124 www.blackeoejournal.com Black EOE Journal

CONFERENCE WRAP-UPS

D

iverse businesses across industries gathered and joined Fortune 1000 corporations, government agencies and large nonprofits at the recent Innovation Symposium held October 25-26, 2022 at The Bethesdan Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland, to explore business opportuni- ties and discuss cutting-edge ways to adapt and thrive in the post-pan- demic marketplace. Presented by the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC), one of the highlights of the sym- posium was the CIO & CTO Forum where top tech executives from Hilton, Monumental Sports, Nationwide, Trane Technologies, Virginia Tech and Wireless Infrastructure Association shared in-depth and sub- stantive thoughts on the state of technology across industries, its outlook and opportunities for small and diverse businesses. Experts and executives from Apple, Bristol Myers Squibb, Mass Mutual and Meta also participated in other panels along with speakers from Ampcus, Mirapath, RCI Technologies, Softpath System, Southern California Edison, supplier.io, TalTeam, Uber, Virginia Tech, Walmart and more. The two-day symposium kicked off with the Chamber Leadership Alliance training and discussion of the history of business certification, the impact of supplier diversity and the value and collective power of all the national level organizations that represent todays diverse and minority groups. Speakers and participants included Wells Fargo, SBA, USHCC, USBC, WEConnect International, Disability:IN, NVBDC, NGLCC and USPAACC. At the Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG) Caucus, partici- pants discussed the role of evolving EBRG in building corporate cul- ture - a timely roundtable on how forward-thinking companies leverage diversity, inclusion and equity to achieve robust growth. At the Whats Your Pitch Innovation Competition, a program cre- ated by USPAACC in 2017 to discover new and exciting upstart innova- tors who could be the next big thing to disrupt the marketplace, win- ners were selected from a group of shortlisted finalists from across the country. Women in Tech: Women Empowering Women, a forum that featured executive leaders and business owner panelists, delved into giving voice to Asian American women in business to meet, develop skills, make con- nections and grow together.

USPAACC's Innovation Symposium Shines Spotlight on Technology and Opportunity

A luncheon, reception, dinner and exhibition were also held where participants had the opportunity to create meaningful business connec- tions with industry leaders and top-caliber Pan Asian American enter- prises through the exchange of innovative ideas, best practices and cut- ting-edge tools required to innovate their business. For more information, visit uspaacc.com and innovationsym.org.

USPAACC