LONG BEACH, CALIF.: Don’t lower the price for a mug of Starbucks coffee just because your store is in the inner city or an economically- depressed area, asserted national basketball legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, speaking at the AAHOA convention. The famed player who was diagnosed as carrying the HIV/AIDS virus several years ago, also agreed to become a spokesman for AIDS prevention in India.

Johnson, the keynote speaker on theng day of the convention held in Long Beach, attended by 3,700 Indian-American hoteliers, apparently has the “magic” of good business practices working on his side. Fortune magazine named him one of the most influential businessmen in this country, and with 42 Starbucks in 25 states, five movie theaters, a hamburger chain, a partnership with 24-Hour Fitness, to name just a few of his ventures, Johnson has made it his business to bring business to African-American neighborhoods deprived of classy stores and services. He discovered what most American business have found out ----- African Americans are willing to pay a high price for brand names, and he imparted his learning to a receptive hotel industry crowd that quizzed him not just on his business, but also on his astonishing moves on the basketball court and his ownership of the LA Lakers team.

“The theme of this conference is really important ----- ‘Building Bridges... Taking Action.’ All of us are minorities and we have also decided to take action. You’ve got to take action to build bridges. But you have to be successful to build bridges,” Johnson said, regaling the crowd with his homegrown wisdom. He said it took a lot of work to move from being a basketball player to a businessman after he found he tested positive for the HIV/AIDS virus. He has not contracted the disease.

“It was a difficult transition because our biggest difficulty is getting the loans. They wanted my autograph, but they wouldn’t invest in me,” Johnson said. “That happened 10 times, but the 11th time, they took the risk.”

Johnson said that apart from all his other businesses, his company had also managed to recently raise some $300 million for going into urban areas, buying up malls, building apartments and other housing. “So I come here to explain that what you are doing is fabulous ----- for yourself and for your family, and for your race... And to be able to pass on your wealth.”

He said he took the discipline required of his game and a winning attitude into his business. “When I go against an opponent, I have to know what he is going to do even before he does,” Johnson said. “My Starbucks will not be the same as other Starbucks. We African Americans don’t eat scones. We like apple pie, peach cobbler. When you are in a community, you have to look at that community,” said Johnson, generating a rumble of agreement from the packed hall at the Hyatt Regency.

“So if you want to make money, you have to look in the urban community. Because minorities are looking for that hotel where they can come in... and just go out,” Johnson said to general laughter. “So if you want to expand, the perfect place is the minority communities.”

Questioned on whether he charged less for a cup of coffee at his Starbucks considering it was in an economically less well-off area, Johnson warned, “Don’t change prices,” adding that minorities would think they were not getting the same quality.

“The great thing with investing in a minority community is you win because there’s no competition. And you buy brands. Minorities love brands. I bring brands to them.”

Johnson praised the family ethic in the Indian-American hotelier community.

“I want to applaud how your bring your whole family into the business. I wish that African Americans could do that. You bring your children, your brothers, cousins, uncles, you understand how to pass the wealth along, how to teach your young to run a business.”

When someone in the audience asked him if, with his experience, he would be willing to become a spokesperson for AIDS in India, Johnson said: “I would definitely be a spokesman for your country.”