Dear fellow NCAJA members and distinguished guests, welcome:

It is my distinct honor to bring you all greetings on the occasion of 18th New Year Dinner Party here in Tucson, Arizona. What a wonderful coincidence that our 18th party falls on the Year of the Dragon. Being number 18 and the Year of the Dragon shall bring NCAJA members double the good luck and success so we can have another 18 years of such great celebrations!

Tonight and what sets NCAJA apart from other organizations could not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our board members. Thank you all for what you have been doing.

It is exactly the spirit of solidarity and community that has grown NCAJA to the national organization it is today. When NCAJA was founded 25 years ago, we only had a handful of members, motivated to protect the interests of first generation naturalized Asian American Jewelers in their newly adopted land.

Today, a quarter of a century later, our membership has grown to over two hundred members from across the United States and overseas. Your presence here today is a great tribute to the vision our founders incepted 25 years ago, and the accomplishments would make everyone involved proud.

Together,
We have successfully lobbied the congress for tariff reduction.
We have educated and trained new members with Jewelry trade knowhows.
We have provided access for members to exhibit in some of the most prestigious jewelry shows in the United States and in the world.
We have used our collective power to raise and donate relief funds to a number of natural disasters in the world.

We can achieve more in the next 25 years with fresh new leadership that comes from younger generation of the NCAJA community, regardless of their business's finances and ability to contribute financially. It is our great hope that this younger generation of jewelers can lead NCAJA with their fresh perspective, dynamic ideas, and fearless energy - rather than solely relying on monetary contributions. There are many different talent pools in NCAJA in areas that will make our association stronger and more prominent in the industry. Working together, we can all harness the power of the Dragon to ensure that we are all contributing to NCAJA as best as we can, whether it's through volunteering our time to the newsletter, website, fund raising, gathering planning, educational work shop, or exploring new opportunities for collaborations with vendors in U.S. and overseas.

Let us, in this new year of new opportunities, lead NCAJA into new beginnings that reflect that of the Dragon - fresh talent, big ideas, boundless energy, and continued success and prosperity for us all.

President of NCAJA,
Victor Wu