Relive the 14th Annual Internal Study Mission!
The Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce (SacAsian Chamber) held the 14th Annual Internal Study Mission (ISM) on Thursday October 20, 2021. This year was the first year since 2019 that the event was held in person, and the theme was “Navigating Change with Intentional Design.” The conversations and site visits throughout the day focused on the regional changes taking place, and how these changes are mindfully designed to improve our overall region.
The event kicked off at 8:00 a.m. at Solomon’s in Downtown Sacramento. Attendees met to grab breakfast and coffee and connect with one another before boarding the buses. The second stop of the day was Esther’s Park in Oak Park, which has an extensive history in Sacramento. Here, the group was officially welcomed to the ISM by our ISM Committee Chair, Roshaun Davis, the Co-Founder of Unseen Heroes, and Co-Chair Delia Estrada, the Community Impact Manager – California Region at Comcast. The SacAsian Chamber’s President & CEO, Pat Fong Kushida, then gave remarks on the exciting return to an in-person format. Before the first panel, Didier Mponte, the Owner of Light & Water, led the group in a brief meditation session to set the tone for the day.
Next, guests experienced the first panel of the day, “The Future of Work: Designing a Career That Works for You.” Five local entrepreneurs and leaders chatted about how the modern workplace and social media have opened up unique new career paths. The panel moderator was Anette Smith, CEO of Impact Group Enterprises LLC and the speakers were Mac Clemmens, CEO of Streamline; Nicholas Haystings, Executive Director of Square Root Academy; Louis Stewart, Head of Strategic Initiatives, Developer Ecosystem at NVIDIA; and Rachel Zillner, Co-Founder and CFO at Clutch. When the conversation concluded, attendees gathered for a group photo and then boarded the buses for the next location.
The third site visit began at 1913Sac, a lounge and gathering place on Del Paso Boulevard. The owner, Candace Brooks, welcomed the group alongside Daniel Savala, the Executive Director of the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership. Daniel then led the group on a walking tour down Del Paso Boulevard, stopping at the former Bank of America building, which is currently undergoing renovations to become another Capsity Coworking location. There, the group heard from Dmitri Godamunne, the owner of Capsity, on what this project means for the Del Paso Boulevard area.
After the group had a chance to ask questions, Daniel continued to lead attendees down Del Paso Boulevard to view more of the neighborhood. For lunch, we headed back down the boulevard to the Sacramento Youth Center, where guests enjoyed pizzas and salad from King Cong Brewing Company. The second panel of the day, “Designing Healthy Communities: A Place-Based Framework Designed to Help Neighborhoods Get What They Deserve,” then took place.
The panel was moderated by Daniel and featured Candace, as well as Cong Nguyen, the Owner of King Cong Brewing Company, and Sam Greenlee, the Executive Director of Alchemist Community Development Corporation. These four community leaders addressed the needs and ongoing projects of the Del Paso Boulevard area and how their organizations hope to see the neighborhood evolve.
Attendees then boarded the buses to head to our final stop of the day, Tiger Restaurant & Lounge, located in Downtown Sacramento. Here, guests enjoyed appetizers and drinks while spending an hour networking. After the mixer hour, guests sat to hear remarks from Mayor Darrell Steinberg on how the changes around the Sacramento region are improving our community. Next, we heard Lightning Talks from six of the region’s business owners, local leaders, and entrepreneurs. This included: Michael Ault, Executive Director of Downtown Sacramento Partnership; Sonya Bradley, Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Visit Sacramento; Tony Christ, Partner & General Manager of Tiger Restaurant & Lounge; Andrea Lepore, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Solomon’s; Ryan Royster, Co-Founder and CEO of Last Supper Society; John Vignocchi, Founder & Managing Partner of Urban Capital LLC.
The Lightning Talks were followed by closing remarks from Roshaun, who officially concluded the 14th year of the ISM. Guests and speakers then spent some time networking and enjoying food and drinks before heading home.
Thank you to our generous sponsors, speakers, and attendees for their participation in this year’s ISM and for all you do to improve the Sacramento region!
See more photos from the event here.
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:
City of Sacramento, Clutch, Comcast, Crowe LLP, Dignity Health, Five Star Bank, Golden 1 Credit Union, Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard, Los Rios Community College District, Sacramento Area Council of Governments, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento State, SAFE Credit Union, Sierra Health Foundation, UC Davis/UC Davis Health, Union Bank