Southern Nevada’s Asian-American community is growing rapidly and facing the same challenges
Southern Nevada’s Asian-American community is growing rapidly and facing the same challenges that most Las Vegas residents are dealing with: unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies.
According to 2010 census data released this year, Clark County’s Asian population doubled in size in the last decade, and now comprises 7 percent of the community. To meet the needs of the growing minority group, particularly Asian business owners, the Asian Chamber of Commerce expanded its operations, moving from a 900-square-foot office to 2,400-square-foot headquarters at 6272 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 100 to better serve its 1,400-member businesses.
The chamber was to celebrate the grand opening of its new digs with a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 30. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., was scheduled to attend, as were Henderson Councilwoman Gerri Schroder and Kathleen Blakely, honorary consul general of Japan.
The chamber chose its new home base because of its central location. Chinatown lies just east of the office and Koreatown expands to the west.
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 25-year-old chamber has fielded phone calls about issues ranging from social services to language translation.
“With the limited resources with the economy, we don’t foresee being the one-stop solution to everything, but we hope to able to respond to some of those needs,” Nguyen said.
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.
Although it may be unusual for a chamber of commerce to also serve as a community center, Nguyen said Asian business owners are concerned about keeping their families afloat and think they have nowhere else to turn.
“I believe strongly for the business community to do well, their home fronts have to be taken care of,” he said.
Optometrist Chen Young, owner of the Optic Gallery chain of optometry practices in Las Vegas, said the Asian Chamber’s personal touch helped his business grow. Young said from the moment he joined the chamber as a recent optometry school graduate in 1995, fellow chamber members helped him with matters financial and personal. A chamber member helped Young apply for his first business loan, and Asian Chamber President Vida Lin handles his insurance policies.
“Many of the people I’ve met in the chamber since 1995 are the ones that have helped me to where I am today,” Young said. “I know a lot about eyes, but that doesn’t mean I know a lot about business. The people you surround yourself with really make a difference. They’re knowledgeable about their field, so they help me succeed in my field.”
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 speaker Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones addressing education issues.