Dr. Cindy Shao, Asian American Chamber of Commerce | Building Bridges for AAPI Businesses

As the Asian Pacific community grows, there is a need for bridges between it and the mainstream community. One way of bridging this gap is supporting minority-owned businesses and fostering economic development in historically underserved communities. The Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC), founded by Dr. Cindy Shao, has taken on this challenge by working to increase awareness and providing resources for AAPI and minority-owned businesses.

The Asian American Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to improving the economic development of Asian Pacific American-owned businesses in the Metropolitan DC area. She is dedicated to bridging the Asian Pacific community with the mainstream community and fostering economic development for AAPI and minority-owned businesses. In this episode, we discuss: How the Chamber navigates through the pandemic, the Chamber’s achievements and challenges, & how the AACC supports its members and resources for AAPI businesses.

Tune in!

Here’s What You’ll Get In This Episode

[00:20] Episode intro and a quick bio of today’s guest

[05:47] Know Dr. Cindy Shao and a bit of her backstory

[11:35] Why she founded the Asian-American Chamber of Commerce 13 years ago

[13:21] Achievement she’s always proud of with the AACC

[15:10] Challenges and misconceptions of the Asian-American businesses

[17:19] Examples of the types of companies she serves in the AACC 

[19:52] Why corporations and government agencies should support the AACC

[21:55] How the Chamber navigated through the pandemic

[26:00] Devastation she has had from the rising Asian hate crimes during the pandemic

[29:47] Notable changes in solidarity within the Asian- American communities

[32:05] Celebrating the Asian-American communities

[38:22] Ending the show and call to action

Notable Quotes

• Everyone has to learn how to overcome and navigate the uncertainties of life.
• The center for the study of hate and extremism revealed that anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339% in 2021 compared to 2020.

Connect with Dr. Cindy Shao

Website: https://www.asian-americanchamber.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-shao-7a530221/