On May 4th, the Asian Pacific American advocacy organization OCA held a grand 2024 annual awards banquet at the Sandy Springs City Government Theater in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. Hundreds of guests from the Asian community in Atlanta, including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as mainstream society, gathered to celebrate the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month of May. The event aimed to honor outstanding individuals within the Asian community by presenting them with awards. It was a momentous occasion as OCA had just celebrated its 40th anniversary in May 2023.
Despite not being able to attend the event in person, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp sent a congratulatory letter to the organization. The evening started with welcoming remarks from Brian Lin, the president of OCA Georgia chapter, who introduced the distinguished guests in attendance. Before the official proceedings began, a drum performance by the Korean Cultural Center entertained the audience. Mayor Rusty Paul of Sandy Springs delivered a speech welcoming the guests and acknowledged the contributions of Asian Americans to the local economy.
The keynote speaker for the evening was Sunny K. Park, a prominent Korean American entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Atlanta. Consul General Mio Maeda from the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta introduced Mr. Park, whose life story is filled with remarkable achievements. Early in his life, Park was inspired by the generosity of American soldiers who provided aid to Koreans during the Korean War. This sparked his ambition to become an American citizen and a significant contributor to society. Despite starting with a humble job cleaning a restaurant for $1.8 per hour upon arriving in the U.S. in 1974, Park eventually fulfilled his aspiration by leading a successful company that pays over $1 million in federal income taxes annually.
Among the awards presented that night, the “Innovation Design Award” went to the TOTO Corporation, a Japanese toilet company with a U.S. branch known for its premium bathroom fixtures priced at $6000 each. The “Outstanding Leadership and Community Service Award” was bestowed upon Amy B. Cheng, a Beijing-born immigrant who now serves as the president of the Atlanta Bar Association after completing her legal education in South Carolina and Emory University.
The “Business Entrepreneurship Award” was claimed by Kevin Zhao and Eric Xue. Kevin Zhao is the founder and CEO of ZBS PCS, a restaurant technology and payment systems company, and also serves as the president of the Southeast Fujian Association. Eric Xue, a graduate of Tsinghua University and Georgia Tech, is a co-founder and current president of Dezhu US, a real estate development company with properties valued at $200 million annually.
Another notable award recipient was the NAAAP Atlanta, the National Association of Asian American Professionals Atlanta chapter, honored with the “Outstanding Leadership Community Service Award.” Ting Chiu, the founder and president of Ting Enterprise Inc and the Awesome Team Foundation, received the “Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award” for her work supporting a team of over 5000 agents from thirty ethnicities across North America.
Furthermore, students awarded the “OCA/AT&T Scholarship” received $1,000 scholarships from the organization at the banquet. OCA, originally the Organization of Chinese Americans founded in 1973 to advocate for Chinese American rights, expanded its mission in 2013 to include all Asian Pacific Americans and renamed itself OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. The organization continues its commitment to advocating for the rights and well-being of Asian American communities.