INDO-US In The News

Tampa Bay Business Journal - March 7, 2007

Doing business in China is a hot business topic given recent world market fluctuations - and it’s also part of the focus of an upcoming all-day international business forum in Tampa Bay.

The Asian American Chambers of Commerce of Tampa Bay will host its third annual Business Forum on Saturday, March 17.

The AACC is comprised of Tampa’s Indo-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce, Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay and other business professionals. This year’s forum is titled “How to do Business with India and China.”

As in past years, the forum will feature an entrepreneurial success panel.

Speakers on the panel will include Holland and Knight Partner Jeffrey L. Rubinger, former Dayhoff President Uday Lele, Reliance Consulting Managing Partner Amol Nirgudkar, and Rafael Bona, Bona Financial Group chief executive officer. The forum will also feature several prominent speakers who have successful businesses in India and in China, but reside in Tampa Bay, a release said.

The goal for 2007 was to choose topics that would attract the broader Tampa Bay business community, said AACC President and Indo-U.S. Chairman Santosh Govindaraju in a release.

The AACC Business Forum is open to the public and is scheduled to take place at the Philippine Bayanihan Arts & Events Center located at 14301 Nine Eagles Drive in Tampa. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the activities conclude at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10.

More information is available online.

Tampa Bay Business Journal - March 2, 2007
by Michael Hinman
Staff Writer

Courtesy of WEDU
Jaseline Johnson, right, speaks with Adrien Edwards, left, from Tea2greens.com and Rachel Cantor of RC Associates on the program ‘Small Business Academy.’
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TAMPA — Media consultant and television producer Jaseline Johnson believes she has the newest tool for entrepreneurs.

Using the name Jill Isaac, Johnson hosts the half-hour program “Small Business Academy” on public television station WEDU. Designed to present entrepreneurial strategy straight from those with experience, the show has featured a wide variety of guests from the famous such as “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” winner Dawna Stone to the fascinating such as Kimberly Ibasfalean, who operates Captain Kim’s Boat Rides & Charters.

“There are just some interesting dynamics out there that the public are not exposed to,” Johnson said. “There are not that many shows that focus on small business. Even when you tune in to CNBC, they only recently started to focus on these areas. The media tends to steer the wrong way about covering larger corporations and not small businesses, and that’s a mistake.”

“Small Business Academy” typically airs the fourth Thursday of each month with an encore presentation the following Sunday. The program, one of WEDU’s first local programs produced in high definition, is underwritten by Raymond James Financial (NYSE: RJF).

WEDU also airs another monthly business show called “Suncoast Business Forum” hosted by Geoff Simon that focuses more on larger corporations, something that complements “Small Business Academy,” said Ellyne Lonergan, WEDU’s VP of programming and production.

Covering home-grown adviceBorn and raised in Toronto, Johnson has built a career in television production, spending a good part of the 1990s in Asia. She moved to the United States a few years ago, settling in New York to complete her master’s in diplomacy and international affairs at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy before moving to St. Petersburg.

When she isn’t involved in television production, Johnson is an adjunct faculty instructor with the University of Tampa, teaching intercultural communications.

“This is a thriving business community, just as good as any other business city in the United States,” Johnson said. “People don’t realize that we do know what we’re doing here, and there’s a lot of good advice out there for people trying to do this.”

Hillsborough County’s Small Business Information Center also sees the need for advice.

“There is a lack of reality people have sometimes on what it really takes to start a business,” said Beth Calhoun, community services coordinator. “That includes financially, their startup costs, trying to reach customers. Many times they are not fully aware of who their competition is.”

The center provides a number of programs to educate soon-to-be and existing small and minority-owned businesses.

mhinman@bizjournals.com | 813.342.247