Lar Kong Xiong (inset) represents the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce in an office housed inside the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 101 N. Farwell St. (Submitted photos)

As of this spring, Hmong entrepreneurs in the Chippewa Valley and beyond have a new resource to help them launch, maintain, and expand their businesses: The Milwaukee-based Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce recently opened several satellite offices across the state, including one in Eau Claire.

The Eau Claire office, which shares space with the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce at 101 N. Farwell St., will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday, May 24, from 3-6pm.

The organization will be represented in the region by Lar Kong Xiong, a business development specialist who has operated several businesses of his own.

Xiong is an Eau Claire native, a graduate of both North High School and Chippewa Valley Technical College, and former owner of Joe Bee Enterprise, a small manufacturing company, and Pan Asia Kitchen, a former restaurant on Birch Street.

“This opportunity came up, and I felt like there’s a need that I can go out and help out the community members here in Eau Claire, to see their struggles from my point of view because I’ve been in those shoes before,” Xiong said.

Founded in Milwaukee in the early 2000s, the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce began expanding statewide in the past few years, in part with the help of state funding via the American Rescue Plan Act. (The state distributed millions in ARPA pandemic-recovery funds to organizations like the Hmong chamber that serve traditionally underrepresented groups.)

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I feel like (the Hmong chamber) really can help these types of businesses in our area, especially if they’re going through what I went through.

LAR KONG XIONG

HMONG WISCONSIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Xiong has been working for the Hmong chamber for a few months, and moved into an office in the Eau Claire chamber building a month ago. The group has also opened satellite offices in Wausau, Appleton, and Green Bay.

The Hmong chamber is certified as a Community Development Financial Institution, which means it provides affordable business lending resources and well as business development assistance to traditionally underserved communities. In addition to financial resources – including grants and access to a revolving loan fund – the organization also provides business workshops, one-on-one business consultation, networking events, and advocacy on behalf of Hmong, Asian American, and other underserved communities.

While “Hmong” is front and center in the organization’s name, Xiong explained that it can serve not only Hmong and other Asian American business owners but also other underserved entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds.

Xiong is the son of the late Joe Bee Xiong, a businessman, community leader, and onetime member of the Eau Claire City Council. In fact, the elder Xiong was the first Hmong American elected to public office in the United States.

Xiong was an owner of the former Pan Asia Kitchen in Eau Claire. Restaurants were among the first businesses opened by Hmong entrepreneurs in the Chippewa Valley. (File photo by Andrea Paulseth)

The first wave of Hmong immigrants who came to the Eau Claire area in the late 1970s and early 1980s included entrepreneurs who opened grocery stories and restaurants, while newer generations of Hmong business owners have branched out and launched everything from chiropractic clinics to auto shops to e-commerce businesses.

While all entrepreneurs encounter challenges, Xiong said that Hmong businesspeople may also face language barriers, a lack of understanding of business terms, and difficulty in explaining to traditional lenders the kind of culturally specific products they want to import or market.

“It was tough to find help,” Xiong said, referring to his own experiences as a business owner. “I found a few resources, but it always went to a dead end. I didn't know where to go after that. … I feel like (the Hmong chamber) really can help these type of businesses in our area, especially if they’re going through what I went through.”

For example, the Hmong chamber can help Hmong entrepreneurs learn how to make business plans and financial projections, while also connecting them with other agencies, such as the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, that can assist them.

And while the Hmong chamber is new to the Eau Claire area, Xiong said it has already been able to help businesses – including a restaurant, a nail salon, and an alteration shop – obtain help through a grant program.

“I’m overwhelmed with the amount of people calling in and asking for help and support,” he said.

To learn more about the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, visit hmongchamber.org. You can also reach Lar Kong Xiong, the group’s business development specialist in Eau Claire, at larkong@hmongchamber.org or (715) 318-8806.