The idea of an organization representing the unified interests of local Indian business owners appealed to a group of Central Florida men, and in January of 2001, they formed the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, Inc. Over the next few years, the Chamber went thru several iterations and finally settled into what is now the Indian American Chamber of Commerce.
Through collaboration and leadership our aim was to create a strong business network within our community, but to also provide a platform to showcase and celebrate the vibrant Indian culture. During our first 10 years, we held exclusive events and programs like the Business After Hours which were aimed at creating business connections and collaborations within the community.
Over the 10 years brought tremendous growth and success for the IACC as we galvanized our partnership with the Orlando Magic and created India Day, one of the most successful heritage nights in the NBA. This partnership with the Orlando Magic provided us an innovative opportunity to showcase, share and celebrate our rich Indian culture with the Central Florida community. This also catapulted us towards many other partnerships allowing the IACC to not only pursue success in the business networking world, but also success in the celebration of our heritage and cultural education.
The future 10 years will be about moving towards a better future and leaving a positive imprint on our community as we champion the notion of “seva”, the Hindi word for service. As we make gains in our businesses and within our communities, it is imperative that we give back to the very community upon whom we found our success. In that vein, the current leadership of the IACC remains fully focused on ensuring that the IACC engages it membership and the community at large to continue creating business connections, celebrate the vibrant Indian culture, and participate in the philanthropic responsibility that we all share.