November 2008

27 Years of International Advocacy at the 20th International Gala
by Dr. Nini RB Bautista, Chairman, Asian Chamber

The Piedmont Crescent Promenade adjacent to the ballroom of the Charlotte Hilton on Saturday, October 18th at the International House 20th Gala, reminded me of the annual International Bazaar of our UN Women's Club in Vienna, raising millions for UNICEF with the gaily decorated booths from each country, showcasing typical arts, crafts & food. Endless tables of temptations were all donated for the silent auction, and enthusiastic guests pored over the jewelry, crockery, wine & food baskets, paintings, restaurant coupons, etc. & placed their bids in between wine & hors d'oeuvres. The gourmet dinner featured a salad cum gorgonzola, an entree duet of encrusted salmon & beef tenderloin, topped with a dessert trio of lemon tart, chocolate mousse & fruits, accompanied by an Australian chardonnay & Argentinian pinot noir. The "Second Nature" band played nostalgic music of yesteryears, wafting throughout the tables brightened with summer flowers & multicolored balloons. Romantic couples ventured onto the dance floor.

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October 2008

FACC 21st Annual Gala Night

The Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas (FACC) held its 21st Annual Gala Night on Saturday, September 27, 2008 in the plush setting at the Grand Ball-room of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Concord, North Carolina. Approximately 400 Filipino-Americans, representing friends and families in the Greater Charlotte area gathered together for a festive evening of dancing and fellowship.

August 2008

FACC Past Presidents at Asheville Gala
by Dr. Nini RB Bautista, Chairman, Asian Chamber

With a backdrop of some of the original oil paintings for the Silent Auction done by Filipino Americans of Asheville (Laddie Armena, Brian Rodriguez), the Charlotte group pos-es at the Asheville Gala held on July 12,2008 at the Renaissance Hotel on Woodfin: Manny Sabenicio, Gawad Kalinga Coordinator, Dell Amor, FACC Pres; Rosalie Chriss, FACC Past Pres., Dr. Nini Bautista, Chair, Asian Chamber & Past Pres, FACC, Lynn Polk, FACC Past Pres & Wally Penilla, Gawad Kalinga Coodinator & Past Pres. of FACC..

May 2008

Top Asian Leaders at the MICA Gala
by Dr. Nini RB Bautista, Chairman, Asian Chamber

In a show of support to the Mayors International Cabinet to honor the economic drivers in the community, a record number of Asian leaders attended the 11th Mayors International Community Awards (MICA), a black tie dinner event at the Westin Hotel on May 25, 2008.

April 2008

2008 DRAGON BOAT RACES & ASIAN FESTIVAL
Solicitation of Interest from Food and Merchandise Venders

Following its successful debut in 2006, the 2008 Charlotte Dragon Boat Race and Asian Festival is set for June 7, 2008 at Ramsey Creek Park, Cornelius. The Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce will be joined by the Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Department as co-organizer, a partnership forged since 1999 to intro-duce Asian culture and traditions to the greater Charlotte community. This year we will again have a charity component for the benefit of the Levine Children’s Hospital at the campus of the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

October 8, 2007

International Chamber Membership under the Charlotte Chamber

The Charlotte Chamber, along with several local international chambers, has partnered to offer you an International Chamber Membership in the Charlotte Chamber.

The Charlotte Chamber exists to help grow the economy, serve as a voice for business, and deliver value to members. The International Chamber membership is designed to ensure that the chambers in the program work closely together to build a strong future for Charlotte, and provide additional opportunities to our respective members.


Click here for more information
Click here for the application form

August 27, 2007

Job Opportunity - Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
Position Description
Economic Development Division

Title: Associate, Economic Development
Reports to: Senior Vice President, Economic Development
Interfaces: Economic development prospects, local and national real estate professionals, relocation consultants, NC Dept. of Commerce representatives, regional economic development representatives, economic development committee members, Chamber membership, public sector partners, other external allies, Chamber ED staff and other Chamber staff.

August 23, 2007

Please support me for Charlotte Race for the Cure, Oct. 6 - Lina Waty

Hello friends,

On Oct. 6th, I will participate in the 11th Annual Komen Charlotte Race for the Cure with the hopes of raising as much money as possible to provide for breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment.

Click here for more information

August 12, 2007

Asian Appreciation, The Asian Chamber hosted a Recognition Dinner on Thursday, July 12, 2007 at Chen's Bistro, to honor and thank its steadfast partners, generous sponsors and perennial volunteers of the twin festivals, the Dragon Boat Festival and Asian Festival recently held at Ramsey Creek Park on June 9, 2007, with a record crowd of more than 6000.

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August 1, 2007

Recently the Entrepreneur Magazine released their August Issue with the HOT500. Hissho Sushi was named #412 in Entrepreneur's HOT500 list for 2007 "The Fastest-Growing Business in America." This achievement is a great impact to all Asian immigrants that we should be proud of. Founded by Mr. Philip Maung, Hissho Sushi is a dynamic sushi company that manages and operates Sushi bars. Hissho Sushi serves 200 restaurants and supermarket in 16 States, with about 300 employees nationwide.

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August 1, 2007

Mr. Philip Maung the Founder and President of Hissho Sushi arrived in the United States from Myanmar (formerly Burma) in 1989 with $13 in his pocket. He found a job as a sushi chef, and subsequently found his way to success in the business world. Maung's skill in running the company is evident in its rapid growth, as well as in his recent approach to finding a new home for Hissho. Hissho's roots lie in Maung's days as a sushi chef with AFC Corp., a supplier Hissho now competes with. AFC has 1,700 sushi bars in 130 grocery chains, including Harris Teeter Inc. Maung helped set up AFC sushi bars in Florida in the mid-1990s and later handled those duties in Harris Teeter stores in metro Charlotte. "I loved the city so much ... I wanted to start my business here." His company's name is the Japanese word for victory, though Maung isn't declaring it yet.

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July 18 2007

Asian Blooms

At the 2003 Asian Festival at Marshall Park, five years ago, in order to engage the growing number of young talented & brainy Asian Americans in the community, I organized the Ms Asian Festival Pageant, with participants from the diverse Asian countries. Candidates were to be pre-selected for their brains, beauty, personality and community involvement & the winners chosen a 3-tier system consisting of the national dress competition, interview (Q/A) and talent portion.

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Energy in Motion

The Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce was delighted to have a fantastic vendor and exhibitor turnout at this year's Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Races on June 9th. This was the 8th Annual Festival and 2nd Annual Dragon Boat Race and we had the largest attendance ever! Fourteen (14) food and drink vendors presented our attendees with a delicious array of choices spanning Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Laotian cuisines. Also we had a food vendor selling some of our own great country's American food!

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2007 Charlotte Dragon Boat Festival

April 16, Indian Harbor Beach, FL

This is my first day at the famed Dragon Boat Training camp. The long drive from Charlotte on Sunday was pleasant enough, with Donovah Dreher on the wheel of his Beemer and Khay Chokbengboun chattering away in the backseat. Although we missed the signing on Sunday afternoon, we did manage to say hello to the camp director Jim Farintosh by barging into the closed door coaches meeting.

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