A portrait of Tony Chanthavong, Nov. 10, 2021, at the Japanese Friendship Garden, 1125 N. 3rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona. Mark Henle / The Republic – Social entrepreneur Tony Chanthavong is passionate about discovering local communities and putting them in the spotlight. Chanthavong, also known as Tony Ce, lived half of his life in Phoenix. His motto is “Grew up as Los Angelino. Risen as a Phoenician”. He believes that Phoenix is special not only because of its diversity, but also because of its strong support when it comes to local businesses. After feeling that many cultural events and festivals were only noticed through word of mouth, he felt the need to use technology to give voice to these local communities. “Phoenix dreams big of cities, but has small-town vibes,” said Chanthavong. Chanthavong is a co-founder of the social media app LocalBuzz. The community-run platform illuminates local restaurants, shops, art, culture, events and more through videos. He believes that community is universal and that people want to connect through the events in their communities. “LocalBuzz also helps overcome this barrier to discover what is going on in different communities so that they can feel connected to them and be a part of it.” Interest in helping people connect started with Asian community events Chanthavong believes the app gives voice to local communities and wants to use it to bring many of them together. The app not only highlights a large number of companies, but also draws attention to the Asian community. “We are all human, we share a common interest. When we share and highlight these common interests, it breaks the barriers of judgment, racism and prejudice. ”Chanthavong is an Asian American himself and has been involved in many events across Phoenix that highlight the Asian community. He was a member of the Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce where he helped lead the PHX Night Market, an open-air market that highlighted local Asian street food. He also founded Snoh Ice Shavery, where he participated in many festivals and Chinese cultural events. “When I opened Snoh almost 10 years ago, it was one of the first Asian-American dessert stops in central Phoenix,” he said. Chanthavong was connected to more diverse communities when he owned Snoh. He has been introduced to many groups while serving as a salesman for cultural events and festivals. Chanthavong made his business successful by building a social network – now he’s doing the same with his app. While Chanthavong said he passed the reins of Snoh on to someone else, he carries on his passion for highlighting local communities through LocalBuzz. Sami Ibrahim has been a good friend of Chanthavong for many years. She’s a colleague on LocalBuzz, helping connect companies while teaching them how to use the app. “It’s great to work with him because he sees the beauty in everything,” she said wasn’t much highlighted in the Valley, but Chanthavong has changed that too: “He’s just a great person who likes to bring different people together and they Seeing the beauty of all these differences in cultures, businesses and the arts. ”With his passion for drawing attention to communities that may go unnoticedA portrait by Tony Chanthavong, Nov. 10, 2021, at the Japanese Friendship Garden, 1125 N. 3rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona. Mark Henle / The Republic Chanthavong believes his personality is to be supportive of others. After meeting so many different people from so many different ethnic backgrounds, he knew he wanted the community to know about what was happening. “I just see all of these people, communities that I’m connected to and I always have that feeling that I am the man, that’s special. ”Chanthavong exudes one thing when it comes to his business, it is passion. He says that in start-ups you have to be “obsessed with what you do”. Ibrahim believes that Chanthavong’s passion encourages her to be more part of the local community. Chanthavong is committed to expanding its app further and to be given the opportunity to do something special for the communities in Phoenix that may go unnoticed. “The rewarding part is seeing the goal I’m trying to achieve start to get afloat.” Reach out to current reporter Caroleina Hassett at caroleina.hassett@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @lena_hassett. This story is part of the Faces of Arizona series. Do you have any feedback or ideas about who to report on? Send them to Editor Kaila White at kaila.white@arizonarepublic.com Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
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