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n 2003, a group of visionary real estate professionals met in Houston, Texas, to discuss the need for a pan-Asian real estate association to help advance policies to benefit the community and empower those who chose to serve the market. Led by John Wong, Allen Okamoto, Allen Chiang, Kenneth Li, and Jim Park, among others, the Asian Real Estate Association of America was born. At least on paper. What followed was several years of coalescing the other existing Asian real estate groups, which typically only focused on one Asian ethnicity or one market, and growing the name recognition of AREAA through corporate partnerships and national events. “I believe that one of the strengths of AREAA is that it crosses all Asian communities. As they say, “all ships rise with the tide,” said AREAA co-founder and 2005 National Chairman Allen Okamoto. “When Asians unite they become a tremendous force not only economically but politically as well. These are some of the reasons that AREAA has been so well accepted across the country.”
“I believe that one of the strengths of AREAA is that it crosses all Asian communities. As they say, 'all ships rise with the tide,' " said AREAA cofounder and 2005 National Chairman Allen Okamoto. “When Asians unite they become a tremendous force not only economically but politically as well. These are some of the reasons that AREAA has been so well accepted across the country.” 30
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Of these relationships, AREAA Chairman Emeritus Jim Park says, “The true power of AREAA is the connection of business partnerships and long term friendships that would have never materialized without it.”
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In 2007, the first AREAA chapters were formed in Chicago and Las Vegas. In 2008, after just 5 short years, membership was already 8,000 strong and the ball was rolling. During the global financial crisis of 2009, AREAA’s leadership kept the momentum going by establishing theEDGE, AREAA’s YPN, which aimed to identify and groom future generations of Asian business leaders and professionals. By 2012, AREAA had cemented itself as a major player on the international stage, leading several trade missions abroad each year to foster new relationships with real estate associations and bureaucracies in places such as China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and more, and was set to host the first multi-city North America – China Real Estate Summit in partnership with the Chinese Real Estate Association. Of these relationships, AREAA Chairman Emeritus Jim Park says, “The true power of AREAA is the connection of business partnerships and long term friendships that would have never materialized without it.” AREAA then launched two exciting new initiatives AREAA Global, a for-profit investment incubator that gives AREAA members access to exclusive, and vetted, investment opportunities all over the world, and The AREAA Education Foundation, to both raise funds for disaster-stricken areas around the world and create a more comprehensive leadership training program.
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of AR These entities, as well as AREAA’s overall scope and direction, have matured and accomplished a great deal in the last several years. AREAA Global now has a pipeline of revenue-generating investments for members to take advantage of, and with the creation of the new AREAA Global Exchange website, it is now easier than ever for members to research these investments as well as promote their own. The AREAA Education Foundation has expanded to include a housing assistance grant program for
