Va. Asian Chamber starts trade group

by Heather B. Hayes
for Virginia Business
December 2007

The Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce apparently believes in the adage that good things happen to those who help themselves.

The organization has started the Virginia International Business Alliance (VIBA), a group intended to assist small, minority-owned companies gain access to global markets.

“The problem with small business is the smaller you are, the less attention that you get, and a lot of that is because there is a perception that small business cannot enter the world market,” states Tinh Phan, chairman of the Asian Chamber. “We think that perception is very wrong, and we wanted to prove that by supporting our members in whatever way we could.”

VIBA provides members with information about world markets and helps them connect with potential suppliers, buyers, lenders and other resources. The group currently has 45 members trading in Asia, Africa, Western Europe, Latin America and Canada. A majority of members are small Asian-American companies, but many are owned by Hispanics and African-Americans.

One of them is Jasmin Perez Gross, a native of Paraguay, who is president of Aravore Co., an infant apparel firm based in Richmond. She wants to sell her products in Western Europe and Asia. She joined VIBA to network with other business owners and to learn how to effectively sell overseas.

“People in the Asian community and other minority groups are really looking for practical solutions,” says Phan. “They want to hear the practical experience of somebody who has done what they want to do and that has done it successfully.”