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A VIEW FROM THE TOP
UPS executive gives back to Atlanta's Asian community
Growing up in San Francisco, Ken Lee was under the impression that Asian-Americans were everywhere.
"In elementary school and junior high, it was 97 percent Chinese," said Lee, now vice president of security for UPS. "And it was not just Chinese, but everyone was from the same province. Then in high school it was different -- and, still, that was 35 percent."
But during a 35-year career at UPS that led him from sorting packages at a hub in San Francisco to an executive's office at the company's headquarters in Sandy Springs, a realization set in.
"When you go into business, you realize you're a little smaller minority than you thought," Lee said.
Metro Atlanta's Asian population is growing but still stands at about 2 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The difference between getting involved in San Francisco and getting involved in Atlanta, he said, is that in his hometown the 35 percent Asian population has the political clout to advocate for itself. In Atlanta, he said, the strategy has to be one of private advocacy and role modeling.
And Lee, who was recognized in December as one of the 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business by the Asian American Business Development Center, is a tireless advocate through his work in various organizations and charities.
He serves as executive vice president of the national OCA organization's executive council. The organization, founded in 1973 as the Organization of Chinese Americans, now defines its mission as advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian/Pacific Americans in the United States. In addition, Lee served as president of the OCA Georgia chapter in 1999.
Also in Georgia, he serves as an adviser for the local fund-raising organization Chopstix for Charity, which contributes money for scholarships and human service groups that serve the Asian community. He is also affiliated with the National Association of Asian American Professionals, the Association of Chinese Professionals and the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce.
He also stays busy on the speaking circuit, reaching out to recent Chinese immigrants and giving talks to corporate groups interested in hearing his message about the value of a diverse work force. He sometimes needs to adjust the content of his speech on the fly.
"When I spoke to Lockheed during Asian-American month [last May], I saw there were only a couple of Asians in the audience," Lee said. "So I changed my talk into more of a history lesson."
Metro Atlanta's Asian population has grown from about 50,000 to 250,000 since Lee moved here in 1992. But even with that growth, Asians are a much smaller minority than in other cities Lee has called home during his UPS career. Other stops include Seattle, Los Angeles and the former UPS headquarters city of Greenwich, Conn.
"I don't know if the decision was made to put me in areas where there was a significant Asian population, but it helped make my kids more comfortable," Lee said.
Lee said he started his outreach to the metro Atlanta Asian community at the urging of a UPS human resources manager, who suggested he look into OCA's Georgia chapter.
The organization's chapter president, Alfred Yu, said he admires Lee's contributions over the 10 years they've known each other.
"He has demonstrated leadership and a willingness to give of himself, and he always has the best interest of people at heart," Yu said. "He contributes his personal funds to the projects he leads."
When he speaks to Asians who recently arrived in the United States, Lee said he tries to help explain how to overcome barriers so they can get ahead in business.
"Some groups conduct all their meetings in Mandarin," he said. "I tell them to reserve one day -- a Saturday or Sunday -- to speak English. Because if language is an issue, how will you learn to speak English if you only speak Mandarin at home?
"The area I can help best is to offer advice on how to climb the corporate ladder, if you want to call it that."
KEN LEE
Vice president of security, UPS
Lee, the grandson of immigrants from the suburbs of Guangzhou, China, said he started his career climb when he was recruited to a part-time job sorting packages at a UPS hub in San Francisco. It was a small operation then, so he learned various parts of the business. When the manager needed another job covered for the short term, Lee often volunteered.
"If somebody offers you an opportunity to do something new, you have a chance to grow," Lee said. "By learning the entire hub, it prepared me for other things."
One of those things was focusing on making sure packages that entered the building were sent out to the correct destination. Then the company merged departments with similar tracking responsibilities.
"Tracing and claims merged with security, and that's how I wound up here," Lee said.
Throughout the journey, Lee said, he didn't feel the obstacles to success that some Asian-Americans do.
"I was at a career seminar recently, and what was interesting was just talking about our different experiences," Lee said. "They asked me what was my experience, and I said, 'I didn't feel anything different.' "
Lee said he feels a duty as a role model but also a duty to battle stereotypes.
"Some people will say, 'Hey, that guy speaks just like I do,' " Lee said. "So it's important to bring awareness. But I have not felt anything uncomfortable, so part of that is a frame of mind."
