WASHINGTON — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman will travel to Minnesota this week to honor 2023's National Small Business Person of the Year, Abdirahan Kahin, the owner of Afro Deli and Grill.
The announcement came from the Biden administration Monday, a nod to National Small Business Week. Kahin qualified for the national award by winning the Minnesota Small Business Person of the Year honor in March.
Kahin, who came to the U.S. from East Africa in 1996, opened his first of four Afro Deli locations in Cedar-Riverside in 2010. His restaurants have helped raise money for famine relief in Somalia and provided aid to the community during the early months of COVID-19.
"We knew we had a compelling story, and here we are today, winning the Super Bowl. It's the Super Bowl of small businesses," Kahin said. "We're fortunate and very delighted that our work over the past 15 years has been recognized. It's a huge honor."
Ahead of Emhoff and Guzman's visit Wednesday, Kahin was honored Monday by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.
"It's a lifetime experience. Sometimes when you get this kind of opportunity, you have to hope for the best," Kahin said, "and today was a great day for me and for the people of Minnesota."
Emhoff and Guzman will also participate in a roundtable with "new Americans and small business community leaders" as part of their visit. Following the roundtable, they'll meet with Kahin at one of his Afro Deli locations and then deliver remarks at the National Small Business Week Awards Ceremony. The pair will also present seven district awards and one regional award.
They will also stop at the Asia Mall in Eden Prairie and Burnsville's Sciencix Inc,, which the administration named National Exporter of the Year.
The visit comes after President Biden's early April stop at the Cummins Power Generation in Fridley as part of his "Investing in America Tour." Vice President Harris was also recently in Minnesota, speaking from St. Cloud's New Flyer of America to tout electric vehicles and the future of clean energy.
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