The Asian Business League of San Francisco's (ABL-SF) inaugural Corporate Asian Leadership Program (CALP) based off our popular leadership program You are the CEO of You took place from April 23 to June 18, 2015. This bi-weekly, five-part seminar series has been uniquely developed for the men and women of APSIRE at MUFG Union Bank. Each session is carefully designed to provide an intimate learning environment for participants - to explore concepts and acquire skills necessary for professional and personal success. Each session was followed by small group breakout sessions led by Michael Lee and Mei Ling Yiu.

Buck Gee, Executive advisor to Ascend and retired Cisco Systems' Vice President and General Manager of the Data Center Business Unit, kicked off the first session and spoke passionately about the challenges of being an Asian American leader. During the second session on May 7, Eugene Lee, Entrepreneur In Residence at Artiman Ventures, eloquently discussed the differences between being a leader vs. a manager. In the third session, participants learned how to effectively communicate as a leader with Miriam Lopez, Global Diversity Advisory for Chevron on May 21. Marina Sarmiento Feehan, Founder of Positive Counsel, spoke about "Personal Branding in the Digital Age" during session 4 on June 4.

For photos from the sessions, click here.

If your company is interested in having ABL-SF produce CALP for at least 15 your employees, please contact Angela Pang at [email protected] or (415) 691-7264 for more details.

This hike will be led by ABL Board President Lilian Chau. Be sure to bring your own water, sunglasses or hat, and snacks. Meet at the Picnic Area by the winery at 9:45 a.m. Hike will take place from 10 a.m. to noon. Afterwards, those interested can join for wine tasting at the Picchetti Winery.

ABL’s hikes will take place the last Saturday of every month and will be a fun and informal way to meet new people, network, and explore the beauty of the Bay Area.

WHERE TO MEET:
Picnic Area Near the Winery at 9:45 a.m.

HOW TO GET THERE:
The Preserve is located in the Cupertino foothills.

Exit Foothill Expressway from Highway 280, travel 3.5 miles southwest (toward the mountains) on Foothill Boulevard/Stevens Canyon Road.

Turn right on Montebello Road. The Preserve is 0.5 miles up Montebello Road on the left.

RSVP:
Please RSVP via eventbrite with your name, phone number, and the number of guests by Friday, June 26 at noon.

INFO:
For any questions, email: [email protected].

An expert panel of successful local business leaders shared their strategies for growing business sales in 2015, including tips for utilizing LinkedIn, networking, and marketing to expand. The event was held on April 29th at PwC in San Francisco and drew approximately 50 attendees. The program entitled “Propelling Your Business to the Next Level” is part of the Asian Business League-SF’s small business series for the year.

“ABL’s Small Business Program’s mission is to serve as a comprehensive resource for Asian-American business owners in the Bay Area,” says Mike Pyon, ABL-SF’s Vice President.

Event speakers included: Andrew Ly, President and CEO of Sugar Bowl Bakery, Ted Fang, Executive Director of AsianWeek Foundation, Co-Founder of SF Hep B Free, Rick Gutierrez, Managing Partner of InTune Search and InTune Partners, Bob Linscheid, President & CEO – San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Brenda Kwee McNulty, Executive Director of the Asssociation of Asian American Bankers.

Some key takeaways from the speakers:

• Andrew Ly underlined the importance of having good company culture, hiring the right employees, being loyal to the right vendors, and treating customers as the real CEO.
  


• Ted Fang said when acquiring new clients, it is important to bring someone with you to meetings, so you can play up each others strengths and subject matter expertise.
  


• Rick Gutierrez encouraged everyone to always be networking and not to always hang with the same people. Meet new people and circles and find their center of influence who may be able to introduce you to a business lead or contact.
  


• Brenda Kwee McNulty said she uses LinkedIn to research people to find more about their roles because titles can sometimes be misleading.
  


• Bob Linscheid discussed how the SF Chamber of Commerce is the city’s largest business network and how it serves as a great opportunity for many professionals to build connections.
  

Special thanks to the evening’s sponsors: Recolgy, Sugar Bowl Bakery and venue host PwC. Community partners for the event included: Asian American Bar Association of Greater Bay Area, Asian, Inc., Chinese Real Estate Association of America, Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, Nakayoshi Young Professionals, Small Business Administration – SF District Office, SF Asian Professionals Meetup, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Taiwanese American Professionals – SF,  and theYoung Filipino Professionals Association For 35 year’s ABL-SF’s mission has been to INSPIRE, CONNECT and ENGAGE leaders within the Asian American/Pacific Islander business community. For more info on upcoming events or to become a member, visit: www.ablsf.org.

For more event photos, click here.