Ties That Bind - Bay Area Council Economic Institute

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Ties That Bind
the years, although it remains predominantly Chinese. Through seminars, conferences and social
gatherings, ABL-SF works to help members develop and enhance leadership and management
skills; meet and pursue new business opportunities; advocate on issues important to Asian
Americans; and learn about economic and market trends locally and internationally. ABL-SF
hosts two large annual events, an awards dinner focusing on Asian American community leadership
and achievement, and a Lunar New Year celebration. In 1999 the group established a mentorship
program for high school students. A separate Asian Business League chapter was established
independently in Silicon Valley in 1983.
Other Asian networks have a distinctly national or professional focus. AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean
of the School of Information Management Systems (SIMS) at UC Berkeley, has done extensive
research since 1994 on Chinese and Indian immigrant professional networks in Silicon Valley. In
a 1999 study, “Silicon Valley’s New Immigrant Entrepreneurs,” published by the Public Policy
Institute of California, Saxenian details—through interviews with founding members—the origins
of the Chinese Institute of Engineers (CIE) in 1979, and the Asian-American Manufacturers
Association (now the Asian-American MultiTechnology Association) in 1980.
CIE dates back to 1917, formed by a group of engineering graduates in the U.S. who had worked
for the railroad and other industries. In 1953, CIE-USA was established as a separate organization
in New York, with chapters nationwide formed beginning in 1977.
From 40 members in 1979, the Bay Area chapter now has more than 900. Among its initial
members were Lam Research founder David Lam, Recortec founder Lester Lee and eOn Communications
chairman David Lee. Lester Lee, Ta-Lin Hsu and W.I. Harper founder Peter Liu are
on CIE’s advisory board today.
CIE is, at its heart, a technical society. Establishment of a Bay Area chapter enabled members
with shared backgrounds an opportunity to connect socially and arrange events based on shared
professional interests. Specifically it was an alternative to the established, Cantonese-speaking
benevolent and business associations in San Francisco. AAMA was formed soon afterward, in
1980, by a small group of Chinese engineers at Recortec. It has grown from 21 members at its
first meeting to more than 1,100 today, representing some 800 companies. It had a more
ambitious mission, to:
� Foster business growth and networking
� Facilitate Pacific Rim business
� Facilitate management and leadership development
� Highlight the achievements of Asian-Americans
CIE and AAMA grew dramatically during the 1980s, with networking events—after-work mixers,
golf tournaments, job fairs, business development workshops and industry seminars—that
mixed business and social contacts. AAMA remains a leading transpacific professional organization
through its annual Connect Conference, bringing Silicon Valley and Asia-Pacific technology
professionals and venture investors together; an ongoing VC/entrepreneur program; a monthly
speaker series; and AAMA chapters in Beijing and Shanghai.