Organized by the Asian American Convenience Stores Association (AACSA), Indian American businessmen running convenience stores and gas stations shared their experiences and gave tips to each other on how [image-nocss] to avoid closure or being run out of business in this period of crisis, according to an Indo-Asian News Service report.
"As most of these stores are family run businesses, many of them have started themselves working at the stores and gas stations and laid off their employees," Satya Shaw, president AACSA told the news agency.
AACSA was founded in 2005 to fight alleged racial discrimination and racial profiling against Indian American convenience store owners in the wake of arrest of over 40 Indian Americans in Atlanta for allegedly selling substances that can be used as an ingredient for methamphetamine, a dangerous drug, according to the report.
In the three annual conventions since then, the AACSAnow having a membership of over 12,000, representing 20,000 stores and gas stationsconcentrated on educating its members on how to avoid such legal entanglement and protect themselves from theft and armed robbery, which has been a threat to them.
"This year, it is the current economic crisis and the drop in our business, which topped our agenda," Shaw said at the conclusion of the convention held in Tampa, Fla. "Income is down, because the volume (of trade) has dropped. Owners are going back to work themselves, to reduce the cost of operation.
"People (customers) have changed their habits due to rising prices. That is why demand has come down. Our business has dropped about 20% on an average," said Mahesh "Mike" Shah, who owns 100 gas stations and convenience stores in Florida and supplies 200 additional such stores.
"Obviously, when every business is hurtthe banking industry, real estate and new constructionwe can't remain untouched," he said.
And unlike the banking and auto sectors, Shah observed, convenience-store owners can't hope for a bailout package. "So, we have to work out our own way to overcome this," he said, hoping that things would improve in the next year and a half.
Michael Davis, vice president of NACS, praised the resilience of the Indian American convenience-store owners, who, according to him, know best how to survive under such adverse circumstances. "There is no town in America, without an Indian store owner," he said.
It is because of their resilience, Davis said, that he has hardly come across the closure of a convenience store owned by an Indian American. "They are excellent merchants and good negotiators," he said.
Meanwhile during the meeting, the apex bodies of Indian American physicians, and hotel, convenience-store and gas-station owners in the United States have decided to join hands to build influence to deal with common causes, according to a Thaindian News report.
The coalition includes AACSA, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA). This is the first time the three Indian American organizations have come together on one platform.
Racial profiling is one of the issues, which is common to all three of us, said Rajender Gupta, chairman of AAPI. We are hardworking, successful, but still face a lot of problem. Our coming together would help us overcome such problems.
Welcoming the decision, AACSA's Shaw said it would help the community have a strong and collective voice. Many of us do not realize the strength we have in big community and the impact of our community, he said. There is no hospital in America without an Indian doctor, there is no highway in America without Indian motel owners, and there is no town in America without an Indian store.
Leaders of the three bodies are expected to meet soon to elaborate on their plans of cooperation.
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