian American and Asian American-related groups in business, sciences, the arts, sports, education, public and community services. Our mission is to promote and propel economic growth and job creation by opening doors to business and professional opportunities for Asian Americans and their partners in corporations, government at the federal, state and local levels, and the small, minority and diverse business communities. For 35 years, USPAACC has served and will continue to serve as the unified voice for equal opportunity in business for Asian Americans, as the gateway to corporate and government contracts, to Asian American suppliers, and information about Asian Americans and the Asia-Pacific and Indian Subcontinent markets.
Our signature annual thought-leadership programs include: College Hallmark Scholarship Program that began in 1989, One-on-One Prescheduled Business Matchmaking Meetings in 1998, Supplier Diversity & Procurement Leadership Caucus in 2004, Federal Contracting Town Hall Meetings in 2005, Fast 100 Asian American Businesses in 2008, Business Executive Coaching: ReadySetGrow in 2011, Chief Procurement Officers Forum in 2011, What’s Your Pitch Innovation Competitions in 2015, Chief Technology & Information Officers Forum in 2017, and Corporate Employee Business Resource Group Leadership Caucus in 2017.
Headquartered in Washington DC, USPAACC reaches Asian American businesses nationwide through regional chapters in California, Texas, New York, Georgia, Illinois and the Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia National Capital Area.
Susan Au Allen, the National President and CEO of US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC), has been named by DiversityPlus Magazine as one of the Top Change Leaders of 2024.According to a statement released by the publication, the annual Top 25 Diversity Change Leaders roster recognizes “exceptional leaders who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within their organizations and communities.”
WASHINGTON (May 30, 2024)—Today the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) awarded 15 corporations with its second annual Supplier Diversity Champions Award.
The US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) presents CelebrASIAN 2024 Procurement + Business Conference, the largest and longest-running business development conference for Pan Asian Americans.
