LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — From the daughter of immigrants to a local success story: Channel 13's Ryan Ketcham spoke with one Asian American woman who is now using her platform to help others reach their dreams.
Leanne Duong-Ma is a Chinese small business owner in Las Vegas, but her story doesn't start here. It starts in Vietnam.
She is one of four kids born into a family of entrepreneurs. She said shortly after she was born, her parents packed them up and chased their dreams to Germany.
"They really had nothing, and the fact that they built a completely new life and made a business in a foreign country where they did not speak the language and didn't understand, it's amazing," she said.
That move was the launching point for her career.
"Seeing them, I knew that hard work, determination, being resilient and also having a vision was very important," she said.
Since the age of 12, Duong-Ma said she would help her parents with the Chinese restaurant they owned. She did that until she was in her 20s when she graduated college. At that point, in 2001, it was her time to take a leap.
"That's when I came to the United States. At the time, I came here with intent to visit my then-boyfriend, who's now my husband, with two pieces of luggage, and I never left," she said.
Now, Duong-Ma has two kids ages 13 and 15 and owns Direct Source Procurement, a business she started in 2017 creating specialized eco-friendly food service products for companies worldwide.
"From sugar cane to bamboo to wood. Of course paper, also reusable products," she said.
She even partnered with the NFL designing sustainable food service products for Super Bowl LVIII right here in Las Vegas.
She also works with several local businesses, including Warehouse Las Vegas, who helps store her product.
Even with the success, Duong-May makes sure to remember her roots. She said as an Asian-American business owner, she feels a responsibility to purpose and lead the next generation.
"I hope I can be a positive representation and example of the AAPI community," she said.
To do that, Leanne serves on the board for the Las Vegas chapter of Ace NextGen, an organization helping support AAPI entrepreneurs. She takes time to encourage those taking those same steps she once did.
"If you have that drive and determination and wanting to succeed, then go for it," she said.
Duong-Ma said she wants to continue encouraging the next generation and pushing toward a more sustainable future.
