National ACE and The New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of Commerce Host Roundtable Focused on Strengthening Local Small Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2026
PRESS CONTACT
Phuong Nguyen
pnguyen@nationalace.org
National ACE and The New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of Commerce Host Roundtable Focused on Strengthening Local Small Businesses
[April 9, 2026, Newark, New Jersey] – The National Asian Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE), in collaboration with the New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of Commerce (NJCACC), convened small business owners, policymakers, and community leaders for a Small Business Roundtable at the Galloping Hill Golf Course. The gathering created opportunities for engaging dialogue about the obstacles local entrepreneurs face and the opportunities ahead.
New Jersey’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) business community plays an important role in the state’s economy and culture. These businesses anchor our neighborhoods, drive innovation, and create thousands of jobs for New Jerseyans. The roundtable focused on strengthening that foundation, ensuring New Jersey's business owners have streamlined access to the capital, technical assistance, and city resources they need to scale. By fostering a direct dialogue between community leaders and policymakers, the session aimed to remove barriers to growth and celebrate the immense contributions of small businesses to the region's post-pandemic recovery.
“New Jersey’s small business community is a vital engine of economic growth and cultural vibrancy. Through conversations like today’s roundtable, we can better understand the real challenges entrepreneurs face, from accessing capital to navigating an increasingly complex global landscape, and work collaboratively with policymakers to deliver meaningful solutions,” said National ACE President & CEO Chiling Tong. “National ACE is proud to partner with NJCACC to ensure these voices are heard and supported.”
“NJCACC plays a key role in strengthening the local economy by helping immigrant-founded and minority-owned businesses scale, connect, and thrive, while fostering culture and commercial exchange,” said Board Chair Yin Long. “On behalf of NJCACC, I invite you to see today not just as a seminar, but as a starting point—where collaboration, innovation, and community come together to build lasting success for all. Our collaboration with National ACE is a strong example of national-local synergy. Together, we help businesses move from local growth to regional expansion to national contracting.”
The event featured virtual remarks from Senator Andy Kim. Other notable attendees included Assemblywoman Shama Haider, NJ District Director John Blackstock (U.S. Small Business Administration), Director Kelly Brozyna (America’s Small Business Development Centers – New Jersey), and Aaron Mulvihill, Executive Director, Global Alternatives Strategist, JP Morgan Asset Management.
Key topics raised by small business owners included access to capital, AI integration, and navigating the impacts of geopolitical developments.
“I found this discussion to be a great event where I was able to network directly with SBA officials, elected officials, and fellow entrepreneurs,” said Dahui Guo, Chairman & CEO of Zennova Pharmaceuticals. “Having the opportunity to speak one-on-one with lenders about new capital opportunities was incredibly helpful to explore growth opportunities.”
“As a young business owner, I found this networking event to be incredibly insightful, and I was grateful for how welcoming the community was,” said Kevin Lin, Founder and Lead Creative Strategist of Jellyman Media. “Hearing about our community’s significant purchasing power across the state was truly inspiring. This forum also provided an opportunity to discuss critical challenges and opportunities with other business owners on topics ranging from access to capital to the integration of AI into our workflows.”
This roundtable is part of National ACE’s ongoing commitment to support entrepreneurs and advance policies that help small businesses grow and compete in today’s economy.
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About National ACE:
National ACE’s mission is to serve as a strong advocate of AAPI and all small business interests and positive change on issues that enhance and advance the goals and aspirations of business owners, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders. National ACE supports policies and programs that strengthen small businesses, expand economic opportunity, and foster the next generation of entrepreneurs and executives. Learn more at www.nationalace.org.
About NJCACC:
The New Jersey Chinese-American Chamber of Commerce (NJCACC) is a non-profit and non-political organization dedicated to promoting business among members, primarily assisting Chinese-American and other Asian American businesses to integrate into the American economy and facilitating US-China trade. Membership is open to businesses, business people, professionals and students (in college or graduate school) of all ethnic backgrounds.