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However, that balance heavily teeters toward the American side as first generations become second and third generations. Their love and devotion for the United States and Henrico County grows as they find success in business and doors of opportunity open for their children.
“The reason so many Asians love this country is they have seen the other side of the coin,” says Tinh Phan, chairman of the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce and owner of four businesses, including international import/export and property management companies. “This is now their home, and they want to hang on to that.”
According to the 2000 census, there were 9,451 Asians in Henrico County, or 3.6 percent of the population. The top three ethnicities were Asian Indian (2,560), Chinese (1,918) and Vietnamese (1,814). According to Phan’s three-year-old organization, 2,456 Asian businesses were based in the Metro Richmond area as of 2004. Vietnamese (636), Korean (567) and Asian Indian (476) ranked as the top three. In Virginia, there were 22,441 Asian businesses in 2004. These businesses range from restaurants to retail stores to law firms to IT companies.
Phan says his organization has about 45-50 members from Henrico County, and each member is an independent business. “Most of our members are first-generation businesses,” says Phan, who came to the United States from Vietnam in 1975 with his wife and four children. “But they are family businesses, so they are likely to be passed to other generations.”
Asians possess an entrepreneurial spirit because that’s the way of their old country. Many come from countries that did not have the same corporate opportunities as the United States, and the only way to a better life was to build a business. Asian businesses are unique in that they are not started or run the same way as many traditional American companies. Many Asians do not believe in the banking system. They would rather use saved money than borrow from banks to start or expand a business.
“Asians don’t like to take an aggressive role,” Phan says. “Again, that’s how businesses are run in their old country. It can be good or bad. Usually businesses don’t grow very fast or are slow in starting. But the overall picture shows they are doing well.”
The following are just three of many stories from Asian Americans who have moved to Henrico County, assimilated to the new culture around them while holding fast to the beloved traditions of their old one, and built a business from scratch. These stories reveal a determination to make a better life.
When Adish Jain first arrived in the United States in 1978, finding good Indian food was a big concern. He was lucky that he lived with his uncle. Jain never had to search far to get a taste of his homeland.
Jain came to America on an immigration visa from Delhi, India, where he studied mechanical engineering. “I always planned to come over here,” Jain says. “I wanted to raise a family in America.”
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