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Bridging Gaps within Inequities through Dialogue, New Concepts, & Policies

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Examining how immigrant entrepreneurship has contributed to the economic growth of Philadelphia over the past four decades and exploring strategies to build on those contributions in the decades to come.

Where Global is Local

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Yvonne Boye is the Deputy Commerce Director, Office of Neighborhood Economic Development, Department of Commerce. The Office of Neighborhood Economic Development funds community-based organizations and creates programs that address the needs of historically disadvantaged entrepreneurs and their businesses in Philadelphia.

Yvonne Boye

Deputy Commerce Director, Office of Neighborhood Economic Development, Department of Commerce.

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Lee Nentwig is a Commercial Corridor Manager at New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC). He assists small business owners in the Kensington, Port Richmond and Fishtown neighborhoods of Philadelphia by organizing promotional activities and events, connecting entrepreneurs to technical assistance programs, helping business owners access capital and grant opportunities, and helping them navigate city services. Nentwig also supports a team of Commercial Corridor Cleaning Ambassadors at NKCDC and contributes articles to Kensington Voice highlighting the experiences, resilience and ingenuity of small business owners in Kensington.

Lee Nentwig

Commercial Corridor Manager, NKCDC

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Haoyi Shang manages the small business development program, Taking Care of Business cleaning team and commercial corridor revitalization projects at PCDC. She organizes Chinatown events including Night Market, Summer Festival and Chinese New Year celebration. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Political Science and Urban Studies and Planning and earned her Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Haoyi Shang

Commercial Corridor Manager, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation

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Sunny Phanthavong is the owner of Vientiane Bistro at 2537 Kensington Ave. The restaurant serves an authentic mix of Lao and Thai cuisine and is a sister operation to Vientiane Café, a restaurant opened in West Philadelphia by Phanthavong’s mother, Daovy Phanthavong, back in 2001. The Phanthavong family began their business serving homemade Lao food out of the family’s backyard when Sunny was a young child. By the time Sunny was 10 years old, she and her sister Manny were helping their mother cook and manage the business. Vientiane Bistro was opened in 2018 in Kensington, where Sunny’s husband, Kong Tieu, was raised.

Sunny Phanthavong

Owner of Vientiane Bistro

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Ying Jing has been cutting and styling hair for over ten years in the Philadelphia area. She opened Artiva Hair Salon in August of 2013 on the corner of 11th & Spring Street. As an immigrant and woman business owner, Ying brings a deep understanding of the unique challenges and rewards of running a small business.

Ying Jing

Owner of Artiva Hair Salon

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