Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (shown left) joined her newest colleague in Congress, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-32) (shown on right) in congratulating the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program at the Wells Fargo Museum.

Rep. Roybal-Allard and Rep. Chu also helped kick-off the API Small Business Program’s 10th Annual Asian Small Business Expo, which will take place on Saturday, September 26 at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel in downtown Los Angeles from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Entrance to the expo is free. There will also be free workshops and business counseling.

The API Small Business Program is unique in that they provide services that are culturally and linguistically sensitive at five API social service agencies:  Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC); Chinatown Service Center (CSC); Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA); Korean Youth and Community Center (KYCC); and the Thai Community Development Center.  Mr. Cooke Sunoo, shown center receiving a certificate from the members of Congress in honor of the program’s 10th anniversary, is the API Small Business Program’s executive director.

In her remarks, Rep. Roybal-Allard highlighted how the API Small Business Program helps small and micro business owners. She also asked bank representatives who attended the reception to help small business owners with U.S. Small Business Administration-backed loans. Rep. Roybal-Allard, the first Latina to be appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, secured almost $246,000 in Fiscal Year 2009 for the API Small Business Program to provide training and counseling for low-income, ethnic minority and immigrant entrepreneurs in Los Angeles who want to start a new business or expand or stabilize their existing business.

More information about the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program or the Asian Small Business Expo is available at www.apisbp.org