
I am reminiscing about old times, they were in many ways very different times. Tampa was a small city. The primary reason for starting the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce was a realization that while we had many ethnic organizations such as Gujarati Samaj, Indian Doctors Association,(at that time called AAPSA) at present called FAPI, and many others. There was a need to bring the emerging vibrant Indian Business Community together as a Chamber of Commerce.
During our discussions, it became very clear that Indian Business enterprises were being guided into higher orbits by our younger generation, especially in the IT Boom. Indian owned Businesses had just started to grow into areas that had so far not been accessible to us. Growing from small Mom & Pop Motels into brand name Hotels, IT employs becoming emerging IT Companies, and small Medical Practices growing into Healthcare businesses.
We could feel that our young and energetic next generation, which grew up in the US and felt part of the local fabric, needed an anchor, a guide, and a body to deliberate the risks and rewards that come with any business especially in a free market economy so that they might both learn and teach something to the established enterprises. Thus was born the Into-US Chamber of Commerce.
I think our Chamber has delivered beyond my imagination and we are proud of its achievements.