OKC's flourishing Asian community now has its own Chamber of Commerce

Mary Nhin understands the hardships many entrepreneurs face in the business world because she faced them herself. She struggled while launching two businesses but ultimately prevailed to become a co-owner of a restaurant chain and publisher of a children's book series.

She is the CEO of Nhinja Sushi, a five-location restaurant chain and CEO of Ninja Life Hacks, an e-commerce business that sells educational books for children. She is also a second-generation Asian American and a mother of three.

“When my husband and I first started our entrepreneurial journey, we wanted to open a restaurant,” Nhin said. “We applied to 11 different banks and got 11 rejections. I just remember feeling like I was alone on an island with no one to help me because I didn’t have a mentor, an advisory board. I didn’t have an Asian chamber to lean on. And now I stand here, 19 years later, and we serve over 2,000 people daily with five Nhinja Sushi locations.

"In our first year of business with Ninja Life Hacks, we lost $200,000," Nhin said. "It was a lot of money, but we stuck through and figured out what worked and what didn't. Now three years later, we have sold over 3 million books in 12 different countries."

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After overcoming those difficulties in her own business ventures, Nhin hopes to empower other entrepreneurs and lead them to success through her work as a founding member and Vice President of the Greater Oklahoma City Asian Chamber of Commerce.

The new chamber's board members announced the organization's grand opening at a press conference Jan. 25 at Grand House China Bistro. In attendance were Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, notable business owners, chamber sponsors and many other professionals supportive of the cause.

Every seat in the banquet room was taken and the remaining guests stood for the ceremony and filled the room.

THN Insurance Solutions owner and CEO Thuan Nguyen said there is a specific reason why Grand House was selected to host the kickoff event for the chamber. It was the first Chinese dim sum restaurant to open in Oklahoma City, and it serves as a successful business model and inspiration for the Asian entrepreneurial community.

Nguyen has an inspirational story himself, as he and his mother immigrated from Vietnam when he was 4. They had to leave his father and two siblings behind and were not able to see them again until he was 16, but he has worked to establish himself in the Oklahoma City business community through his participation in programs like Leadership Oklahoma City and he was appointed by the mayor as an urban design commissioner.

The Asian Chamber is the newest addition to a roster of Oklahoma City-focused chambers of commerce. The city is home to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma, Northwest Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. All aim to support the interests of member businesses.

Why was there a need for an Asian Chamber of Commerce in Oklahoma City?

Oklahoma City is home to more than 50,000 Asian Americans, which is about 55% of Oklahoma's total Asian population, according to Census data. Those individuals account for many of the 5,300 Asian-owned businesses in the Oklahoma City metro. And those businesses generated $203 million in payroll and $1.25 billion in sales in 2020.

An Asian-focused chamber of commerce has been a long-awaited venture to establish a formal way of supporting the community in its business matters.

“It’s so critically important that all communities of the city are a part of our story and the Asian community is thriving,” Mayor Holt said. “There is so much more that is yet to come and today is a major milestone in that journey.”

Chamber President Scarlet Le-Cao is a co-owner of a real estate and development company called Omega Investments. During the ceremony, she shared the four pillars of the chamber, which are:

• Connect, strengthen and advocate for Asian businesses and professionals in the greater Oklahoma City metro area.

• Recruit Asian-owned businesses and Asian talents.

• Facilitate fair and equitable access to opportunities for Asian businesses and professionals.

• Pursue educational and cultural initiatives for the greater Oklahoma City Asian communities.

“We want to make our younger generations feel proud of being Asian Americans and to hold on to our roots and our cultures," Le-Cao said. "We're building strong foundations and confidence for them to be successful in life.”

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How did the new Asian chamber get its start?

Last year, a small group of business owners and community leaders, including Le-Cao, Nhin, Nguyen and others, met to address the needs of the Asian community in Oklahoma City. They felt an Asian chamber was the missing link. That conversation evolved into a dedicated group of 15 board members working to launch the chamber.

"At the first board meeting we asked everyone, 'Why are you willing to support Asian businesses?' and everyone answered with the same sentiment," Le-Cao said. "They are passionate about serving their communities and proud to be Asian Americans. We want to reunite all the voices we have."

Collaboration has been key to their success. The board members said they feel very fortunate for the community support during their work to launch the chamber. They also said they want to work with other minority chamber organizations in the city.

"Diversity is like a rainbow," Nhin said. "It's what makes us beautiful."

The Asian Chamber is already receiving community support from other businesses, including Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company, Paycom and the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Jan. 30, the Oklahoma City Thunder recognized "Asian-American Oklahomans and their influence on the cultural fabric of our state" during a game in honor of Lunar New Year.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Asian district, entrepreneurs now have an OKC chamber of commerce