By Tavia Tindall
Leader-Telegram staff

Hmong workers were praised Thursday night by a business leader at the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association fellowship dinner.

Joan Thompson, executive director for Minnesota Wire and Cable Co., said her family's company expanded from St. Paul to Eau Claire 12 years ago and now has a staff in Eau Claire that is 54 percent Hmong.

"We consciously hire Hmong people for their good work ethic, their sense of loyalty to us as employers and their strong family values," Thompson said.

Thompson said employers should open their doors to this excellent potential workforce.

"I also want to send a message to potential Hmong employees to seek positions that they would not normally have applied for so they can improve their career potential and income in support of their families," she said.

The uncertainty of language skills sometimes is a barrier, she said, but Hmong employees should try to overcome it. "We have seen the success with our own company."

Johnson credited the Hmong association with helping MN Wire and Cable hire Hmong workers.

In 1978 only 5 percent of the Hmong population in Eau Claire was self-sufficient, compared to 85 percent in 1998, Lee said.

One of the reasons for having the annual dinner is to get the community involved, to share ideas and for people to get to know one another, he said.

"We also like companies that hire Homng people to come and tell the people why they have a lot of Hmong people working for them," he said.

The association has other programs such as a food pantry, elderly assistance, housing coordination, family services and more, said Jennifer Xiong, an intern for the Hmong association.

"By inviting the community--that's our way of showing them what we're all about," Xiong said.

More than 300 people attended the dinner at Davies Center at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It was open to the public and included speakers as well as performances of Hmong traditional dance and a fashion show.

Leader-Telegram May 1998