CLARA CHEE – A LEGEND IN THE MAKING
Clara Chee is almost a legendary icon in the local cosmetic industry much like Florence Nightingale in the nursing industry.
She is where she is today because of her willingness to work hard and her perseverance in continuously innovating new products for the past 27 years to make her clients happy.
“We are living in a tropical climate,” she said. “For this reason, our cosmetic products must suit our environment and the Asian skin type.”
Before starting her business, she had worked as a Beauty Consultant. From 1967 to 1975, she had worked as a Cosmetic Marketing Surveyor. In 1973, she joined MAX factor in Kuala Lumpur.”
With only a capital of RM40 000, Clara International was birthed in 1977. “With a CGC Bank Loan from Maybank, I started my first salon with the help of two other friends from the United Kingdom and two qualified aestheticians in a rented shoplot in SS2, Petaling Jaya,” she said.
The reason for her to go into this business is simple - she saw the future and there was an opportunity she saw for herself. “While I was working as a supervisor for a cosmetic company, I was surprised to learn that majority of women knew nothing about basic skincare. This was when I saw the huge untapped potential in the beauty line; so, I went to Britain and the US to study medicinal, cosmetics chemistry and formulation,” she said.
Chee pursued her studies at Liester Polytechnics in United Kingdom as well as her Cosmetic Chemistry degree from the Kansas City University in US in 19… and later attained her honorary doctorate in cosmetics formulation and technology from Western Pacific University in 1996.
Since then, Clara International has expanded both locally and internationally. “From when we first started way back in 1977 and now, we have indeed come a very long way and have achieved a great deal,” she said. “Our network of branches has increased tremendously to over 50 centres in major towns in Peninsular and East Malaysia, as well as overseas in countries such as India, Mauritius, USA, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Pakistan with over 200 employees.”
From offering beauty treatment services and beauty courses, Clara International has also ventured into contract manufacturing, franchising and beauty training. “We are also expanding into the United Arab Emirates because our brand is considered “halal”,” she added.
“Our plans for expansion are through business format franchise system and making our brand global,” said the mother of three working adults, who still strongly believes in family values.
“My father has always been my mentor. He used to own a textile and sundry shop. He had a strong sense of ethics and high moral values. He also loved Chinese calligraphy and music; so I guess I picked up a lot of my father's calm and refined side,” she said.
I wanted to provide my own solutions for beauty treatments and tropical skin problems. What better business to go into buy one that can keep yourself looking beautiful and helping others achieve the same results?
Every business has its tough times. For example, the misleading product formulation, ingredients claims by some players in the market that will do magic to the consumer's face has created a lot of concerns in her clients. “People are now wary of brands that they do not know,” she said.
Integrity is the key to overcoming the tough times. We have been in the beauty industry for 28 years. “Professionalism, dedication and an innovative spirit helps lead us to where we are today,” said the mother of three.
“We have learnt that we must believe in what we do, deliver only the very best to the consumers!”
What about her dream for Clara International? “It’s to be a One Stop Clara Beauty Power House with all beauty-related products and services under one roof, one brand and also a beauty house offering respectable and reliable beauty education and this will enable consumers to stay on sourcing the branded reliable products which are under our brand name.”
Of course, going public is also in the pipeline for the company that is now in the region of RM million sales turnover per annum.
END.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
DANCING HER WAY TO SUCCESS
DANCING HER WAY TO SUCCESS
NOTHING COULD DAMPEN WAI KUEN’S SPIRIT
The white Nissan 130Y was hanging precariously over the railings beside the road she was traveling on, at two o’clock in the morning of December 21, 1987. The driver, a young lady in her late 20s, was found unconscious by the side of the road when passersby stopped by to help her.
She was immediately sent to the hospital, and had several stitches on the back of her skull. With a broken elbow and collarbone, Wai Kuen was as good as a goner. Her rib bone had punctured the lungs, which later developed into bronchitic pneumonia. Her life was hanging on the balance between life and death.
Preparations were already on the way for her funeral. Family members were told that she would not survive, given the conditions she was in.
According to the doctors who attended to her, she was suffering from spinal injury at Thoracic T4 and T11, which meant that she could never dance anymore. Just hours before that tragic accident that left her paralysed, Wai Kuen was doing her usual rehearsals for Christmas performances.
Trained formally as a dancing teacher in Stella Mann School of Dancing in London (1980-83), the 45-year-old, who runs her own dance school in Kajang said that she could hardly recall the details of the accident. “I think I had a total blackout,” she said.
For nearly six months, she was hospitalized. The first two weeks were spent at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, before being moved to Tung Shin Hospital, and subsequently to a Rehabilitation hospital in Perth. “I was only informed about my permanent paralysis after one week in the hospital,” she said, recalling what the doctor told her.
It took her over a year before she could come to terms with her paralysis. “No one, except a doctor in Perth, told me that I could still teach dancing with some help from other able bodied persons.”
That was the time when friends who were genuinely concerned about her came forward. People like Ng Siew Fong, the principal of Harmony Academy of Dancing in Petaling Jaya and Farah Sulaiman of Sayang Dancers offered their hands of kindness. “They helped me a great deal with the dancing school that I had established before the accident,” she said. “People like Farah, for example, managed to get me to perform for RTM as a disabled dancer. No questions were asked.”
What’s more important for this gutsy woman entrepreneur is that people see her as being capable of doing what an able-bodied person can do. “We may be disabled bodily, but our minds are still active. I do not want to be seen as a disabled person, but as a performer.”
Moral support from friends, family members and her students is what makes the difference for her. Three of her students who are now under her tutelage are a great help to her teaching sessions.
With an average of 30 students at any one time at the Jenequin Dance Centre in Jalan Semenyih, Wai Khuen still teaches ballet, modern, jazz and European national folklore.
“I used to feel depressed that I can no longer dance and jump as I used to do,” she said. “But, today, I realize that with good communication, it’s possible to teach with the help of good student tutors, like Tee Yee Leng, Le Jin and Rebecca Leong.”
Whether she is successful by the measure of wealth is not important. By comparison with other disabled persons, she is reasonably successful as an entrepreneur who owns and runs her own dance school.
She has won several awards, including First Place in the Asia Pacific Dance Sports Competition in 1999, and subsequently entered the semi-finals in the World Dance Sports Competition in the following year. She also represented Malaysia as the team leader for the World Dance Sports Competition in 2002.
For those who want to start a new business, Wai Khuen’s advice is: “Earnestly desire to excel in the field you are venturing into. Manage well and overcome whatever setbacks that come along the way.”
Her life has never been a bed of roses. “Setbacks do happen, but instead of becoming disappointed and grumpy, I have learnt to be an overcomer,” she said. “You must believe in yourself, that you are able to overcome any obstacles in life. However tough the situation in life may be, you must move forward and win!”
Her inspiration came from a Malaysian nurse who is also a paraplegia, Jenny Auyong who was a permanent resident in Perth back in 1988. “She was active in sports, independent and driving around in her car. It makes a lot of difference having a good outlook in life,” she said.
Most importantly, she added, in life and business, one must be prepared to embrace changes if things do not work out the way you expected it.
She truly exemplified the saying, “When tough times come, it is the tough that gets going.”
END
NOTHING COULD DAMPEN WAI KUEN’S SPIRIT
The white Nissan 130Y was hanging precariously over the railings beside the road she was traveling on, at two o’clock in the morning of December 21, 1987. The driver, a young lady in her late 20s, was found unconscious by the side of the road when passersby stopped by to help her.
She was immediately sent to the hospital, and had several stitches on the back of her skull. With a broken elbow and collarbone, Wai Kuen was as good as a goner. Her rib bone had punctured the lungs, which later developed into bronchitic pneumonia. Her life was hanging on the balance between life and death.
Preparations were already on the way for her funeral. Family members were told that she would not survive, given the conditions she was in.
According to the doctors who attended to her, she was suffering from spinal injury at Thoracic T4 and T11, which meant that she could never dance anymore. Just hours before that tragic accident that left her paralysed, Wai Kuen was doing her usual rehearsals for Christmas performances.
Trained formally as a dancing teacher in Stella Mann School of Dancing in London (1980-83), the 45-year-old, who runs her own dance school in Kajang said that she could hardly recall the details of the accident. “I think I had a total blackout,” she said.
For nearly six months, she was hospitalized. The first two weeks were spent at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, before being moved to Tung Shin Hospital, and subsequently to a Rehabilitation hospital in Perth. “I was only informed about my permanent paralysis after one week in the hospital,” she said, recalling what the doctor told her.
It took her over a year before she could come to terms with her paralysis. “No one, except a doctor in Perth, told me that I could still teach dancing with some help from other able bodied persons.”
That was the time when friends who were genuinely concerned about her came forward. People like Ng Siew Fong, the principal of Harmony Academy of Dancing in Petaling Jaya and Farah Sulaiman of Sayang Dancers offered their hands of kindness. “They helped me a great deal with the dancing school that I had established before the accident,” she said. “People like Farah, for example, managed to get me to perform for RTM as a disabled dancer. No questions were asked.”
What’s more important for this gutsy woman entrepreneur is that people see her as being capable of doing what an able-bodied person can do. “We may be disabled bodily, but our minds are still active. I do not want to be seen as a disabled person, but as a performer.”
Moral support from friends, family members and her students is what makes the difference for her. Three of her students who are now under her tutelage are a great help to her teaching sessions.
With an average of 30 students at any one time at the Jenequin Dance Centre in Jalan Semenyih, Wai Khuen still teaches ballet, modern, jazz and European national folklore.
“I used to feel depressed that I can no longer dance and jump as I used to do,” she said. “But, today, I realize that with good communication, it’s possible to teach with the help of good student tutors, like Tee Yee Leng, Le Jin and Rebecca Leong.”
Whether she is successful by the measure of wealth is not important. By comparison with other disabled persons, she is reasonably successful as an entrepreneur who owns and runs her own dance school.
She has won several awards, including First Place in the Asia Pacific Dance Sports Competition in 1999, and subsequently entered the semi-finals in the World Dance Sports Competition in the following year. She also represented Malaysia as the team leader for the World Dance Sports Competition in 2002.
For those who want to start a new business, Wai Khuen’s advice is: “Earnestly desire to excel in the field you are venturing into. Manage well and overcome whatever setbacks that come along the way.”
Her life has never been a bed of roses. “Setbacks do happen, but instead of becoming disappointed and grumpy, I have learnt to be an overcomer,” she said. “You must believe in yourself, that you are able to overcome any obstacles in life. However tough the situation in life may be, you must move forward and win!”
Her inspiration came from a Malaysian nurse who is also a paraplegia, Jenny Auyong who was a permanent resident in Perth back in 1988. “She was active in sports, independent and driving around in her car. It makes a lot of difference having a good outlook in life,” she said.
Most importantly, she added, in life and business, one must be prepared to embrace changes if things do not work out the way you expected it.
She truly exemplified the saying, “When tough times come, it is the tough that gets going.”
END
Heard of Federal Academy of Ballet?
Mention the name Lee Lee Lan, and immediately, the name Federal Academy of Ballet comes to mind, but hardly anyone knows that this 60-year-old accomplished ballerina and principal of a well-established dance school is also a hi-tech, modern grandma, whose latest toys include a DVD recorder and a pocket personal computer.
One of her latest passion is to convert old videos into DVDs, a task that requires a lot of skills and technical know-how. The reason, in her words, is “to preserve the old record for a future generation.”
With her pocket personal computer, which she carries everywhere she goes, she is able to retrieve electronic messages from all over the world or download certain webpages related to the dance world.
“I am constantly in contact with my associates in United Kingdom,” she says. “Without the e-mails these days, it is difficult to keep in touch.”
For Lee Lee Lan, whose name has adorned the many pages of the local and international print media, it is hard to address her by any other names like “Madam Lee”, “Lee Lan” or “Principal Lee”. The three syllables of her name, almost synonymous to an established brand in the world of dancing, must go together.
Unlike most other successful business entrepreneurs, Lee Lee Lan literally danced her way to the top in the business world. “Although I have a business degree, which does help in the way I operate my school, I prefer to be known as an artiste and a cultural person.”
Her secret of success is simple. “I love what I am doing. In fact, I always tell people I have never worked all through my life. I only play. I see my work as a play.”
For her to be where she is today, it takes a lot of hard work and personal interest in the things happening in her school.
“To be successful,” she advises young aspiring entrepreneurs, “you must enjoy what you are doing. You must be single-minded. If you are good in one thing, it is good enough. Do not try to be jack of all trades.”
Little did she realize it that when in 1967, when the Federal Academy of Ballet was set up in Jalan Changgai, Petaling Jaya, it will one day become the country’s most established school of dances, with five branches in Petaling Jaya (Wisma FAB in Section 14), Bangsar, USJ, Pandan Indah and Damansara Utama, and over 1,000 students. Big names like Joseph Gonzales, Ramona Rahman and Alice Voon have graduated from her school.
In 1984, she formed the Kuala Lumpur Dance Theatre, which became the performing arm of the Federal Academy of Ballet. She has led her team of performers to perform in hundreds of concerts in countries like Thailand, Germany, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Sicily, Japan, China, Canada, Indonesia, China, Great Britain, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, Hawaii and USA.
“The latest performance was in Amsterdam, when we were invited to perform traditional cultural dances during the International Folklore Festival in June last year. From now on, we will be concentrating on producing more shows,” says Lee Lee Lan. “The next major performance will most likely be in Mongolia for the International Festival of Arts.”
To further raise the standards of her performers, she has employed both local and foreign choreographers like Benji Toledo of Washington Ballet, Louise Hawke from New Zealand, Terry Etheridge of Festival Ballet and local talents like Joseph Gonzales, Lynn Abdullah, Tan Pek Khuan and Michelle Lo.
The mother-of-two, 35-year-old Larry Lee and daughter, Samantha Lee, had trained under illustrious guidance of Soo Nee Goh, Blossom Shek and Ethel Foxcroft, still dances at the age of 60, when most people would have taken a slower pace in life. Her grandchildren, Kayra and Kayden, are also following her footsteps.
An old girl of Methodist Girls School in Melaka, Lee Lee Lan continued her A-Levels in Melaka High School and Sultan Abu Bakar Kuantan, before pursuing her Bachelor of Arts (Honours), doing a double majors in History and Economics from the University of Malaya.
For the past 50 years since 1954, she has been training herself in a number of schools, including Soonee Goh School (1954-57), Ethel Foxcroft School (1958), RAD Summer School (1971), Martha Graham School (1975) and London Contemporary Dance (year?).
She obtained her Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) Advanced Teachers Certificate in 1974, her ISTD Imperial Examiner in 1985, her Modern Examiner in 1992 and has been a Tap Associate since 1987.
She is also the Founder President of the Dance Society of Malaysia and holds several awards including the Saitama Choreographic Prize as well as the Avon Woman of Distinction Award and the ISTD International Award.
She was also very active in the World Dance Alliance (Asia Pacific) as its Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President for 12 years.
To further gain her dance experience, she enrolled herself at the Dance Centre Covent Garden, Pineapple Studios in London, Martha Graham School in New York under world-renown dancing instructors such as Maria Fay, Ruth French, Matt Mattox and Molly Molloy. She holds an Advanced Teachers Certificate from the Royal Academy of Dancing in London and has joined the rank an International Examiner of Ballet and Modern Dancing for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London.
In her office is a book on the biography of “Alec Aquinness: A Celebration” which she is still reading. She enjoys good books. “At one time, I used to love novels. Then, I was delving into self-help books, philosophy and now I am into the biographies. You learn about how people’s life evolved.”
All her work in the last four decades is well preserved. Her major in history must have a lot to do with the way she keeps all the records. Pouring through the folders in her office, she is able to locate hundreds, if not thousands of old newspaper cuttings, which she has collected and painstakingly filed over the years. Someday, I told her, she should just sit down to compile her autobiography. Will she do that?
“Yes, one of my secret dreams is to be a writer,” she quips.
END.
LEE LEE LAN
Mention the name Lee Lee Lan, and immediately, the name Federal Academy of Ballet comes to mind, but hardly anyone knows that this 60-year-old accomplished ballerina and principal of a well-established dance school is also a hi-tech, modern grandma, whose latest toys include a DVD recorder and a pocket personal computer.
One of her latest passion is to convert old videos into DVDs, a task that requires a lot of skills and technical know-how. The reason, in her words, is “to preserve the old record for a future generation.”
With her pocket personal computer, which she carries everywhere she goes, she is able to retrieve electronic messages from all over the world or download certain webpages related to the dance world.
“I am constantly in contact with my associates in United Kingdom,” she says. “Without the e-mails these days, it is difficult to keep in touch.”
For Lee Lee Lan, whose name has adorned the many pages of the local and international print media, it is hard to address her by any other names like “Madam Lee”, “Lee Lan” or “Principal Lee”. The three syllables of her name, almost synonymous to an established brand in the world of dancing, must go together.
Unlike most other successful business entrepreneurs, Lee Lee Lan literally danced her way to the top in the business world. “Although I have a business degree, which does help in the way I operate my school, I prefer to be known as an artiste and a cultural person.”
Her secret of success is simple. “I love what I am doing. In fact, I always tell people I have never worked all through my life. I only play. I see my work as a play.”
For her to be where she is today, it takes a lot of hard work and personal interest in the things happening in her school.
“To be successful,” she advises young aspiring entrepreneurs, “you must enjoy what you are doing. You must be single-minded. If you are good in one thing, it is good enough. Do not try to be jack of all trades.”
Little did she realize it that when in 1967, when the Federal Academy of Ballet was set up in Jalan Changgai, Petaling Jaya, it will one day become the country’s most established school of dances, with five branches in Petaling Jaya (Wisma FAB in Section 14), Bangsar, USJ, Pandan Indah and Damansara Utama, and over 1,000 students. Big names like Joseph Gonzales, Ramona Rahman and Alice Voon have graduated from her school.
In 1984, she formed the Kuala Lumpur Dance Theatre, which became the performing arm of the Federal Academy of Ballet. She has led her team of performers to perform in hundreds of concerts in countries like Thailand, Germany, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Sicily, Japan, China, Canada, Indonesia, China, Great Britain, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, Hawaii and USA.
“The latest performance was in Amsterdam, when we were invited to perform traditional cultural dances during the International Folklore Festival in June last year. From now on, we will be concentrating on producing more shows,” says Lee Lee Lan. “The next major performance will most likely be in Mongolia for the International Festival of Arts.”
To further raise the standards of her performers, she has employed both local and foreign choreographers like Benji Toledo of Washington Ballet, Louise Hawke from New Zealand, Terry Etheridge of Festival Ballet and local talents like Joseph Gonzales, Lynn Abdullah, Tan Pek Khuan and Michelle Lo.
The mother-of-two, 35-year-old Larry Lee and daughter, Samantha Lee, had trained under illustrious guidance of Soo Nee Goh, Blossom Shek and Ethel Foxcroft, still dances at the age of 60, when most people would have taken a slower pace in life. Her grandchildren, Kayra and Kayden, are also following her footsteps.
An old girl of Methodist Girls School in Melaka, Lee Lee Lan continued her A-Levels in Melaka High School and Sultan Abu Bakar Kuantan, before pursuing her Bachelor of Arts (Honours), doing a double majors in History and Economics from the University of Malaya.
For the past 50 years since 1954, she has been training herself in a number of schools, including Soonee Goh School (1954-57), Ethel Foxcroft School (1958), RAD Summer School (1971), Martha Graham School (1975) and London Contemporary Dance (year?).
She obtained her Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) Advanced Teachers Certificate in 1974, her ISTD Imperial Examiner in 1985, her Modern Examiner in 1992 and has been a Tap Associate since 1987.
She is also the Founder President of the Dance Society of Malaysia and holds several awards including the Saitama Choreographic Prize as well as the Avon Woman of Distinction Award and the ISTD International Award.
She was also very active in the World Dance Alliance (Asia Pacific) as its Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President for 12 years.
To further gain her dance experience, she enrolled herself at the Dance Centre Covent Garden, Pineapple Studios in London, Martha Graham School in New York under world-renown dancing instructors such as Maria Fay, Ruth French, Matt Mattox and Molly Molloy. She holds an Advanced Teachers Certificate from the Royal Academy of Dancing in London and has joined the rank an International Examiner of Ballet and Modern Dancing for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London.
In her office is a book on the biography of “Alec Aquinness: A Celebration” which she is still reading. She enjoys good books. “At one time, I used to love novels. Then, I was delving into self-help books, philosophy and now I am into the biographies. You learn about how people’s life evolved.”
All her work in the last four decades is well preserved. Her major in history must have a lot to do with the way she keeps all the records. Pouring through the folders in her office, she is able to locate hundreds, if not thousands of old newspaper cuttings, which she has collected and painstakingly filed over the years. Someday, I told her, she should just sit down to compile her autobiography. Will she do that?
“Yes, one of my secret dreams is to be a writer,” she quips.
END.
One of her latest passion is to convert old videos into DVDs, a task that requires a lot of skills and technical know-how. The reason, in her words, is “to preserve the old record for a future generation.”
With her pocket personal computer, which she carries everywhere she goes, she is able to retrieve electronic messages from all over the world or download certain webpages related to the dance world.
“I am constantly in contact with my associates in United Kingdom,” she says. “Without the e-mails these days, it is difficult to keep in touch.”
For Lee Lee Lan, whose name has adorned the many pages of the local and international print media, it is hard to address her by any other names like “Madam Lee”, “Lee Lan” or “Principal Lee”. The three syllables of her name, almost synonymous to an established brand in the world of dancing, must go together.
Unlike most other successful business entrepreneurs, Lee Lee Lan literally danced her way to the top in the business world. “Although I have a business degree, which does help in the way I operate my school, I prefer to be known as an artiste and a cultural person.”
Her secret of success is simple. “I love what I am doing. In fact, I always tell people I have never worked all through my life. I only play. I see my work as a play.”
For her to be where she is today, it takes a lot of hard work and personal interest in the things happening in her school.
“To be successful,” she advises young aspiring entrepreneurs, “you must enjoy what you are doing. You must be single-minded. If you are good in one thing, it is good enough. Do not try to be jack of all trades.”
Little did she realize it that when in 1967, when the Federal Academy of Ballet was set up in Jalan Changgai, Petaling Jaya, it will one day become the country’s most established school of dances, with five branches in Petaling Jaya (Wisma FAB in Section 14), Bangsar, USJ, Pandan Indah and Damansara Utama, and over 1,000 students. Big names like Joseph Gonzales, Ramona Rahman and Alice Voon have graduated from her school.
In 1984, she formed the Kuala Lumpur Dance Theatre, which became the performing arm of the Federal Academy of Ballet. She has led her team of performers to perform in hundreds of concerts in countries like Thailand, Germany, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Sicily, Japan, China, Canada, Indonesia, China, Great Britain, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, Hawaii and USA.
“The latest performance was in Amsterdam, when we were invited to perform traditional cultural dances during the International Folklore Festival in June last year. From now on, we will be concentrating on producing more shows,” says Lee Lee Lan. “The next major performance will most likely be in Mongolia for the International Festival of Arts.”
To further raise the standards of her performers, she has employed both local and foreign choreographers like Benji Toledo of Washington Ballet, Louise Hawke from New Zealand, Terry Etheridge of Festival Ballet and local talents like Joseph Gonzales, Lynn Abdullah, Tan Pek Khuan and Michelle Lo.
The mother-of-two, 35-year-old Larry Lee and daughter, Samantha Lee, had trained under illustrious guidance of Soo Nee Goh, Blossom Shek and Ethel Foxcroft, still dances at the age of 60, when most people would have taken a slower pace in life. Her grandchildren, Kayra and Kayden, are also following her footsteps.
An old girl of Methodist Girls School in Melaka, Lee Lee Lan continued her A-Levels in Melaka High School and Sultan Abu Bakar Kuantan, before pursuing her Bachelor of Arts (Honours), doing a double majors in History and Economics from the University of Malaya.
For the past 50 years since 1954, she has been training herself in a number of schools, including Soonee Goh School (1954-57), Ethel Foxcroft School (1958), RAD Summer School (1971), Martha Graham School (1975) and London Contemporary Dance (year?).
She obtained her Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) Advanced Teachers Certificate in 1974, her ISTD Imperial Examiner in 1985, her Modern Examiner in 1992 and has been a Tap Associate since 1987.
She is also the Founder President of the Dance Society of Malaysia and holds several awards including the Saitama Choreographic Prize as well as the Avon Woman of Distinction Award and the ISTD International Award.
She was also very active in the World Dance Alliance (Asia Pacific) as its Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President for 12 years.
To further gain her dance experience, she enrolled herself at the Dance Centre Covent Garden, Pineapple Studios in London, Martha Graham School in New York under world-renown dancing instructors such as Maria Fay, Ruth French, Matt Mattox and Molly Molloy. She holds an Advanced Teachers Certificate from the Royal Academy of Dancing in London and has joined the rank an International Examiner of Ballet and Modern Dancing for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in London.
In her office is a book on the biography of “Alec Aquinness: A Celebration” which she is still reading. She enjoys good books. “At one time, I used to love novels. Then, I was delving into self-help books, philosophy and now I am into the biographies. You learn about how people’s life evolved.”
All her work in the last four decades is well preserved. Her major in history must have a lot to do with the way she keeps all the records. Pouring through the folders in her office, she is able to locate hundreds, if not thousands of old newspaper cuttings, which she has collected and painstakingly filed over the years. Someday, I told her, she should just sit down to compile her autobiography. Will she do that?
“Yes, one of my secret dreams is to be a writer,” she quips.
END.
SHE'S MORE THAN A CUT ABOVE
WINNIE LOO
She rather drove second-hand cars and invested in real estate properties than buying new and expensive cars, but today Winnie Loo considers herself a smart investor.
Few people know her as an investor, but out of a passion to teach young people some good financial sense, she decided to share some of her secrets in life.
Being presented a Porsche Boxster for her anniversary sometime ago and a Mercedes Adevangarde E Class which was given to her as a present on Valentine’s Day last year from her husband, Loo who is better known for her up-market hairstyling salon in Bangsar Shopping Centre in Bangsar, A Cut Above said she rather let other people lose their money through depreciation than to buy a car brand new and find that the value depreciates 20 to 30 percent within the first year.
“It wasn’t until recently when we feel that we have reached our fifties and deserve to pamper ourselves a little bit that we decided to go for new cars,” she said. “After all, we have worked so hard in life. We cannot bring what we have into the next world.”
Living in a luxurious and tastefully done up condominium in upscale Bangsar, with husband Richard Teo and 18-year-old Marcus and 14-year-old daughter, Hazel, Loo said her interest in property investment started as early as 1979, when the first property – which she reminiscences as “a tiny little link intermediate single storey house in Sri Petaling” – was purchased for only RM56,000.
Richard was her boyfriend then, and it was he who asked: “Got some spare money? Why not invest into a property together first.”
They got married in 1984. After buying an apartment in Sea Park and later invested in a townhouse and another apartment in Ukay Heights during the property market boomed in 1985, but the apartment and single storey house was sold for a mild profit considering that she had paid her mortgage for eight to 10 years. It happened just before the market crashed in 1987.
“Since then, I have learnt that for any property investment to be worthwhile, I can only take the maximum of 50 percent bank loan,” she said. “Many people go into too high gearing and when the market crashed, they are badly hit.”
The rest was history. During bad times, Loo and her husband saw the opportunities and continued buying properties. When her first child, Marcus was born in 1988, she bought into Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, a two-and-half storey link house worth RM200,000, which they stayed for 4 years rental-free until 1993. “After some extensive renovations, we managed to sell the property for RM430,000,” she said. “It was a worthwhile investment, and we had the chance to live in it.”
Today, they are looking for investments into commercial properties, including shophouses, apartments and factory lots, where they see the big money. “We also select our properties based on location, choice of units in a block, and always buying them first-hand from the developers,” she said. “Properties in some upmarket locations can fetch higher rental.”
A good investor, she said, also must know the trend. “Richard and I realized that the trend is now into gated communities, with no individual house fencing, so we decided to invest into Sierra Mas township in 1994,” she added. We lived there for a while and sold the property off and did made a decent profit and on top of that turned the profit to purchase another piece of land back in the same neighborhood since I like the environment so much.
A smart investor, Loo said, will not have emotional attachment to the properties. “I never believe in feng shui which suggests to us to live in a house which brings peace and prosperity,” she said. “If the price is right, and we can sell the property, we would rather live in another new home. Buying and selling gives us good feelings.”
The family is still on transit. “We have lived in our condominium in Bangsar since 1991. It was on the very day when Highland Towers collapsed. December 11 was a memorable day when we were moving into our condominium. Since then, we have not regretted staying in Araville Condominium.
“We are moving into another condominium also in Bangsar which we bought in 2003. We are learning to be smarter these days by buying into properties in more affluent areas, where the value will appreciate higher,” she said.
Also, land attracts the Teo couple. “These days, we prefer to buy into land. We buy bungalow lots in upmarket locations and literally `sitting on it,’” she laughed. “We know some day these lots will fetch good values.”
Her final words of advice to young investors: “Always make sure you have about 30 per cent liquid assets. The business should be the largest asset, and then the rest is your investments into real estate. Learn to invest your money today, rather than spending them away.”
For a young girl in her early twenties, Loo’s savings of RM400 for her salary of RM1000 has paid off as she turns 50 on January 19 this year. “Life is now a celebration to me,” she said, with a smile. “We have worked very hard over the years, and now, we deserve to pamper ourselves a little.”
END.
She rather drove second-hand cars and invested in real estate properties than buying new and expensive cars, but today Winnie Loo considers herself a smart investor.
Few people know her as an investor, but out of a passion to teach young people some good financial sense, she decided to share some of her secrets in life.
Being presented a Porsche Boxster for her anniversary sometime ago and a Mercedes Adevangarde E Class which was given to her as a present on Valentine’s Day last year from her husband, Loo who is better known for her up-market hairstyling salon in Bangsar Shopping Centre in Bangsar, A Cut Above said she rather let other people lose their money through depreciation than to buy a car brand new and find that the value depreciates 20 to 30 percent within the first year.
“It wasn’t until recently when we feel that we have reached our fifties and deserve to pamper ourselves a little bit that we decided to go for new cars,” she said. “After all, we have worked so hard in life. We cannot bring what we have into the next world.”
Living in a luxurious and tastefully done up condominium in upscale Bangsar, with husband Richard Teo and 18-year-old Marcus and 14-year-old daughter, Hazel, Loo said her interest in property investment started as early as 1979, when the first property – which she reminiscences as “a tiny little link intermediate single storey house in Sri Petaling” – was purchased for only RM56,000.
Richard was her boyfriend then, and it was he who asked: “Got some spare money? Why not invest into a property together first.”
They got married in 1984. After buying an apartment in Sea Park and later invested in a townhouse and another apartment in Ukay Heights during the property market boomed in 1985, but the apartment and single storey house was sold for a mild profit considering that she had paid her mortgage for eight to 10 years. It happened just before the market crashed in 1987.
“Since then, I have learnt that for any property investment to be worthwhile, I can only take the maximum of 50 percent bank loan,” she said. “Many people go into too high gearing and when the market crashed, they are badly hit.”
The rest was history. During bad times, Loo and her husband saw the opportunities and continued buying properties. When her first child, Marcus was born in 1988, she bought into Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, a two-and-half storey link house worth RM200,000, which they stayed for 4 years rental-free until 1993. “After some extensive renovations, we managed to sell the property for RM430,000,” she said. “It was a worthwhile investment, and we had the chance to live in it.”
Today, they are looking for investments into commercial properties, including shophouses, apartments and factory lots, where they see the big money. “We also select our properties based on location, choice of units in a block, and always buying them first-hand from the developers,” she said. “Properties in some upmarket locations can fetch higher rental.”
A good investor, she said, also must know the trend. “Richard and I realized that the trend is now into gated communities, with no individual house fencing, so we decided to invest into Sierra Mas township in 1994,” she added. We lived there for a while and sold the property off and did made a decent profit and on top of that turned the profit to purchase another piece of land back in the same neighborhood since I like the environment so much.
A smart investor, Loo said, will not have emotional attachment to the properties. “I never believe in feng shui which suggests to us to live in a house which brings peace and prosperity,” she said. “If the price is right, and we can sell the property, we would rather live in another new home. Buying and selling gives us good feelings.”
The family is still on transit. “We have lived in our condominium in Bangsar since 1991. It was on the very day when Highland Towers collapsed. December 11 was a memorable day when we were moving into our condominium. Since then, we have not regretted staying in Araville Condominium.
“We are moving into another condominium also in Bangsar which we bought in 2003. We are learning to be smarter these days by buying into properties in more affluent areas, where the value will appreciate higher,” she said.
Also, land attracts the Teo couple. “These days, we prefer to buy into land. We buy bungalow lots in upmarket locations and literally `sitting on it,’” she laughed. “We know some day these lots will fetch good values.”
Her final words of advice to young investors: “Always make sure you have about 30 per cent liquid assets. The business should be the largest asset, and then the rest is your investments into real estate. Learn to invest your money today, rather than spending them away.”
For a young girl in her early twenties, Loo’s savings of RM400 for her salary of RM1000 has paid off as she turns 50 on January 19 this year. “Life is now a celebration to me,” she said, with a smile. “We have worked very hard over the years, and now, we deserve to pamper ourselves a little.”
END.
Monday, May 28, 2007
PEGGY WONG’S 5 F’s FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
For the young aspiring businessperson, Dr Peggy Wong has a simple formula, which she calls the “5 F’s”. They are: Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness and Friends.
Her Keray Group of Companies is today involved in investment portfolios besides developing a strong presence in the fields of information technology and communications.
“My five F’s are like the five poles that hold a tent together,” says Wong, who is widely known to her social and business circle as a corporate matchmaker and a visionary philanthropist. Despite being very successful together with her husband Foo Kong running the Keray Group of Companies, Wong’s formula is something she wants to share with everyone.
She begins her list with the word Faith. “One must have faith in God. It is this that will put all the other things into the right perspectives,” she explains. “Without faith in a living God, everything will just go haywire. This is pivotal in my life, very much like the central pole that holds a tent together.”
In her series of little books, “Life’s Little Secrets” she wrote: “We enter into this world with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing too.” Life is but a mist, come today, gone tomorrow. Let us do whatever good we can, while we are on earth. Since four years ago, she has always given priority to her time spent with God.
After Faith, the other four `F’s are equally important, like the four poles that hold the tent together. A firm believer in the family unit, Wong places her Family, which consists of her husband and two sons, as a single highest priority in life.
“You can be very successful, but if at the end of the day, your family is not with you, what is there left for you?” she asks. “When you are down and out, it is your family who stands by you. So, never ever neglect your family when you are climbing up the ladder of success.”
The third F is Finances. A very downright person who would not mind speaking her mind, Wong say, “Love cannot live on air and water. At the end of the day, every family has to learn to manage their finances. Many marriages have unfortunately ended up with divorces when financial crises hit the couple. Be content with what you have and thank God for the blessings.”
On finances, Wong’s advice to the young entrepreneurs: “Contentment is priceless. Are you rich? There is always someone who is richer than you. Are you poor? There is someone who is poorer than you are.”
Adding to the list is Fitness. “When you are financially strong, without good health, life can be very miserable. Therefore, I have always added Fitness as my priority,” she says. “I do exercises to keep myself healthy and learn to eat right. This itself is very challenging with all the good food available in Malaysia.”
It’s sad for her to see many of her very successful friends who die young because of they neglected their health. “Otherwise, they could have enjoyed their family, their health and wealth,” she adds.
A socialite, who now believes in matching corporate philanthropists with the needy in our midst, Wong says her circle of friends have always been very generous towards the urban poor. Together with her friends, they have raised millions of Ringgit for charitable organisations like the WWF, Kosovo Victims, JE Victims, the Tsunami Charity Fund, Asrama Cahaya and Rumah Hope, where she sits in the board as its Vice-Chairman as well as Chairman of the Rumah Hope Education Fund. She is also the Charter President of Kiwanis Club of Bukit Bandaraya.
“When you are very successful in business, everyone wants to become your friends. When you are down and out, that is when you will find out who your true friends are. We have to learn to value true friendships. True friends are people who will tell you the truth, without fear or favour, and are with you during difficult times.”
That’s why she has added the fifth `F’ – Friendship – to her formula for success. Her strong desire to help herself and her friends has motivated her to recently start a special support group for ladies. “We want to maximize and integrate God-given talents among ourselves,” she explains. “We want to encourage ourselves to reach out to other women in need of support.”
Tatler, in its 2005 list of successful entrepreneurs, aptly describes her: “When we think of a role model for the next generation of women, the name Peggy Wong comes readily to mind as she has exhibited flair and balanced corporate life with charitable causes for over 20 years. Charity is second to her nature, it’s almost like breathing.”
It is traced back to her grandparents. “For me, charity has always been very close to my heart,” she says. “My grandfather used to dispense medications to Chinese immigrants free of charge and my father, Chan Chee Kheong was always helping the poor people in Ipoh. He was the moving force behind many Chinese schools in Perak. I had very good role models.”
She feels that she is well placed among the rich and famous for a good reason, which she puts in her own words: “To draw out the noble hearts of successful businesspeople and socialites and encourage them to be philanthropists with a beautiful heart of compassion and love.”
It takes someone who is a visionary philanthropist as Peggy Wong to create a spark that sets off a of firecrackers to celebrate the restored dignity of those who are otherwise deprived of the better things in life.
“It is not just about me doing my bit; it’s about creating a momentum when we join forces to contribute back to society, especially the underprivileged children and single parents.”
Today, she is delving very much into emotional healings of the abandoned, abused and neglected children. “This is the one major reason why many of them do not do well in their studies,” she said. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done to help them heal emotionally.”
She did not earn her honorary doctorate from the University of Honolulu (affiliate of UNESCO) for nothing. It is the University’s recognition for her 20 over years of involvement in charitable work and her business acumen in corporate re-engineering, a skill that not many people possess. Yet, she is finding her own five F’s a constant challenge. She smiles: “I am still struggling to keep them in perfect balance. Without it, success in business is meaningless!”
END
Her Keray Group of Companies is today involved in investment portfolios besides developing a strong presence in the fields of information technology and communications.
“My five F’s are like the five poles that hold a tent together,” says Wong, who is widely known to her social and business circle as a corporate matchmaker and a visionary philanthropist. Despite being very successful together with her husband Foo Kong running the Keray Group of Companies, Wong’s formula is something she wants to share with everyone.
She begins her list with the word Faith. “One must have faith in God. It is this that will put all the other things into the right perspectives,” she explains. “Without faith in a living God, everything will just go haywire. This is pivotal in my life, very much like the central pole that holds a tent together.”
In her series of little books, “Life’s Little Secrets” she wrote: “We enter into this world with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing too.” Life is but a mist, come today, gone tomorrow. Let us do whatever good we can, while we are on earth. Since four years ago, she has always given priority to her time spent with God.
After Faith, the other four `F’s are equally important, like the four poles that hold the tent together. A firm believer in the family unit, Wong places her Family, which consists of her husband and two sons, as a single highest priority in life.
“You can be very successful, but if at the end of the day, your family is not with you, what is there left for you?” she asks. “When you are down and out, it is your family who stands by you. So, never ever neglect your family when you are climbing up the ladder of success.”
The third F is Finances. A very downright person who would not mind speaking her mind, Wong say, “Love cannot live on air and water. At the end of the day, every family has to learn to manage their finances. Many marriages have unfortunately ended up with divorces when financial crises hit the couple. Be content with what you have and thank God for the blessings.”
On finances, Wong’s advice to the young entrepreneurs: “Contentment is priceless. Are you rich? There is always someone who is richer than you. Are you poor? There is someone who is poorer than you are.”
Adding to the list is Fitness. “When you are financially strong, without good health, life can be very miserable. Therefore, I have always added Fitness as my priority,” she says. “I do exercises to keep myself healthy and learn to eat right. This itself is very challenging with all the good food available in Malaysia.”
It’s sad for her to see many of her very successful friends who die young because of they neglected their health. “Otherwise, they could have enjoyed their family, their health and wealth,” she adds.
A socialite, who now believes in matching corporate philanthropists with the needy in our midst, Wong says her circle of friends have always been very generous towards the urban poor. Together with her friends, they have raised millions of Ringgit for charitable organisations like the WWF, Kosovo Victims, JE Victims, the Tsunami Charity Fund, Asrama Cahaya and Rumah Hope, where she sits in the board as its Vice-Chairman as well as Chairman of the Rumah Hope Education Fund. She is also the Charter President of Kiwanis Club of Bukit Bandaraya.
“When you are very successful in business, everyone wants to become your friends. When you are down and out, that is when you will find out who your true friends are. We have to learn to value true friendships. True friends are people who will tell you the truth, without fear or favour, and are with you during difficult times.”
That’s why she has added the fifth `F’ – Friendship – to her formula for success. Her strong desire to help herself and her friends has motivated her to recently start a special support group for ladies. “We want to maximize and integrate God-given talents among ourselves,” she explains. “We want to encourage ourselves to reach out to other women in need of support.”
Tatler, in its 2005 list of successful entrepreneurs, aptly describes her: “When we think of a role model for the next generation of women, the name Peggy Wong comes readily to mind as she has exhibited flair and balanced corporate life with charitable causes for over 20 years. Charity is second to her nature, it’s almost like breathing.”
It is traced back to her grandparents. “For me, charity has always been very close to my heart,” she says. “My grandfather used to dispense medications to Chinese immigrants free of charge and my father, Chan Chee Kheong was always helping the poor people in Ipoh. He was the moving force behind many Chinese schools in Perak. I had very good role models.”
She feels that she is well placed among the rich and famous for a good reason, which she puts in her own words: “To draw out the noble hearts of successful businesspeople and socialites and encourage them to be philanthropists with a beautiful heart of compassion and love.”
It takes someone who is a visionary philanthropist as Peggy Wong to create a spark that sets off a of firecrackers to celebrate the restored dignity of those who are otherwise deprived of the better things in life.
“It is not just about me doing my bit; it’s about creating a momentum when we join forces to contribute back to society, especially the underprivileged children and single parents.”
Today, she is delving very much into emotional healings of the abandoned, abused and neglected children. “This is the one major reason why many of them do not do well in their studies,” she said. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done to help them heal emotionally.”
She did not earn her honorary doctorate from the University of Honolulu (affiliate of UNESCO) for nothing. It is the University’s recognition for her 20 over years of involvement in charitable work and her business acumen in corporate re-engineering, a skill that not many people possess. Yet, she is finding her own five F’s a constant challenge. She smiles: “I am still struggling to keep them in perfect balance. Without it, success in business is meaningless!”
END
DAVID ONG OF REAPFIELD PROPERTIES
The business success that real estate businessman, David Ong Thian Choy, 49, has achieved is an inspiration to many who believe in second chances.
His introduction to the real estate business was when he first sold a house belonging to a neighbour in Jalan Limau Manis, Bangsar, back in 1983. The house was sold for RM135,000 and he earned a handsome sum of RM2,700.
“It was such a great feeling. It was the start of a new journey in my life,” he recalls. “That was the same year I married my wife, Serene Lock. As I reflected back, my life has taken on a 180 degree turn.”
Today, Reapfield Properties’ nine offices in the Klang Valley is a beehive of activities for 250 real estate negotiators working with him. Most of his time now is devoted to training and building a strong team of real estate negotiators who want to succeed in life.
Ong’s story is one that is unusual – perhaps, one in a hundred thousand.
He was a dadah addict. His career in his early days was unimpressive. Who would imagine a social outcast could today live in a home in Bandar Utama, and enjoying good family life with his lovely wife and three teenage girls?
Ong’s real estate business has grown in leaps and bounds over the past 20 years. The business had gone through two cycles of recession, and is today, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country.
It shows that, whatever state of condition one may find himself in, there is always second chances for success. It takes a little determination and perseverance in life, and, in the words of Ong himself, “the blessings of God from above.”
Last year’s real estate sales value turnover for his company had exceeded RM700 million, and he is going for the next undisclosed target, which he believes, together with his powerful team of negotiators, Reapfield Properties is set to achieve.
Most of the Reapfield offices in the Klang Valley are focused in the Residential Secondary Market. The Reapfield Group is also affiliated with NAI, which is a global real estate service provider with more than 270 offices covering 340 markets in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Asia Pacific. We are associated with Reapfield Property Singapore in marketing foreign properties mainly in Australia and New Zealand.
Wife, Serene Lock assists him in managing the finances of the business as the finance controller, where they operate out of their headquarters in Damansara Perdana.
His education is traced back to Methodist Boys’ School in Kuala Lumpur, where unfortunately, Ong’s education had to stop short when he failed his Lower Certificate of Education (LCE, equivalent to PMR today).
“I went on to Methodist Afternoon School, passed my LCE examination, and went on to Form Five to do my Malaysia Certificate of Education (MCE, equivalent to SPM) at Sekolah Menengah Kampung Kerinchi. I only passed two subjects in my MCE, that is, English and Geography,” he said. “Then, I went to work as a clerk in a brick works factory for one or two months.”
The rest was history. He left the bricks factory to join United Engineers as an apprentice fitter for a short stint of six months, and another few months in different companies.
The family moved to Bangsar. Due to peer pressure back in 1973, he started smoking cigarettes, which gradually led him to take ganja and heroin.
By then, he was spending between RM20 to RM50 a day, and before long, he found himself shoplifting, stealing and borrowing money to support his habit. When his parents discovered that he was on drugs, they tried many different methods to get him out of his dependence on drugs.
“I was taken to a private clinic, then referred to the General Hospital for detoxification. I also went to see a psychiatrist, a bomoh and finally a private rehabilitation center run by an ex-gangster chief in Batu Maung in Penang. They beat people up the moment the dadah addicts replapse to instill fear to keep them from drugs. The fear method did not work.”
The psychiatrist advised me to change my environment. “I went down to Singapore a second time, and stayed with my relatives. It was there that my mother through a church leader organized a group of friends, who were ex-Changi prisoners, whose lives had been transformed. I had an encounter with God at the meeting.”
He was later introduced to Joe’s Corner in Section 11 Petaling Jaya, where he spent two years in a drug rehabilitation regime. “It was effective. Once every fortnight, we would sit down together in the `Light Group’, where we would open up ourselves to one another, speaking the truth in love, correcting one another and helping to renew our mind.”
Gradually, his rebellious heart softened towards his God, and together with fifteen others in the rehabilitation center, they graduated. “Even after we completed our rehabilitation process, I had to live under the care of a pastor, who would gather us together and provide counseling. The whole process helped us transit back to society and to our family and loved ones.”
He decided to try sales. “The earnings from my car trade was five or six times more than the salary I was earning as a clerk,” he said. “Later, I started selling forklifts for another one or two years.”
It wasn’t until 1984, when he started Reapfield in a small office in SS2 Petaling Jaya. “The recession hit, and I was forced to close the office,” he said. “Times were bad, but my spirit never dampened. I still believe in the real estate business.”
In 1987, he joined a partnership known as PTL Realty. When it was time to part, Ong decided to reactivate his own company in 1989. Since then, the property market has been great, until the financial crisis hit in 1997/98. “All housing loans for property above RM150,000 were frozen and interest rates skyrocketed. Property did not pick up again until 2000,” he said.
Having weathered through two recessions, what is Ong’s advice for other businessmen and women? “Don’t get into debts. Be as debt-free as possible. When we are hit, we will not be so badly shaken.”
And, most importantly, referring to his company mission statement, he places great emphasis on divine help. “This is why I have built Reapfield Properties with the mission `to honour God by providing real estate services of the highest standards through equipping and developing our people’,” he said.
END.
His introduction to the real estate business was when he first sold a house belonging to a neighbour in Jalan Limau Manis, Bangsar, back in 1983. The house was sold for RM135,000 and he earned a handsome sum of RM2,700.
“It was such a great feeling. It was the start of a new journey in my life,” he recalls. “That was the same year I married my wife, Serene Lock. As I reflected back, my life has taken on a 180 degree turn.”
Today, Reapfield Properties’ nine offices in the Klang Valley is a beehive of activities for 250 real estate negotiators working with him. Most of his time now is devoted to training and building a strong team of real estate negotiators who want to succeed in life.
Ong’s story is one that is unusual – perhaps, one in a hundred thousand.
He was a dadah addict. His career in his early days was unimpressive. Who would imagine a social outcast could today live in a home in Bandar Utama, and enjoying good family life with his lovely wife and three teenage girls?
Ong’s real estate business has grown in leaps and bounds over the past 20 years. The business had gone through two cycles of recession, and is today, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country.
It shows that, whatever state of condition one may find himself in, there is always second chances for success. It takes a little determination and perseverance in life, and, in the words of Ong himself, “the blessings of God from above.”
Last year’s real estate sales value turnover for his company had exceeded RM700 million, and he is going for the next undisclosed target, which he believes, together with his powerful team of negotiators, Reapfield Properties is set to achieve.
Most of the Reapfield offices in the Klang Valley are focused in the Residential Secondary Market. The Reapfield Group is also affiliated with NAI, which is a global real estate service provider with more than 270 offices covering 340 markets in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Asia Pacific. We are associated with Reapfield Property Singapore in marketing foreign properties mainly in Australia and New Zealand.
Wife, Serene Lock assists him in managing the finances of the business as the finance controller, where they operate out of their headquarters in Damansara Perdana.
His education is traced back to Methodist Boys’ School in Kuala Lumpur, where unfortunately, Ong’s education had to stop short when he failed his Lower Certificate of Education (LCE, equivalent to PMR today).
“I went on to Methodist Afternoon School, passed my LCE examination, and went on to Form Five to do my Malaysia Certificate of Education (MCE, equivalent to SPM) at Sekolah Menengah Kampung Kerinchi. I only passed two subjects in my MCE, that is, English and Geography,” he said. “Then, I went to work as a clerk in a brick works factory for one or two months.”
The rest was history. He left the bricks factory to join United Engineers as an apprentice fitter for a short stint of six months, and another few months in different companies.
The family moved to Bangsar. Due to peer pressure back in 1973, he started smoking cigarettes, which gradually led him to take ganja and heroin.
By then, he was spending between RM20 to RM50 a day, and before long, he found himself shoplifting, stealing and borrowing money to support his habit. When his parents discovered that he was on drugs, they tried many different methods to get him out of his dependence on drugs.
“I was taken to a private clinic, then referred to the General Hospital for detoxification. I also went to see a psychiatrist, a bomoh and finally a private rehabilitation center run by an ex-gangster chief in Batu Maung in Penang. They beat people up the moment the dadah addicts replapse to instill fear to keep them from drugs. The fear method did not work.”
The psychiatrist advised me to change my environment. “I went down to Singapore a second time, and stayed with my relatives. It was there that my mother through a church leader organized a group of friends, who were ex-Changi prisoners, whose lives had been transformed. I had an encounter with God at the meeting.”
He was later introduced to Joe’s Corner in Section 11 Petaling Jaya, where he spent two years in a drug rehabilitation regime. “It was effective. Once every fortnight, we would sit down together in the `Light Group’, where we would open up ourselves to one another, speaking the truth in love, correcting one another and helping to renew our mind.”
Gradually, his rebellious heart softened towards his God, and together with fifteen others in the rehabilitation center, they graduated. “Even after we completed our rehabilitation process, I had to live under the care of a pastor, who would gather us together and provide counseling. The whole process helped us transit back to society and to our family and loved ones.”
He decided to try sales. “The earnings from my car trade was five or six times more than the salary I was earning as a clerk,” he said. “Later, I started selling forklifts for another one or two years.”
It wasn’t until 1984, when he started Reapfield in a small office in SS2 Petaling Jaya. “The recession hit, and I was forced to close the office,” he said. “Times were bad, but my spirit never dampened. I still believe in the real estate business.”
In 1987, he joined a partnership known as PTL Realty. When it was time to part, Ong decided to reactivate his own company in 1989. Since then, the property market has been great, until the financial crisis hit in 1997/98. “All housing loans for property above RM150,000 were frozen and interest rates skyrocketed. Property did not pick up again until 2000,” he said.
Having weathered through two recessions, what is Ong’s advice for other businessmen and women? “Don’t get into debts. Be as debt-free as possible. When we are hit, we will not be so badly shaken.”
And, most importantly, referring to his company mission statement, he places great emphasis on divine help. “This is why I have built Reapfield Properties with the mission `to honour God by providing real estate services of the highest standards through equipping and developing our people’,” he said.
END.
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