Ethnic Business Awards finalists already know success

From a Vietnamese migrant who spent time in a refugee camp to a 100 per cent owned Indigenous business, dozens of entrepreneurs will be honoured at the 2022 Ethnic Business Awards finalists this weekend.

Victor Dang, Toan Nguyen, Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick, Berries Australia's Rachel Mackenzie and Gina Dang at SSS Strawberries. Ms Dang is an 2022 Ethnic Business Awards finalist.

From a Vietnamese migrant who spent time in a refugee camp to a 100 per cent owned Indigenous business, dozens of entrepreneurs will be honoured at the 2022 Ethnic Business Awards finalists this weekend.

Many years ago, Gina Cam Yen Dang found herself fleeing Vietnam by boat and spending four years of her childhood in an Indonesian refugee camp where her parents, who held farming experience back home, would grow vegetables.

The Dang family brought their expertise to Australia when they bought a strawberry farm in 2000, and from there Gina, along with her six siblings, would begin to sow the seeds of her future.

“All of us when we come back from school, they pick us up and we help out with whatever things … In the evening we would sit around the floor and cut and wash the fruit,” Ms Dang said.

Now, she and her siblings run the family business SSS Strawberries (Seven Successful Siblings) boasting 250 acres of land and employing about 300 staff.

After years of toiling the land, the 41-year-old is nominated for the EBA’s 2022 Henry Ngai Medium to Large Business award.

“When I received notice I was screaming and jumping and calling the family, I ran out to the farm and called the boys at the back and told them,” she said.

Also leveraging the talents of the family and nominated for the same award is Shan Kuo who tapped into her parents-in-law’s knowledge of running childcare centres.

Shan Kuo is an 2022 Ethnic Business Awards finalist.

Moving to Australia from Taiwan at 10-years-old, Shan came from humble beginnings and now runs 19 of her Avenues and Little Lane Group learning centres along with her husband Mike Wu.

“I feel honestly very humbled and I, at first I did not feel comfortable honestly to participate because it‘s not something in our culture to put ourselves out there,” Ms Kuo said.

Nominated for EBA’s Indigenous in Business award is Steven Fordham who had no degree or idea on how to run a business, but that didn’t stop him from Blackrock Industries in 2016.

Under his belt was just $20,000 and a small tipper, but the entrepreneur made it work, who is now the proud owner of a business offering services in earthworks, construction and mining.

“Mob giving mob opportunity to try and expand into new pathways is always the best bit … I never saw myself as wanting to work for someone, I want to work for myself,” Mr Fordham said.

The business employs more than 100 people and also gives incarcerated individuals the opportunity to join the workforce.

“We just bounced around until we got it right … Now we‘ve expanded the business and what was originally my dream is now so many other people’s dream …” he said.