With the generous support of State Farm® and in partnership with OCA-Las Vegas, the EET program will provide a limited number of full scholarships to entrepreneurs in the OCA and APA communities in the Las Vegas metropolitan area to attend entrepreneurship trainings provided by the Nevada Microenterprise Initiative (NMI).

The comprehensive trainings help emerging and new entrepreneurs learn how to start and manage a successful business, as well as how to determine funding needs and write a detailed business plan. The program will run from January through March and is valued at $650.

“Business ownership is a dream of many APAs, and the tradition of independent family businesses in the community is strong,” said OCA Executive Director George Wu. “OCA is proud to support a program that expands economic opportunity for APAs and helps them achieve their goals.”

“State Farm is pleased to provide opportunities for individuals to participate in OCA’s Entrepreneur Empowerment Training program,” said Leslie Moe-Kaiser, corporate public affairs, State Farm. “One of our missions is to help people realize their dreams, in this case, the dream of starting one’s own business. State Farm is proud to be associated with such a worthwhile program.” 

“The number of APA-owned businesses in Las Vegas has grown significantly over the past decade,” said OCA-Las Vegas President Andy Luong. “With the Entrepreneur Empowerment Training, OCA, NMI and State Farm are leading the APA community in supporting APA entrepreneurs.”

“Nevada Microenterprise Initiative and the Women’s Business Center’s mission is to enhance the economic self-sufficiency and quality of life of low to moderate income individuals through business ownership, especially among women and minorities. We are excited to partner with OCA and AWBC to serve the underserved Asian Pacific American communities,” said Anna Siefert, operations manager/WBC project director of the Nevada Microenterprise Initiative.

The Las Vegas EET program will begin on January 19 and last until March 16, 2010. Classes will meet on Tuesday from 6-9 p.m. Applications are due January 6, 2010. More information can be found online at www.ocanational.org under “Entrepreneurs” in the “Programs” heading. Please contact Iimay Ho, program associate, at iho@ocanational.org with any questions.

CONTACT

Iimay Ho | Program Associate