Eileen Tu’s parents moved to the U.S. shortly after World War II, looking for a better life for themselves.
Her father came with $2,000 in his pocket seeking an education. He waited tables in New York City, trying to save as much money as he could to earn a degree. It worked; he ended up getting a PhD in chemistry
Tu’s mother, who was just 18 at the time, came from Hong Kong with her widowed mother. She finished high school here and did go to college in New York City. Tu’s mom and dad met in New York and they got married.
The family eventually opened a Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed and the family was forced to sell it. Tu, now the vice president of Mortgage Product Development and Credit Policy for Rocket Companies, recounted her family history as the keynote speaker at the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce’s annual Blood of the Dragon networking event because she wished her family had had an organization like APACC back then.
“When I think about what APACC does, they really could have used the help that this group provides to small businesses,” Tu said. “My parents didn’t have that luxury.”
The mission of APACC, which represents more than 30 Asian and Asian-Pacific countries, is to facilitate business relationships and promote economic advancement by fostering strong business partnerships for businesses with roots in Asian heritage.
Blood of the Dragon is an event created to provide business owners and leaders an opportunity to do just that.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate and include culture and business together,” said Duc Abrahamson, APACC’s executive director. “We want to make sure we’re introducing the multi-facets of the Asian culture. It kind of rounds out the year … prepares everybody to finish off the year on a good note and plan for next year.
“I think with the economy and everybody kind of waiting and seeing, they’re worried about what’s happening and they’re just, ‘Is there a recession coming? What are the companies and the businesses in the room? What are their expectations and what are they doing?” she added. “I think a lot of the conversations are like, ‘Hey, how was your year? What are your plans for next year? What do you guys see? What is the forecast going?’”
Cheng Lu, president of NuTech R&D Advisory, a relationship‑driven accounting and tax firm specializing in R&D tax credits, fractional CFO services, and strategic tax planning for small and mid‑sized technical businesses, left the accounting firm Rehmann to start NuTech in July.
He said starting his own business gave him “room to grow and help clients as a small business owner, and his connection to APACC, where he’s a board member, has given him the ability to meet scores of other business owners.
Lu attended his first Blood of the Dragon event 10 years ago and “fell in love with APACC.” He’s been a supporter ever since.
