Washington Retail has begun outreach to our region’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community, the fastest-growing racial group in the United States.

Two members of the Retail Services staff attended a Small Business Administration Roundtable in Bellevue this week to meet with members of the Asian Pacific Islander community. The event allowed Washington Retail the opportunity to share information on an array of small business services available from Retail Services. This includes WR’s legislative advocacy on behalf of small businesses.

Rose Gundersen, Vice President of Retail Services, and Terry Hopsecger, Director of Business Development, represented Washington Retail. Also attending as a guest was Lori Wada of the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs in Olympia.

Gundersen reports that multiple ethnic business contacts showed interest in developing partnering opportunities with WR and the services subsidiary, specifically in east King County. She will be focusing on Korean, Hispanic and Chinese Chambers of Commerce to promote membership opportunities and the resources of the association.

Pictured from left to right above are Apollo Fuhriman, regional advocate for the Small Business Administration; Bruce Nguyen, VP of SBA lending with Umpqua Bank; Rose Gundersen; Jess Tam, Director, Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce; and Roland Chaiton, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Business Impact Northwest.