18th HWCC Business Awards
- Friday, October 11th, 2024
- TBD
- Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, Event Center, 1721 W Canal St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Save the Date!
For the largest AAPI business awards event in Wisconsin drawing in over 500+ people from around the state to celebrate AAPI entrepreneurs and professionals! This is an event you don’t want to miss!
Friday, October 11, 2024.
More information to come.
Event Information
Event Itinerary
TBA
Evening Attire
Business or cocktail attire is suggested
Parking – VERY IMPORTANT
There is a parking ramp available in the back of the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. Please refer to the parking guide. After parking the vehicle, head to the hotel skywalk where you will be directed to the event.
Casino Parking Structure:
Location: The primary parking facility for Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is a self-parking garage, conveniently located on the back of the Hotel property.
Access: You can enter the parking structure from West Canal Street or West Potawatomi Circle.
Cost: Parking is usually free for casino and hotel guests.
Accessibility: The parking structure is wheelchair accessible, and there are elevators to access the casino and hotel from the parking levels.
Date & Location
Friday, October 11th, 2024
Potawatomi Hotel & Casino
Event Center
1721 W Canal St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
HWCC’s 2023 Business Awardees
Business of the Year
This award identifies and recognizes an AAPI-owned business that has made a significant contribution to the community while supporting the economic growth of the community it serves by practicing great work ethics, processes, and systems at their business to provide quality service/products to their customers. Business must be an operational and profitable business for at least 3 years.
AN OX CAFE
AN OX CAFE was established in August 2018, located at 7411 W. Hampton Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53218. This full-service family-style restaurant offers Asian comfort food, including Lao, Hmong, and Thai dishes, in a relaxed atmosphere with background music from the 80s, 90s, and top 40 hits. Customers can choose to dine in the main seating area, the patio (weather permitting), or at the bar, all while enjoying sports and entertainment on numerous TVs. AN OX CAFE also hosts live music events, DJ nights, and karaoke. The building’s interior was designed to be accessible for everyone and features a low bar top and a doorless bathroom.
Located amidst a diverse community, AN OX CAFE has hosted various events, including meet and greets, weddings, and parties. The restaurant has also received recognition, including being featured in Milwaukee’s 40th-anniversary magazine, receiving the 2022 Mayor’s Design Award, and being chosen as a vendor at the Harley Davidson 120th Homecoming event. It has also garnered attention from notable figures such as Governor Tony Evers, Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and famous basketball players like Kevon Looney and Bobby Portis Jr., as well as hosting performances by Hmong artists and DJs.
Emerging Small Business of the Year
This award recognizes an AAPI-owned small business that has demonstrated significant growth and success in the areas of economics, job creation, and market demand. Business must be an operational and profitable business for at least 2 years.
Project Wise Consulting
Jodie Gardner and Mary Thao created ProjectWise Consulting, LLC, in December 2021 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. After spending 20+ years working in healthcare and corporate America, they both decided to pursue their dreams of being entrepreneurs and working for themselves. The decision to be self-employed came with risk and uncertainty, however, they knew with each other’s partnership and background, they would be sustainable.
ProjectWise Consulting provides consulting services supporting organizations with cultivating their biggest challenges to enhance the value of their organizations. ProjectWise Consulting takes an adaptive approach such as Waterfall, Hybrid, and Agile practices to achieve an organization’s effectiveness. The consulting practice provides supplemental staff augmentation, Project Management Office (PMO) leadership, training, and strategic planning.
They pride themselves as being the best-in-class portfolio, program, and project leaders in Central WI. ProjectWise Consulting has unmatched skills compared to others in the industry and their proven track record speaks for itself. After fifteen months in business, Jodie and Mary have accumulated over $1 million in sales revenue.
Startup Business of the Year
This award recognizes an AAPI-owned new business startup that has demonstrated an upward trajectory toward sustainability and growth while venturing into non-traditional business development industries. Business must be an operational and profitable business for at least 1 year.
Wausau Family Pharmacy
Wausau Family Pharmacy, the first Hmong-owned pharmacy in Wisconsin, is dedicated to enhancing health literacy in underserved communities. We provide comprehensive healthcare services, including non-urgent walk-in care, free over-the-counter medications for Wisconsin Badger Care patients, Hmong-language prescriptions, ACIP-approved vaccines, and medication therapy management. Since opening in September 2022, we’ve grown our team and served over 2,000 patients, conducted 32,300 COVID tests, dispensed 20,000 prescriptions, and administered 1,200 vaccines statewide. We’re transforming the role of pharmacies, emphasizing community health expertise. Recognized by the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, we aim to bridge healthcare gaps, boost health literacy, and reduce overall healthcare costs, empowering patients to make informed health decisions. Wausau Family Pharmacy remains committed to pioneering innovative solutions for community health improvement.
Professional of the Year (40+) Finalists
This award recognizes an AAPI professional who has achieved significant milestones in their professional career, elevating the community with their accomplishments.
Caitlin Lee
Caitlin is the Director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
She is a community builder and grassroots organizer with over 20 years of workforce diversity expertise in higher education. She has engaged in many equity, diversity, and inclusion taskforces and initiatives to advance EDI goals. She is also owner of CML Consulting, allowing her to expand the reach of her EDI work.
Caitlin deeply believes in creating equitable and inclusive spaces for dialogue and change. In the spirit of community building and creating platforms of inclusion, she is the co-founder of the Hmong Women Summit: The Authenticity Project centered on the development of authentic and inclusive leadership to build inclusive communities.
As a local grassroots effort to better represent and address learning needs and family engagement with the Hmong families and learners within the Eau Claire School District, Caitlin is President and Co-founder of the Eau Claire Area School District Hmong PTA.
This past election cycle, Caitlin was part of the Wisconsin AAPIs for Biden Leadership Council and was one of the co-leads of the Hmong Outreach Advisory Committee. Caitlin looks forward to the continued community building as a Co-Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic AAPI Caucus.
Young Professionals of the Year (39 & under)
This award recognizes AAPI professionals who are emerging leaders who showcase their passion and drive to move us forward through their innovative community projects and efforts.
E Her Vang
E Her Vang (she/her/hers) is a proud second-generation, Hmong American womxn from Milwaukee, WI. Currently, E serves as the Managing Director for the City Year Network for School Improvement, where she leads, coaches and encourages educators in 10 Milwaukee Public Schools to network by sharing best practices and introducing new strategies to improve student outcomes.
E is also the co-founder, Board VP and Executive Director of a non-profit, Our Scholarship, that is dedicated to providing higher education scholarships to Southeast Asian students in WI. One of the inspirations behind Our Scholarship is her experience as a first-generation college student navigating the educational system. These experiences have also led E to be engaged with the AAPI Coalition of Wisconsin pushing Assembly Bill 232/Senate Bill 240 to include Asian American & Hmong American History into the WI K-12 educational curricula.
During E’s free time, she runs an online small business called Lily Fierce selling women’s apparel that ranges from business wear, lounge, trendy and everything in between. E believes all womxn are FIERCE and fashion is a way to express their boldness in all areas of their life.
In 2022, E was named WI’s Most Influential Asian American Leaders and this year, was honored to accept the Community Shareholder Jacken award. She looks forward to telling more Hmong American and Asian American stories so others can celebrate the rich diversity that WI has to offer.