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US Names Somali American National Small Business Person of Year
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Somali American Businessman – Mascadde
HEADLINE: US Names Somali American National Small Business Person of Year
TEASER: Abdirahman Kahin says award is testament that hard work pays off and that immigrants contribute to growth of US economy
PUBLISHED AT: 05/04/2023 at 9:15AM
BYLINE: Abdulaziz Osman, Mohamud Mascadde
WRITER: Abdulaziz Osman
DATELINE: WASHINGTON/MINNEAPOLIS
VIDEOGRAPHER: Abdulaziz Osman and Mohamud Mascadde
VIDEO EDITOR: Abdulaziz Osman
SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs; Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original, see courtesies
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 2:43
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES))
(INTRO))
[[The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Abdirahman Kahin, a Somali American restaurant chain owner in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the National Small Business Person of the Year for 2023. Mohamud Mascadde in Minneapolis and Abdulaziz Osman Washington have more in this report, narrated by Salem Solomon.]]
((NARRATION))
When Abdirahman Kahin opened his first Afro Deli & Grill in 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was focused on feeding the community around him.
((Mandatory courtesy: SBA))
Now he has won a national award for what U.S. Small Business Administration leader…
((Mandatory courtesy: Abdirahman Kahin))
Isabella Casillas Guzman called “the best of American entrepreneurship.”
((Abdirahman Kahin, Afro Deli & Grill)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom)) ((English))
“This is a huge honor for me, the community and the state of Minnesota. Winning a national award does not come every day.”
((NARATION))
((Mandatory courtesy: SBA))
Kahin was named the 2023 National Small Businessperson of the Year…
((Mandatory courtesy: Abdirahman Kahin))
…at a ceremony on May 1st at the White House, where he had an opportunity to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
((End credit))
The event spotlighted the impact small businesses make on the U.S. economy.
((Abdirahman Kahin, Afro Deli & Grill)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom)) ((English))
“For me, it’s like winning an Olympic medal, because after 12 years of tireless and sleepless nights, finally I got something that I can cherish, that I can show to my kids. That I can show to my community. It’s a huge honor. It’s not like every day you win this kind of title.”
((NARRATION))
In a statement, Guzman said Kahin “pursued the American dream of business ownership — overcoming challenges, launching multiple food businesses, pivoting during COVID, and lifting local neighborhoods along the way.”
Kahin now owns four restaurants across the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.
Kahin immigrated to the U.S. in 1996. He says this recognition is a testament that hard work pays off and that immigrants contribute to the growth of U.S. economy.
((Abdirahman Kahin, Afro Deli and Grills Owner)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom)) ((English))
“We want to make sure that we as Somali Americans from Africa in general are hardworking people. We are an asset for this country and for the state of Minnesota, and we want to make sure that we are accepted, and we have a lot to contribute to the state of Minnesota and to this country.”
((NARRATION))
During the COVID pandemic, Kahin kept his kitchen open to help feed the older members of Somali community and their neighbors, along with other older or disabled Minnesotans who were unable to leave their home.
Small Business Agency Administrator Guzman and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff are due to visit one of Kahin’s restaurants.
((For Mohamud Mascadde in Minneapolis and Abdulaziz Osman in Washington, Salem Solomon, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
