Meet Local Hero Nominee: Hue Nguyen

Title: Managing Partner 

Organization/Business: GDBRO Burger

Website: http://www.gdbroburger.com

"Hue Nguyen, whose family arrived from Vietnam with nothing, walked away from a lucrative Wall Street career and is now focusing his time, energy, and efforts into building a community-engaged business, GD Bro Burger in Signal Hill.”  - Albert Chang, Nominator

Highlights:

• Arriving in the U.S. during the fall of Saigon, the son of Vietnamese immigrants, Hue Nguyen transitioned from a successful career in the financial services industry & left it all behind to lead GDBRO (Globally Delicious) Burger, a community based restaurant in the Signal Hill neighborhood of Long Beach. Established in 2013 as a food truck in Orange County, GDBRO opened its storefront after placing third on season 6th of Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race”.
• Besides making globally delicious burgers, GDBRO's mission is to engage and create an emotional connection to its community and campaign around supporting local and minority owned small businesses for an equal playing field & a voice for inclusion.
• As an advisory board member for Signal Hill's Rotary Club, Nguyen often offers his restaurant space for leadership meetings to discuss initiatives for community fundraisers, mentorship "Forward Thinking" discussions with his GDBRO staff, culinary/hospitality students, local business owners and young entrepreneurs (collectively GDBRO Nation) who seek guidance about their own professional challenges & future paths ahead.
• Nguyen has also created an Honor Wall at GDBRO to honor his late brother, Army SSGT Sammy Nguyen, & other military veterans with the support from "The Rock Club, Music is The Remedy" Foundation which rehabilitates veterans through music. All GDBRO guests and military families are highly encouraged to provide a photo of their loved ones to be added to the honor wall.
• Moreover, Nguyen volunteers his spare time to various nonprofit organizations and guest speaks on advocacy group panels about fair representation for small and minority owed businesses and is an advocate for truly making a social, economic & sustainable impact in his community.
• Nguyen is proud and extremely serious minded about his role as advisory board Chair of the new culinary and hospitality program at Browning High School in Long Beach. The program advocates & creates brighter futures for students preparing for the culinary and hospitality industry with advancement into the local labor force. Nguyen believes something inspiring and greatness is cultivating at Browning which empowers students to find their passion and calling to add value to their community.