AREAA at 10 – What a Difference a Decade Makes
a | r | e — Asian Real Estate
by John Peretz
Like the sun rising in the Far East, AREAA has experienced unparalleled growth to become the preeminent real estate force in the Asian American community in the United States and beyond.
But in fact, like the story of so many Asian immigrants, the rise to become the voice of the Asian American community wasn’t easy, which makes the journey even more remarkable.
Rewind the tape by 10 years, and you’ll find the very beginning of AREAA. Nestled in a boardroom at the Houston Association of REALTORS®, a group of real estate pioneers gathered for an intense two-day meeting. Led by John Yen Wong, Allen Okamoto, Kenneth Li, Jim Park, Fanny Chu, Fred Underwood, Roddy Cheung, Pius Leung and Lauris Tam, the group was interested in brainstorming how to start an organization to serve the emerging Asian American marketplace. The gathering gained so much energy and momentum that AREAA was formed out of that meeting.
But how do you begin to piece together an organization that is so varied and diverse?…