IRVINE, CA — The Asian Business Association of Orange County (ABAOC), held its annual Small Business Development Day (SBDD) on Thursday, May 10 at the Delta Hotels By Marriott in Garden Grove, CA. The event was sponsored by US Bank, and more than 125 attendees participated in this half-day event.
Roger Cheng, ABAOC board member and master of ceremonies, kicked off the event.
ABAOC’s President Pramod Kunju gave the opening remarks and stressed on the ABAOC’s mission of helping small and diverse businesses succeed with four essential ingredients: Education, Inspiration, Networking, and Business Opportunities. Mr. Kunju also thanked Title sponsor, US Bank for its long-term support of ABAOC.
Joe Hensley, Market President of U.S. Bank, spoke about the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities ABAOC provides in his welcome remarks.
James Vanderbilt, councilmember of the city of Anaheim, read out the city’s proclamation declaring May 10th as Small Business Development Day in recognition of ABAOC’s services to the business community.
That was followed by best-selling author Allison Maslan’s session on “Scale Or Fail.” Ms. Maslan shared several techniques to scale from Entrepreneur to Enterprise.
Dr. Charla Griffy-Brown from Pepperdine University gave an engaging presentation on cybersecurity for small and medium businesses.
Marlene Nantell of Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council covered certification strategies to enable small businesses to gain business opportunities with large corporations.
John Thi from U.S. Bank provided tips and techniques for small business borrowing.
A “Fast Pitch” competition saw five small businesses present in front of the audience and judges, and prizes were awarded for the top two winners.
Ajay Aggarwal of U.S. Bank, also ABAOC board member, delivered closing remarks highlighting the strong partnership between ABAOC and U.S. Bank.
About 20 exhibitors ranging from small businesses to nonprofit organizations participated in this year’s SBDD, and the event ended with a luncheon and a giveaway.
Attendees praised the quality of the speakers, the variety of topics covered, and the opportunities to network with fellow business professionals.
The Asian Business Association of Orange County (ABAOC) was founded in 1992, as a nonprofit business under IRS 501(c) (6), to meet the needs of the growing Asian businesses in Orange County.
For more than 25 years, ABAOC had been a leader in community service in the Asian and small business community. Since its establishment, it has successfully organized many major events, including networking mixers, procurement events and outreach programs through the support of its members, sponsors and community affiliates.
ABAOC events and programs inspire and stimulate small business owners, start-ups, and entrepreneurs to grow and prosper through the creation of new opportunities, education, networking and community participation.
