The National Asian American Chamber of Commerce (National ACE) held its 2025 National Conference at the Marriott Hotel in Times Square from September 18th to 19th. The event brought together 700 guests, including elected officials, business community leaders, and entrepreneurs. Even President Trump sent his congratulations to the conference.
National ACE represents 3 million Asian American small businesses across the United States, advocating for policies that benefit Asian American businesses. Since 2021, ACE has allocated over 9 million dollars in funding to support the growth and innovation of Asian American small businesses. The Small Business Innovation Center established in 2023 has also facilitated connections for entrepreneurs to access over 68 million dollars in capital to realize their entrepreneurial dreams.
During the 2-day National Conference this year, there were over 50 speakers participating in panel discussions, as well as 6 workshops and forums for sharing experiences. ACE President and CEO Dong Jiling stated that Asian American entrepreneurs are one of the fastest-growing groups in the U.S. entrepreneurial field, possessing a significant consumer power of up to 1.8 trillion dollars, driving innovation and economic resilience in the country. In response to the serious challenges faced by small businesses recently, the association is organizing more than 130 affiliated chambers nationwide to establish partnerships, access contracts from the Fortune 500 companies and government, and advocate for policies beneficial to Asian American businesses, aiming to promote economic development across the U.S. while assisting the development opportunities for Asian American businesses.
On September 19th, ACE held the annual awards banquet, presenting awards such as Legendary Achievement Award, Business Champion Award, and Public Service Award.
The Legendary Achievement Award was conferred to Dr. James S. C. Chao, Founder and Chairman of the Foremost Group. He was accompanied by former U.S. Secretaries of Labor and Transportation Elaine L. Chao. AT&T received the Business Champion Award, and Congressman Meng Zhaowen was honored with the Public Service Award.
Meng Zhaowen expressed to Epoch Times that ACE has made outstanding contributions during the pandemic to ensure that Asian American entrepreneurs have the necessary tools. She said, “They are a truly community-helping organization, and I am honored to receive this award.”
Senate Minority Leader Schumer, Federal Senators Lutiana and Andy Kim also sent their congratulations online to the attendees. Lutiana praised National ACE for supporting and enhancing the strength of over 3 million Asian American businesses.
New York State Senator Chen Xueli and Assemblyman Zheng Yongjia also attended the awards banquet, both expressing the importance of supporting small businesses and encouraging hard work.
“We must protect our businesses, protect our workers, not lose our tax base, not lose these hard-working outstanding citizens; we cannot become a welfare state that ultimately leads to national bankruptcy,” said Chen Xueli. “So I am delighted to be here. I am honored to work with these business elites to keep our community strong.”
Zheng Yongjia stated his pride in being the first Republican elected official to support ACE, “I believe in tax exemption, regulatory easing, promoting business development, making it easier for businesses, because this is the American Dream, this is the American way.”
Chris Coughlin, a Korean American small business owner in the enterprise security business, attended an ACE conference for the first time. He expressed his desire to network with more entrepreneurs at the conference and seek assistance from the chamber when needed in the future. “My dream is to continuously grow my business and help others venture into various industries as the people who encouraged me,” he said.