Procurement opportunities for hundreds of minority suppliers were plentiful in fast-growing industries at the CelebrAsian Procurement Conference – the annual flagship national event designed for Asian American suppliers – presented by the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC), May 31 thru June 2, 2017 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego, California.
Top-caliber and innovative suppliers connected with serious buyers and networked with industry leaders at the country’s oldest and largest business-to-business event convened by Pan Asian Americans to connect with large, medium and small enterprises, governments and nonprofits.
After 3 days, CelebrAsian hosted over 650 participants, who came in full force from all over the country, representing 100 corporations, 300 Asian American entrepreneurs, 8 Government Agencies, 3 Non-Governmental Organizations, and 11 media partners.
Conference Co-Chairs were Ampcus, Nissan, PepsiCo, Prudential, Southern California Edison, Technology Integration Group (TIG), and Wells Fargo. Platinum Sponsor was JPMorgan Chase.
The Conference theme “Collaborate – Innovate – Connect on the West Coast: San Diego” spoke to the power and promise of having brought together an impressive gathering of executives from Fortune powerhouses, officers from government agencies, visionaries, community and business leaders, and industry disruptors – all of whom came in full force from across the country to positively impact business growth, spur innovation, and create jobs.
Highlights of the conference programs – especially designed to inform, educate, create procurement opportunities and propel job growth, as well as to recognize outstanding achievements – included the 2-part CPO Forum (in Services and Manufacturing Industries) that presented 13 Chief Procurement Officers from Fortune powerhouses and large nonprofits to discuss big-picture market intelligence on current issues, trends and outlook for the benefit of minority suppliers who wish to be part of the multi-billion-dollar supply chain.
At the CTO & CIO Forum: Navigating the New World of IT, 10 Chief Technology Officers and Chief Information Officers from leading global brands, financial institutions, and Asian American businesses discussed the current information technology landscape, transformational ideas for the future, and how they impact large corporations and small businesses.
Networking sessions were held immediately following the two CPO Forums and the CTO & CIO Forum that gave suppliers the rare opportunity and more time to connect with the speakers.
A special networking reception showcased the outstanding achievements of our Fast 100 Asian American Businesses, whose collective revenue reached over $10 Billion, with companies achieving up to 261% growth rate despite the tepid economy.
The forum on Doing Business with Federal Government Under New Administration featured Directors and Deputy Directors from 6 Federal Agencies who brought the latest procurement forecasts and information on essential tools, databases, websites and important skills necessary to market to the federal government.
For the third year in a row, USPAACC provided a platform for startups in “What’s Your Pitch: Innovations Meet the Market” national competition. Eight businesses from across the country presented their innovative ideas to a panel of judges composed of investors and corporate procurement executives to compete for cash prizes and opportunities to promote and market their ideas to potential investors.
For the more seasoned innovators, the popular session on Meet the Disrupters: How They Transform Industries featured CEOs, Founders, and policy leaders of companies that are game changers, who shared their stories in creating disruptive business models and how their innovative ideas shifted the paradigm to create new markets.
The Supplier Diversity Managers Caucus continued to provide opportunity for important peer-to-peer discussions among Supplier Diversity managers and directors whereby they share and learn strategic solutions and best practices. This continues to be the one-of-a-kind program especially designed for USPAACC’s most valued partners in supplier diversity.
At the Excellence Awards Gala, we presented the Most Valued Corporation Award to Hilton, Ingersoll Rand, and UPS for their unwavering support of USPAACC’s mission and programs, as well as for their steadfast commitment in ensuring the robust growth and success of the Asian American business community.
USPAACC presented the Most Valued Asian American Business Award to Ampcus, MSL Express, and Qnexis for their outstanding achievement as a small and award-winning business, their proactive support of USPAACC’s programs, and their leadership in the minority business community.
USPAACC continued to invest in the future with the presentation of 23 Hallmark Scholarships, provided by Corporations and Asian Americans, to deserving college-bound students who have demonstrated academic excellence, community volunteerism and financial need, at the Business Leaders and Scholarship Awards Luncheon.
Capping the Conference were USPAACC’s signature One-on-One Business Matchmaking Meetings that held over 500 meetings between serious buyers and top-caliber suppliers, and the Guanxi* Business Opportunity Fair featuring fast-growing and established global brands. *Guanxi is a common business term meaning “connections” or “relationship”
For more information about CelebrAsian, visit 
