Boyden is pleased to share the appointment news of Les Fong, a recruitment co-led by Lisa Vuona and Wendy Wilsker
Stockton, CA - March 2, 2022
The California Asian Chamber of Commerce (CalAsian), the largest minority business-focused chamber in California, has been selected to operate the federal Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program serving start-up and small businesses in San Joaquin, Alpine, Amador, and Calaveras counties, starting January 1, 2022.
The news was delivered by Kristin Johnson, Executive Director of the NorCal SBDC, which is headquartered at Humbolt State in Eureka, California. “Following an evaluation in accordance to the criteria laid out in the request for proposal, winners were chosen, and your organization stood out from the rest. This is a credit to your team and your leadership. Your passion for supporting small business really shined,” wrote Johnson in the official award letter.
The new center will be led by CalAsian’s Les Fong, who has more than 40 years of experience in marketing, advertising, and public relations as the owner of Les Fong and Associates in Stockton. He currently sits on several local boards and committees, including the San Joaquin County Workforce Development Board and the San Joaquin Regional Transit District. Fong has served at San Joaquin Delta College as an adjunct advertising and marketing instructor, and as a business consultant to the SBDC since 2009. His experience will guide the new center in supporting small business growth.
“We are honored to have been selected to operate the SBDC program so that small businesses have access to the financial services, top-notch advice, and access to deep resources to help their businesses grow and thrive,” said Pat Fong Kushida, President and CEO of CalAsian. “We operate a number of federal assistance centers supporting all small businesses and have a long track record of creating strong relationships and delivering results.”
The California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1999 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to strengthen underserved, diverse communities through inclusive economic development programs. Today, CalAsian serves as the leading organization for AAPI-serving groups by sharing information and data, organizing advocacy efforts and delivering hands-on technical service to small businesses in partnership with local, regional, state, and federal economic and community development programs. CalAsian operates technical assistance programs to help strengthen and expand the potential of ethnically diverse small businesses and help low to moderate income communities achieve sustainable economic development.
“We are excited to partner with Pat and the CalAsian team in delivering high-quality service and support to local start-ups and the small business community,” said Christopher Callahan, President of the University of Pacific, based in Stockton, who partnered with CalAsian in the SBDC proposal.
Other partners in the new SBDC effort include Lendistry, a minority-led and technology-enabled CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution), which was the second largest lender to small business and commercial real estate in the U.S. last year; the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County; the Community Foundation of San Joaquin; and Highlands Community Charter School.
To learn more about the SBDC program, please visit www.sanjoaquinsbdc.org. To learn more about CalAsian and its small business support network, visit www.calasiancc.org.
Original Source: California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Press Release
