Tag: small business

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AABANY Congratulates Former Board Member Kevin Kim on His Appointments to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and as the New Commissioner of New York City Small Businesses

On December 31st, 2021 former AABANY Board Member Kevin Kim was selected as the first Korean American  to hold the position of Commissioner of New York City Small Businesses where he will be responsible for running a dynamic City agency focused on connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building a thriving economy. Kevin also was selected on December 20th, 2021 to be a Commissioner to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders which has been tasked with advancing equity, justice, and opportunity for AANHPI communities.

Kevin is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Law School where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review. After graduating law school Kevin began his legal career as a law clerk for then United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, Hon. Denny Chin. He then worked as an Associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell where he practiced corporate law. 

Kevin has devoted his career to public service and specifically promoting greater Asian representation in positions of power. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the City University of New York and was elected to the national Board of Directors for the Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club. His past board service includes the American Red Cross in Queens, Friends of Thirteen (public media provider featuring PBS series), Korean American Association of Greater New York, and the Korean American Community Foundation. From 2014-2016, Kevin was the Commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority, becoming the first Asian American appointed to this position. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Kevin as a Trustee of the City University of New York, making him only the third Asian American and the first Korean American to serve on the CUNY Board of Trustees. In that position, he chaired the Audit Committee and is a member of the Subcommittee on Investments. 

Kevin has received countless awards including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; Columbia Law School APALSA Hong Yen Chang Award for inspiring civic engagement; KAAGNY, Man of the Year; and City Hall News (“40 Under 40”).

Please join AABANY in congratulating Kevin on his appointments to these important positions.

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Introducing the Design Corps: A Small Business Reopening Network

Small business owners, like many New Yorkers, have endured difficult pandemic months this year, both personally and financially.

As NYC’s restaurants start serving customers again, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs wants to make sure that businesses in your community, particularly in immigrant communities, have access to an important resource now being offered by the city.

The Design Corps: Small Business Reopening Network is a new program to help restaurants improve their dining space through assistance by design professionals. Local restaurants across NYC can register at nycxdesign.com/design-corps and connect with a professional designer or architect, free of charge. 

Services include applying for the City’s Open Restaurant Program, ensuring compliance safety guidelines, or improving efficiency of space. If you are interested in signing up or learning more about how you can receive this free service, visit nycxdesign.com/design-corps.

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AABANY Hosts Weekly Zoom Membership Mixer on May 22

On May 22, 2020, the Membership Committee hosted their weekly Zoom Mixer Membership Mixer, with 21 participants in attendance. The icebreaker question posed to the participants was “What song would be playing if you had to  make an grand entrance?” Members named “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Game of Thrones” theme song, “Eye of the Tiger,” “Final Countdown,” K-Pop classics, “‘Law and Order” theme, “Juicy,” “Young, Scrappy and Hungry,” and more great songs.

This mixer featured AABANY Treasurer Will Hao, Alston & Bird Associate Will Lee, Pro Bono Committee Vice Chairs Karen King and Kwok Ng who gave members a preview of an upcoming COVID-19 small business relief community presentations.

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc, but due to COVID, we are moving online to offer members a weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but feel free to stay on after 7:30pm for smaller breakout groups.

We are giving away door prizes on some weeks. In order to win, you must be a member and must RSVP via the calendar entry on aabany.org to get a raffle number. Non-members can join the Zoom mixer but won’t be eligible to win a prize. Mixers are not recorded, and are LIVE, so don’t miss out.

This week we gave away a Hulu subscription – congratulations to Bryan Cheah for winning! Congratulations to Bryan also for graduating from Rutgers Law School, and we wish you the best of luck in preparing for the bar exam!

Please register at https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1366637 to join us on May 29, for a possible trivia night, and to celebrate Beatrice’s birthday!

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AABANY Presents: Legal Seminar for Small Businesses

On Friday, May 17, 2019, Sandra Ung, New York State Committee Woman, and Chris Kwok, AABANY Board Director, Issues Committee Chair and Asia Practice Committee Co-Chair, presented a legal seminar for small business owners at Flushing Library. The speakers were Tiffany Ma, Young & Ma, LLP, and William Ng, Littler Mendelson P.C., and they addressed a wide array of issues faced by small business owners in both Mandarin and English.

The discussion centered around how small business owners can take steps to make sure they comply with Federal, State, and City employment laws to avoid liability. In particular, the speakers addressed the minimum wage requirements, the importance of maintaining unemployment insurance, the prevention of anti-discrimination and anti-harassment claims, compliance with ADA accommodation requirements and the New York State Paid Family Leave Act.

There was serious discussion on the pressures small businesses face within the legal regulatory framework, with the additional language and cultural barriers faced by first generation immigrant business owners.

The event was also covered by the World Journal and Sing Tao Daily. To read more about the event from the World Journal, click here. To read more about the event from Sing Tao Daily, click here.

We thank Sandra Ung and Chris Kwok for organizing this information session. We also thank the speakers, Tiffany Ma and William Ng, for volunteering their time to address the concerns of small business owners.

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Free Legal Services at the Legal Pit Stop Clinic!

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The next Legal Pit Stop is fast approaching. The clinic intends to reach a broader range of small business owners who lack the time, expertise or income to address their specific legal needs. 

The “Legal Pit Stop” legal advice clinic will be held on Monday, June 26th from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM at Pillsbury LLP’s offices in Times Square (1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036), with appointments beginning at both 5:30pm and 6:30pm.

Please register at: https://www.tfaforms.com/4618359

Volunteer attorneys will be on hand  to advise on the following legal topics: sales tax, business insurance, entity choice, contract and commercial lease review, corporate governance, and corporate risk assessment. The Legal Pit Stop does not have business stage requirements, but each business candidate must receive less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

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From AABDC: The Affordable Care Act Legislation and Small Businesses in NY

The Affordable Care Act Legislation and Small Businesses In New York State

February 19, 2013 – With the 2014 roll-out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or “ObamaCare”) less than a year away, business owners are scrambling to understand what it means for them. Small businesses in New York State, specifically Asian American owned businesses, can now go to one online portal for relevant information on ACA.
 
Created by the Asian American Business Development Center, the Asian American Small Businesses and Health Reform information portal (www.aabdc.com) provides basic, easy to understand information for Asian American small business owners regarding

a) proposed policy changes;
b) the potential impact of ACA;
c) planning for the long term needs of their business and employees.
 
The goal of the ACA is to provide access to affordable and quality health care coverage to more Americans.  It entails a number of gradual reforms that are being enacted between 2010 and 2014. These reforms will take place on the federal, state, and community levels and will affect individuals, healthcare professionals, and business owners. Since 2010, New York State has been moving forward with reform requirements in preparation for its roll-out in 2014. The AABDC health reform information portal is part of that effort. The project was funded by Macy’s Foundationand Pfizer.
 
The AABDC health reform information portal provides up-to-date information about requirement mandates, tax benefits, state insurance exchanges, and continued policy developments at the state and federal levels. It answers basic questions: Are you required to provide health insurance coverage for your employees? Are you eligible for a federal tax credit if you do provide health coverage? Can you keep your current coverage?
 
The healthcare portal Website offers online consulting services. The Asian American Business Development Center encourages the community to visit its Website to post comments and view expert explanations.

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