Time: 8:00AM to 4PM
Place: CUNY Graduate Center
Concourse Level
365 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan
Free Admission
Rennie Alston, a licensed Customhouse Broker, has provided services as a professional educator on topics such as import regulations and documentation, Customs entry preparation, Customs brokerage license preparation and export compliance at the World Trade Institute at Pace University for more than twenty years. In 1990, he served as the International Import Manager for the Wilson Group. Rennie was named the National Customs Brokerage Advisor for Nippon Express USA inc., where he served for nearly a decade providing national Customs regulatory expertise to over twenty-two national brokerage operational facilities. He has offered several papers and written pieces on import and export trade over the past ten years.
In 1995, he became the CEO/President of the Alston Group International Trade Consultants, a private international trade management and development firm specializing in educational services and consultation. Through auspices from the Academy for Educational Development in Washington, D.C., he has provided training to the Customs agencies of Armenia and the Republic of Georgia, India, Nepal, Brazil, and Guyana on U.S. Customs Regulations and Procedures.
Rennie is an accomplished author publishing advanced literature on Import and Export Compliance issues. He has provided professional services in international trade for the past twenty-three years. His career began in 1980 at United Customs Inc., providing Customs brokerage field services. He is currently a senior vice president of American River International and President of American River Brokerage Services, Ltd.
Allie Baldarassi is a Senior Loan Officer at Bank of America. Ms. Baldarassi has been involved in the loan business for over 10 years, and has closed over 500 million in loans during her career. Her specialty is in Co-Ops, Condos, Townhomes, Single Family Homes and new construction.
Larissa Buerano is a current resident of Staten Island, NY. She started her own State Farm Agency in October 2008, offering insurance for auto, home, life & health as well as financial products such as vehicle loans, mortgages, and deposit products. Within 4 months, she became the fastest growing agent on Staten Island in terms of new production. Larissa is a second generation State Farm agent, following the footsteps of her father.
Prior to State Farm Insurance, Larissa worked for JPMorgan Chase’s commercial banking division, Midtown Manhattan. Her primary role was to analyze small to mid-sized businesses ($10 million to $500 million in revenue) and provide them with financial products and support. Larissa is a cum laude graduate of Georgetown University in Washington DC, where she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Savio S. Chan is a pre-eminent expert on doing business in China. He serves as President and CEO of US China Partners Inc., a privately held business development firm specializing in Market Entry, Strategic Sourcing and Marketing Development in China for U.S. companies, and facilitates local and cross-border joint ventures among leading Chinese multinationals as well as Fortune 1000 companies.
Savio is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at business and technology events including the American Express Minority Small Business Seminars, and the e-Business Conference and Expo, co-organized by BusinessWeek and InformationWeek. Among his many awards and recognitions are :the “40 Under 40″ Business Leader Award , and Top 10 Movers and Shakers on Long Island, Top 100 Most Influential and in 2007, ExecuLeaders presented him a special award in the category of International Business Leadership.
Savio, started his career in international marketing and business with his studies at Baruch/CUNY. He has been featured in numerous industry and trade success profiles, including articles in The New York Times, Chief Executive Magazine, and InformationWeek. He serves as Vice Chairman of ITP China and is the president of the Northeast Chapter of US Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce, the largest Pan Asian Chamber in the country, senior advisor for the Outsourcing Institute, on the boards of Executive Council of New York and Association of Commerce, Industry and Technology (ACIT). Savio also hosts the PBS syndicated TV show, Asian America, sponsored by Wal-Mart.
Stephen Chen is a financial services professional and expert in creating platforms for innovation.
Stephen is the former Vice President of Business Strategy at Bear Stearns where he helped launch BearXplorer, an award-winning international hedge fund software company. BearXplorer was a macroeconomics analytics platform that helped asset managers quantify the impact of economic shifts on their portfolios. It was named Best Risk Analytics Initiative of the Year by the American Financial Technology Awards in 2006 and Buy Side Innovation of the Year by The Banker in 2007.
Stephen is also the cofounder of GreenSoul Shoes, a charitable 100% recycled shoe company. It is a platform built on public private partnerships that has created a network of local shoemakers, orphanages, and large NGOs to donate one pair of shoes for every pair sold. By identifying local shoemakers in communities of shoeless kids, GreenSoul Shoes is using a market-based restoration model to provide microfinancing opportunities for Third World entrepreneurs while shoeing their community’s youths.
He has spoken at Yale, Brown, NYU, and Columbia University on topics of social entrepreneurship and technology platforms. He has been covered by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC and NBC.
Elizabeth Cho is a Licensed Real Estate Sales Associate for AC Lawrence & Company – Real Estate. Having lived and traveled all over the United States, Asia and Europe, Elizabeth carries a vast knowledge of cultural diversity. She has closed a record number of deals and was named number agent in February 2010. She speaks Korean fluently and English masterfully. She received her Bachelors of Business Administration, double majoring in both International Business and Marketing from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Among her many interests ranging from music to athletics, she is a long distance runner and tri-athlete who loves to train in her free time.
After moving to New York, Elizabeth fell in love with the energy and all of the great opportunities it had to offer. With over ten years of experience in the hospitality industry, her ability to listen and understand people’s needs make her a great fit for the real estate market.
Charles Dugan is a Vice President in TD Bank’s Global Trade Finance Department. He joined the bank’s predecessor, Commerce Bank in June 2005, bringing an extensive background in trade finance and banking. He has 16 years of experience working with small and medium sized exporting companies in the New York metro, upstate New York and western Pennsylvania markets. Earlier in his banking career, Charles lived, worked and traveled extensively in Africa, the Middle East and Mediterranean. He joined Irving Trust Company in 1982, where he remained for eight years, including several years based in Bahrain. Prior to joining TD Bank, Charles completed a twelve year career at JPMorgan Chase Bank.
Charles has BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University. He began his international career as a Peace Corps Volunteer, in Tunisia (1976-1978) where he built public drinking wells in rural areas.
Delvis Estrada is a Licensed Real Estate Sales Associate for AC Lawrence & Company – Real Estate. Estrada has lived his whole life in the NYC area, experiencing all of the amazing things NYC has to offer. Growing up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Estrada worked at his family’s restaurant in midtown Manhattan during the summer months. He has sold a record number of properties in NYC and is a rising star in NYC real estate.
Estrada worked as a professional in the financial industry for the past 30 years and is also an investor in a multi-tenant apartment house and a vacation rental property in Windham, NY. Helping people is Estrada’s heart and sole of his life. He loves to volunteer and together with his son, an Eagle Scout, he has completed the MS 150 mile bike tour twice to Montauk. During his spare time he is also active in his local community as a board member helping to make life better for all. Years of experience in the financial industry makes Estrada an asset to A.C. Lawrence clients. He works in all capacities and provides an experience that will last a lifetime.
Amy B. Goldsmith, Esq., is a Principal of Gottlieb, Rackman & Reisman, P.C.. Ms. Goldsmith is involved in all areas of litigation, prosecution, and licensing regarding trademarks, copyrights, and patents, and she has extensive litigation experience.
Ms. Goldsmith protects the global interests of both national and international clients in a variety of industries, including pet products, telecommunications, publishing, and consumer and designer goods such as jewelry, eyewear, and apparel. She has a specialized background in genetics and is a member of the New York City and American Bar associations. She served as co-managing editor of the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal.
Ms. Goldsmith is a frequent lecturer on intellectual property topics at Pratt Institute in New York City, and she is the author of several articles pertaining to intellectual property for Tableware Today magazine.
Yan Li Jiang is a Loan Consultant at Accion USA working to provide access to capital and financial education to low and moderate income individuals. A recognized leader in U.S. microfinance, AUSA empowers individuals to create sustainable businesses, increase family incomes, and contribute to the economic development of cities across the U.S., including the metropolitan New York and New Jersey region. Prior to joining Accion USA, Yan Li Jiang, interned for both Women’s World Banking and Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence. She contributed to the fundraising efforts for a network of international microfinance institutions and making financial education assessable for women entrepreneurs. Yan Li Jiang is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University with a degree in Economics.
Rajeev Kaul, CPA has over 25 years of experience in tax and accounting. In addition to being a Certified Public Account licensed in the State of New York, Rajeev is also a Chartered Accountant in India. He is a principal in the NYC based firm of Rajeev Kaul CPA P.C. with a client roster that includes Fortune 100 companies, major financial institutions as well as medium and small businesses. The firm represents clients throughout the United States.
Rajeev serves as a Board Member of the Northeast Regional Chapter of the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce among other organizations. Rajeev earned his MBA in Finance from St. John’s University.
Susan Kim is a Vice President of Retail Banking at Capital One Bank developing business and personal relationships in the Tri-State area in Retail and Commercial Areas. Ms. Kim joined North Fork Bank in 2003, which is now Capital One Bank N.A. Prior to that, worked several years for another major bank in Manhattan ,Fleet Bank N.A. In addition to a career in the financial sector, Ms. Kim has worked for famous Pop artist Peter Max and as as a freelance reporter covering people like the Mayor of New York City to events such as the World Series & Super Bowl.
Ms. Kim is a Member of the Board of (USPACC) US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce, a not-for-profit representing all Asian Americans to promote, nurture and propel economic growth by opening doors to contracts, and developing educational and professional opportunities for Asian Americans and their business partners in corporate America and government agencies.
Ms. Kim is also a member of (KACF) Korean Community Foundation a not-for-profit which provides support for underserved Korean American social service agencies often serving as the first source of outside funding. She is an active member of (AWIB) Asian Women in Business, a not-for-profit assisting Asian women entrepreneurs and promotes the inclusion of minority and women owned business and professionals. Ms. Kim is a graduate of Baruch College with a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communications. She is a native New Yorker.
Simon Lee is the Branch Manager of China Trust Bank on 8th Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Lee has been in the banking industry for 20 years of which more than 10 years was spent in Small Business Lending. He has previously worked for major banking companies such as Chase, HSBC, and community banks such as East West Bank and China Trust Bank.
Shirley Leung is the Economic Development Director at the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Leung has spent most of her 10 year career working directly with small and minority-owned businesses. Her expertise lies in consulting SMEs to access state and local government programs, marketing to the agencies, as well as project management.
Shirley Leung is the Director for Cornerstone Financial Corp. where she works to identify and evaluate investment opportunities and provide due diligence covering various industries. From 2002 to 2007, Shirley Leung was the Director of Queens County for the Empire State Development Corporation, served as the liaison for the New York State Economic Development Agency, with business, trade associations and governmental agencies in NYS and NYC. Prior to joining ESDC, Shirley was the Director for U.S. China Chamber of Commerce, New York where she lead to build the programs between U.S. and China trade/investment exchange and the development of the organization.
Man-Li Kuo Lin is the Business Development Specialist at U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), New York District Office. Her service area covers Queens County, Rockland County and the Asian communities, business owners and business organizations in 14 New York counties. Prior to joining the SBA employment, she worked as an Employment Services Representative in the NYS Department of Labor Employment Services Division. She established the Asian Job Service Employer Committee (Asian JSEC) in 2004 providing employment services and government policy educational programs to employers.
Ms. Lin is the principal of the Families Adopt Children from China (FCC) Long Island Chinese School. She is the author of The Resume Writing and Interview Skills, The 214 Radicals of Chinese Characters, Adult Chinese Conversation Textbook I, II, and III, Children Chinese Reading Book I, II, and III”, and English Phonics. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Literature and Education from National Taiwan University, a, Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language and Master’s degree in Management Engineering , from Long Island University C.W. Campus, 1991.
Chunyee Miot is a Certified Public Accountant whose firm provides tax and accounting services to individuals and businesses.
Prior to establishing her own firm, she worked for 10 years, with public accounting firms in New York City and Long Island. She is also a former business advisor at the Small Business Development Center at LaGuardia Community College/ CUNY where she counseled individuals on starting a business; and existing businesses on getting financing and developing marketing plans.
She is a frequent speaker in seminars and workshops to educate individuals and business owners about tax and financial matters for such organizations as Asian Women In Business. Chunyee Miot holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Baruch College/CUNY.
Joyce Moy is the Executive Director of the Asian American/ Asian Research Institute. She was the first Asian American director of a NYS Small Business Development Center. Her area of expertise is entrepreneurship and economic development. She has taught business law and taxation at Queens College, the CUNY School of Law, and at Cornell University School of Law. She is a former practicing attorney with over 15 years experience in corporate law, franchising, taxation and commercial areas. She recently served on the NYS Governor’s Taskforce on Small Business and currently co-chairs the NYC Comptroller’s Taskforce on Community Benefit Agreements.
Daniel Sung Park is the Founder, President & CEO of eclaro International. eclaro International is a business and technology services provider; whose mission is to provide the knowledge base that our clients rely on to deliver on their commitments and drive business success. eclaro International provides a variety of services, including business process/functional consulting, staff augmentation, professional services consulting, vendor management services and custom application development. eclaro International’s clients range from midsized firms, to some of the largest technology firms in the world.
Eclaro International has won numerous distinctions such as: 2007 Class III national supplier of the year by National Minority Supplier Development Council. 2007 Class III supplier of the year NY/NJ Minority Supplier Development Council. 2006 Top Diversity Business by DiversityBusiness.com 4 years running, 2004 Class II supplier of the year NY/NJ Minority Supplier Development Council, and 2004 Class II national supplier of the year finalist National Minority Supplier Development Council.
Mr. Park was recognized as the 2005 Asian Entrepreneur of the Year for High Technology by Asian Enterprise Magazine.
Prior to founding eclaro International, Mr. Park was an analyst at Merrill Lynch. He holds a BA from Rutgers University and an MBA in Finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business of New York University.
Mr. Park is the 2nd Vice Chair of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC). As 2nd Vice Chair, Mr. Park provides informal guidance and mentorship to the West Coast chapters of the MBEIC from Washington to California. Mr. Park serves on the prestigious NMSDC Corporation of the Year selection committee. The committee consists of a 9 member panel that annually selects the Fortune 1000 company with the best supplier diversity program.
Mr. Park is the Chairperson of MBEIC for the local New York chapter. The New York and New Jersey MBEIC is a collective of minority business owners, whose mission is to help the greater New York/New Jersey minority business community grow and expand by providing counsel and specific program recommendations.
Mr. Park has worked with World Vision, which helps restore and develop poor communities around the world. Mr. Park was part of a team that worked to restore two communities in Uganda, Africa, one of which Mr. Park visited and is considered to be the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. The project is scheduled to last 15 years, initially bringing clean water and eventually establishing commerce in these Ugandan communities, so that they would be self sustaining. The project will also educate and implement AIDS prevention strategies to decrease the mortality rate in Uganda
Mr. Park is also an active Board Member of Joy Christian Fellowship, an Asian American Church in Tenafly NJ. As a board member, Mr. Park has helped oversee the distribution of over $1,200,000 in charitable contributions to support missionaries and mission organizations in over 10 countries, including China, India, Philippines and South East Asia.
Brian Schwartz is Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs, Professor of Physics, and co-director of the New Media Lab at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Throughout his scientific career as a researcher at MIT and CUNY, and through his many public lectures and his contributions to the professional society of physicists, Professor Schwartz has focused on the communication and celebration of science.
Brian Schwartz obtained his undergraduate degree from City College of New York and his Ph.D. degree from Brown University in 1963 in the field of superconductivity. Dr. Schwartz has edited 8 books and published more than 120 articles in refereed journals. He has presented hundreds of invited talks on his research as well as on topics in education and the communication of science to the public.
Christina Seid is co-owner of the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory in New York City, one of Chinatown’s oldest and most well-known businesses. Her ice cream has received international praise and accolades, and was voted best ice cream in NYC by Citysearch since 2005. She received her BA from the University of Rochester in psychology and an MA in education from Queens College.
Christina is an Asian American advocate, and is well-known in the Chinatown for her community involvement. She recently published her first children’s book Saturdays in Chinatown; selling hundreds within its first month. Despite her youth, Christina has also been noted for her business acumen both in local and international press. In her free time, Christina enjoys cooking, golf, reading, and pastry classes.
Lene Skou is the Deputy Director of the Weissman Center for International Business and adjunct professor of business law at Baruch College. Ms. Skou joined the Center in October 2000. Prior to working at the Weissman Center, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Richard W. Goldberg of the U.S. Court of International Trade and senior trade policy analyst for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Ms. Skou earned her J.D. from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and has an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in New York State. Ms. Skou is a member of the board of the Financial Women’s Association and a member of the board of the Asian American Asian Research Institute of the City University of New York.
Paul Taravella is an Industrial Specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration Government Contracting Division. Being attached to the Area I Office which covers the geographic area from Maine to New Jersey, he is responsible for executing three primary program areas designed to aid the small business community in receiving maximum opportunity to compete for federal government procurement dollars. These program areas are the Certificate of Competency Program, the Subcontracting Program and the formal size determination program. He brings over 25 years experience in this area. Mr. Taravella holds an MBA in International Business from Baruch College of CUNY and a BA in Economics from Queens College.
Darren Wan is a co-founding partner of Red Egg. Born and raised in a restaurant family, Wan developed his understanding of the restaurant industry through the example of his father David Wan. Prior to opening Red Egg in June of 2008, Darren was an International equity analyst for a major investment management company located in Boston and has focused his most recent professional career in business development where he has been an integral part of growing and expanding small companies in a variety of industries such as fashion design and retail as well as general construction.
Wan earned his B.S. in Finance and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University and his MBA in Strategic Management and Finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Brian Yeung is a business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at York College. With over 10 years of diversified experience and expertise in small businesses development, Brian focuses on small business counseling, business plan development, and business financing. Entrepreneurs assisted by Brian include the 2007 NYS SBDC Minority Entrepreneur of The Year and the 2005 NYS SBDC Start Up Company of The Year. His clients also include the 2001 Queens Success Story – World Trade Center Disaster Small Business Recovery Loan and the 2008 Queens Success Business of the Year.
Prior to becoming a business advisor, Brian was a loan officer at the Abacus Federal Savings Bank, a small community bank in New York City’s Chinatown. Brian holds a M.B.A. in Computer Information System from Baruch College, and a B.S. in Business Management and Finance from Brooklyn College. In addition to his full time duties as a business advisor, Brian is an adjunct lecturer for the teaching business management and marketing in the York College Accounting and Business Department . Brian is a member of the Queens Chamber of Commerce Minority Business Development Committee.
Disclaimer: The information provided at this conference is for educational purposes only, and in no way represents legal, financial or tax advice. Individuals are advised to consult their attorneys, or other professionals for guidance.
