24 April 2015 – Philippine Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr. welcomed some 90 small business owners, students and prospective entrepreneurs participating in the first small business boot camp organized by the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey (PACC-PASNJ) in partnership with the White House Initiative on Asia-Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAPPI) held on April 22 at 1401 Municipal Services Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The small business boot camp is one of five proposals approved by WHIAPPI out of 250 proposals submitted all over the U.S. that are geared toward improving the quality of life of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
PACC-PASNJ President Brad Baldia organized the boot camp that was attended by national and local officials led by Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger; WHIAPPI Sevior Advisor George Mui, WHIAPPI Commissioner Nina Ahmad, Small Business Administration (SBA) Regional Administrator of the Mid-Atlantic Region Natalia Olson-Urtecho, and WHIAPPI Commissioner and Rockit Ranch Productions CEO and Founder Billy Dec.
In his welcome remarks, Consul General de Leon congratulated the PACC PASNJ for organizing the activity that increased the visibility of Filipino-American (Fil-Am) and Asian American businesses in the U.S. He also cited WHIAPPI Challenge.gov for developing programs that provide an environment for Asian-American and Filipino-American migrants to succeed and access federal and local resources.
The Consul General delivered the welcome remarks on behalf of Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Cuisia, Jr. He was also a resource panelist in the Advanced Track Session entitled “Next Level and Doing Business in/with the Philippines” along with Mr. Antonio Ceballos, Director of the U.S. Commercial Services.
Mr. Billy Dec, a successful Filipino-American business entertainment personality, was the keynote speaker. In his remarks, Mr. Dec shared his own personal experience as he was growing up in the US. He underscored the value of developing and building long-term relationships and of promoting trust in selecting the right business partners. He also advised entrepreneurs to have a deep sense of commitment to one’s business.
Mr. George Mui of WHIAPPI encouraged participants to find mentors that are established in a particular field. He cited the importance of this boot camp geared toward benefitting Asian-American communities. He added that Asian-Americans should refrain from viewing each other as competitors because there is a lot of business in the U.S.
In the session on Doing Business in the Philippines, Consul General De Leon gave practical tips such as exploring links with local partners in the Philippines and seeking prospective opportunities in franchising and technology, citing the case of OneVirtualNetwork of young Filipino-American, JR. Calanoc, which provides an electronic platform to match US technology companies with Philippine startups in business process management.
Consul General de Leon also underscored the importance of engaging with and seeking advice from the Embassy and Consulates, and accessing resources from local Philippine-American Chambers of Commerce that may provide services pro bono. Moreover, educating one’s self through widely available workshops or mentorship programs, and networking with other Asian-American chambers and entrepreneurs in doing business should be pursued in today’s environment, he added.
The Consulate General is pursuing deeper and broader engagement in promoting small businesses and other activities in collaboration with Philippine Chambers and local and federal government offices. On April 29, the Consulate General is co-sponsoring with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce New York a seminar on small business services for the benefit of Filipino business owners, in partnership with the Small Business Services of New York City. The latter event is an offshoot of a meeting late last year between Consul General De Leon and PACC NY members with the New York City Commissioner of Small Business, Maria Torres-Springer, a Filipino-American. END