Good Neighbor Podcast: Orange County

Bridging Communities: The OCIACC Story

• Rachel Fyffe & Shani Moslehi

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Ever wondered what happens when business networking transcends transactional relationships and embraces cultural celebration? The Good Neighbor Podcast welcomes Shani Moslehi from the Orange County Iranian American Chamber of Commerce (OCIACC), revealing a chamber experience unlike any other in Orange County.

Shani shares how OCIACC operates with dual purpose—providing traditional chamber benefits while hosting spectacular cultural events that draw thousands. Their annual Norooz Festival brings 3,000-4,000 people together, while their International Summer Mixer unites diverse chambers for an unforgettable food-tasting experience. "You don't have to be Iranian to join us," Shani explains. "You just have to be a good networker or willing to learn how to network."

The story behind OCIACC's founding is equally compelling. Born from Shani's volunteer work helping domestic violence survivors and encountering frustrated new immigrants seeking mentorship, she recognized a profound community need. Ten years later, OCIACC stands as a testament to authentic connection, having built remarkable community trust through consistent delivery of value.

Shani dispels common misconceptions about chamber membership, emphasizing that paying dues alone doesn't generate business—active participation does. Members must show up, learn to craft effective pitches, and develop genuine relationships. This refreshing honesty reflects OCIACC's commitment to substantive value rather than empty promises.

Whether you're seeking business connections with cultural dimension or simply want to expand your network in meaningful ways, OCIACC welcomes you. Explore their offerings at OCIACC.com, subscribe to their biweekly newsletter, or find them on social media @OCIACC to discover how this unique chamber is transforming business networking in Orange County.

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, rachel Fyfe. Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you looking to join a Chamber of Commerce? Well, that resource could be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, shani Moslehi, with the Orange County Iranian American Chamber of Commerce, better known as OSAC. Did I pronounce that right? Osiac, osiac, great, yes. Well, here, hi, shani, how is it going?

Speaker 2:

We're doing very well. Thank you very much and thank you for hosting us today.

Speaker 1:

Well, I'm excited to have you on the show and let our listeners learn about your business. So tell us about your company here.

Speaker 2:

Sure, before we start, I just want you to know that I'm going live on Instagram so our followers can hear you. Wonderful, unfortunately they can't see you, but I'm talking to Rachel with the Good Neighbor podcast and you can follow her online. So glad to be here, thank you. You know, the Orange County Iranian American Chamber of Commerce, or OCEAC, is part of the 7,000 Chambers of Commerce in the United States. We do exactly what the other chambers do. We do networking events, we have workshops and seminars, gear tours, businesses so they can improve the quality of work they're doing.

Speaker 2:

But what makes us different is that we also do cultural and community events. As Iranian Americans, our biggest celebration is in March and we host the Noroos Festival at the Renaissance in Newport Beach, and that usually brings 3,000 to 4,000 people to our event, and the majority of the businesses that join us are not just joining us because we are a chamber, but because we also do this. You know extra events that bring people together. This last August, we hosted the International Summer Mixer that brought in all these different cultural chambers and local chambers together. Each chamber was responsible to bring a restaurant, so we had a ton of food tasting going on, and it is one of our very popular, very successful events. So, no, you don't have to be Iranian to join us. You just have to be a good networker or willing to learn how to network, and that's what we do.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful. How did you get into this business?

Speaker 2:

It was very interesting. I was always a very active volunteer. I volunteered at different chambers of commerce as a business owner, and I also volunteered at my children's high school and my son was graduating. It was the last year of the era of being a PTA, ptsa foundation, and it was. You know, people are usually suffering from being an empty nester and I was like, oh, what am I going to do with all this extra time now? But I was also volunteering with a grassroots group of Iranian women helping other Iranian women in domestic violence situations.

Speaker 2:

Shelters were housing these women who had been rescued and then placing them into low-income housing. But these women had nothing. They had escaped the situation and had no furniture. Nothing and had no furniture, no, nothing. So what we would do as a group is find furniture, you know, kitchen stuff, whatever they needed, and provide it to them. One particular situation stood out because this woman, you know, when I talked to her, she just had half a section of sofa and a large TV, with two sick boys at home, so I knew that she needed so much. So instead of just, you know, using my regular resources, I started emailing everybody asking for donations and the result was, of course, very positive and we were able to help this woman. For weeks my 17-year-old and I went to the U-Haul and went door to door, picked up everything, delivered everything to her, and some people continued making donations even after we did the delivery.

Speaker 2:

So back in school, when I was, you know, having a board meeting, one of the moms who was impressed said you know what, you should start your own nonprofit. And it's like boom a light, you know, she just lit the fire in me and I'm like, okay, that's, that's doable, I can do that. And then I, you know, fast forward. I meet this other young Iranian woman who was sent to me from SBDC to start a business, or she had to start a business, she just wanted someone to mentor her.

Speaker 2:

So in talking to her she was so angry at us as, as as a community, she said you know, as a community, you have no resources for new immigrants. I would love to sit down with another immigrant who's gone through what I'm going through and just use their wisdom. And that's when my Chamber of Commerce idea came along, because I remembered being a lonely business owner, I remembered not having enough support and I remember, when I joined my local Chamber of Commerce, how much I felt at home, how wonderful it felt. You know, there were connections, partnerships, mentorships, everything was available. All I needed to do was to show up every month to these monthly mixers and get to know people, and then, gradually, I would like become the ambassador for the chamber and even do more for myself and for the businesses. So the Chamber of Commerce seemed to be a perfect nonprofit for us to do, and we are actually a 501c3 because not only do we function as a chamber, but we also do all these cultural and educational events.

Speaker 1:

So we're very busy. Yes, yes, you know. What are some maybe myths or misconceptions in your industry, do you think?

Speaker 2:

in your industry, do you think? Unfortunately, people think that we are a marketing institute and by making a member because we are a membership organization. So they think by paying their membership dues. It's just like paying a membership dues and going to the gym and expecting to lose weight. They are not going to gain customers or increase their client base by just paying into a membership. They have to show up. We are encouraging networking, we are teaching them how to come up with a 30-second pitch. We're telling them how to do networking, how to do the follow-up, how to express the value of their business. And without coming to our events they're not going to be able to gain that. And that's the misconception they think you know I'm a member, why aren't you sending me customers? I mean we do, because people call and ask to be referred to a dentist or a banker and we always refer them back to our membership directory. But that's not what we do. We're here as a professional networking organization.

Speaker 1:

Okay, gosh. Well we know marketing is the heart of every business. So how are you targeting your customers or how do you attract new members?

Speaker 2:

You know, our events attract people by itself. So now that we've been around for 10 years and we have gained the trust of the community, they just come, fortunately. But we do have a team of six or seven of us and our board members and our advisory board members, and so we always talk about events that are coming up. We do a lot of live videos on our social media to make sure people are informed about upcoming events. We have an e-newsletter that we have consistently sent out every two weeks and have a great base for it. So we do our work. We do very aggressive marketing to make sure people hear about us. We're here today.

Speaker 1:

I know, I know right Now. Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast we?

Speaker 2:

do have a podcast. It's called Coffee with Osiak. It's 20 minutes long and it's. You know it's not easy to upload into all the social media sites, but it is available on YouTube, so we've done a couple episodes so far.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful Well, outside of work, what? What do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 2:

Oh, my goodness. So I risk. I rescued two dogs. My family has always owned two dogs and in 2020, during the pandemic, we rescued a Rottweiler mix. She was a beautiful, calm, gentle dog and this year my children are grown and not here decided mommy needs another dog. So we ended up rescuing another puppy a super mutt as they call her, and she's a handful, playful. She's nine months old. So I'm busy with the dogs. They want my attention 24-7. So we're very busy. Our fun thing that we've just discovered is use the portable pool outside, and that keeps them busy. They're exhausted and take a nap, just like having babies.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, it is, it is Shani. Please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about OCEAC Hmm.

Speaker 2:

So we were founded based on the need that our community brought to us. We were founded because the Iranian community said, look, we need a place to gather, we need a place that we can call for help. So that's what they need to remember that we are here because of the need that was available and out there and we are here to help small businesses. So, you know, we've faithfully done what we have promised to do. We've brought the community together. We've hosted events that, like I said, our original no Roots Festival was free, we wouldn't charge any entry and we would have 8000 people show up.

Speaker 2:

So gradually, we said, ok, that's way too many people to manage, even though the sheriff would call me and say this was a successful event. We've had not one incident reported. So that was a testimonial that our community really wanted us to be doing this and they were really behind us. So we were very lucky that we were able to establish that trust we were. You know, the return of value for becoming a member of OCEAC is already out there, people already talk about it and they appreciate us. So that's one thing that your, you know, your listeners should know that we really deliver what we promise.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful. How can our listeners learn more about OCEAC?

Speaker 2:

So we have a nice website at wwwociacccom. They can learn about membership, sponsorship and all of our programs. I encourage them to also subscribe to our e-newsletter that goes out every two weeks and that way they get updated information about the events that are coming up, and we're usually, you know, uploading two or three events at a time so they can see if this is not the month that they can participate, they can definitely save the date for next month. So no excuses. We're also on every social media platform with the handle at OCIACC. So we are here and you know appreciate really this opportunity to speak to your audience in Orange County.

Speaker 1:

Love it Well. Shani, I really appreciate you being on the show and we wish you and your business really the best moving forward.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, Rachel Thanks.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to goodneighborhoodpodcastcom.