Asian Chamber ready to offer aid from new headquarters

The Asian Chamber of Commerce on Thursday officially opened the doors of its new headquarters, a move that reflects the rapid expansion of the Asian-American business community in the Las Vegas Valley in recent years.

According to 2010 census data released this year, Clark County's Asian population doubled in size in the last decade, to 7 percent of the community. To meet the needs of the growing number of Asian business owners, the Asian Chamber of Commerce expanded its operations, moving from a 900-square-foot office to a new 2,400-square-foot headquarters at 6272 Spring Mountain Road to better serve its 1,400-member businesses.

The chamber chose its new home because of its central location, east of Chinatown and west of Koreatown.

"It was 25 years ago we were just a small chamber. When you start small but you have big ideas, this is what happens," the chamber's founding chairwoman, Rozita Lee, said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Lee now serves as national vice chairwoman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

Asian Chamber CEO and Executive Director Duy Nguyen said the chamber acts as a hub for the Asian community as a whole, not just business owners.

"We don't have a so-called community center yet, so the Asian Chamber is going to be dual service," he said.

Since the recession began, the chamber has fielded phone calls about issues ranging from social services to language translation. For now, the chamber provides referrals to other agencies when there are requests for services the organization doesn't provide.

Nguyen said the chamber plans to offer job-skill training sessions and informational seminars. The chamber worked with the Southern Nevada Health District on the Shots 4 Tots campaign earlier this year and recently began a partnership with United Way of Southern Nevada to provide tax preparation assistance to low-income families during tax season.

Though the chamber aims to help the entire community, its main function is to serve its member businesses by providing resources and networking opportunities.

"We help promote their existence," Nguyen said. "There's so much going on in Las Vegas that sometimes you get lost in the shuffle. Our job here is to really bring our folks to the light."

The Asian Chamber's next monthly luncheon is July 28 at the Gold Coast, with Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones addressing education issues.

Contact reporter Caitlin McGarry at cmcgarry@lvbusinesspress.com or 702-387-5273.