Title:
President, S. Lew & Associates
Education:
Associate’s degree from San Diego Community College; attended San Diego State University
Age:
53
Family:
Husband, Dee; sons, Deegan and Steven
Hobbies:
Travel, hiking, weight training, yoga, good food and wine
Ex-Port Commissioner Still Active In Private Practice in Business, Investing and Policymaking
eople associated with San Diego’s coastline during the last 10 years know Susan Lew to be an active and enthusiastic board member of the San Diego Unified Port District.
But all good things come to an end, as Lew finished slightly more than two terms in March and returned to her life and her business without the added responsibilities of public service.
Lew cites her main reason for serving as a port commissioner was to act on San Diego’s potential.
“I feel happy and lucky that I had the opportunity to serve,” Lew says. “First, as a big maritime supporter, I know how a region’s economy relies upon trade. Just look at Hong Kong, the largest commercial port in the world.
“Second, as a global person who travels for both business and pleasure, I feel San Diego is a first-class city that deserves a first-class airport, and finally with my real estate background, I offered good judgment based on experience.”
Title Of Distinction
Lew, one of three Port District commissioners who served two consecutive four-year terms, is still referred to as commissioner emeritus. The Port District jurisdictions include maritime operations, the airport and real estate management from San Diego to Imperial Beach. Member cities are San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach and National City.
San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy appointed Peter Janopaul as Lew’s successor in March.
In 1995, Lew was elected chairwoman of the Port Commission. She was the first woman and the first Asian to hold that position.
“The whole of the eight years were good but in 1995 I had the opportunity to make real change,” Lew says.
Lew took the top board spot just as Don Nay, former executive director, left the Port District after 27 years.
“I felt that these changes were critical,” Lew says. “I called for a strategic plan, a master plan and accelerated an immediate action plan that included the airport renovation projects.”
Lew’s renovation projects later became the airport expansion program. In addition to placing an emphasis on planning, Lew also expanded maritime operations.
During Lew’s tenure as chairwoman, commercial cargo operations grew from 0.5 million tons to 2.5 million tons.
Lew also focused on port culture by working closely with other agencies, the member communities and tenants.
“Back then, the port was seen as a closed government entity,” she says. “And, as a person of positive change, I wanted more openness and access.”
Overall, Lew is most proud of the public arts program.
“I took the opportunity to use the funds that were being saved for public art, to implement the program,” she says.
The success of the program is apparent with 32 works of art displayed at Lindbergh Field and 24 elsewhere.
“Clearly, Susan is a proven commodity experienced in international business,” says Frank Urtasun, chairman of the port commission. “As far as the port is concerned, she brought an international dimension that I haven’t seen before nor after. Even though each port commissioner has their own unique skills and accomplishments, we will not be able to replace her.”
Lew was born in Canton, China, and raised in Hong Kong. Lew met her husband, Dee Lew, of San Diego in 1965. Even though they met in Hong Kong, a year later the couple moved to San Diego to get married. For the past 30 years, she has been a real estate broker, developer and investor with properties in California, Washington and Nevada.
Invested In Real Estate
Her first investment was in 1972 when she took the family savings made from a small grocery business to buy an 18-unit apartment complex in east San Diego. They sold the building and bought another.
Lew repeated the process and was fortunate to capitalize on San Diego’s real estate boom of the 1970s.
In 1992, Lew opened the Emerald Seafood Restaurant and developed it as a cornerstone for the Asian-themed shopping complex called Pacific Gateway Plaza at Aero Drive and Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa. She still owns/operates the restaurant and is also president of S. Lew & Associates, a real estate business brokerage and property management company.
Initially started with Asian investors’ money, at its height the company managed portfolios worth more than $100 million. Today, the portfolio is more than $50 million with local and overseas investors.
Lew and her business partner-husband are well-known in international business circles via their import and export businesses ranging from yachts to pearls. The company S. Lew & Associates also developed a 400-room hotel in Fuzhou, China.
Lew is a regional spokeswoman on international business issues. On the day Lew announced her port tenure was over, she received more than a dozen calls from local companies and nonprofits to serve on their boards.
“I told them I needed a vacation first,” she says. “Now that I am back, I am busier than ever.”
Local Bank Involvement
In January, she became a founder and board member of First Pacific Bank which is headquartered in the University Towne Centre area, with a second branch in Oceanside.
“I helped found this bank because we need local people who can make local lending decisions for growing businesses. Especially now, many of the small banks have been bought out,” she says.
“We call ourselves the high-tech bank with high touch,” she says. “I like to use San Diego Trust & Savings Bank as a model. It was a great regional bank that served and helped the community grow.”
Lew is also busy fund-raising for the Union Pan Asian Community. UPAC offers more than 40 programs in 27 languages to assist people from Pacific Rim countries.
“UPAC helps build immigrants’ and refugees’ lives after they come to this country,” Lew says. “We help approximately 50,000 people each year.”
Active In Fund-Raising
Lew is no stranger to community fund-raising. Besides UPAC, Lew has served on the boards of the Old Globe Theatre and the San Diego chapter of the American Red Cross. She is past-president of the San Diego Chinese Center, and a former member of the California Advisory Commission for California-Canada Trade and the San Diego International Trade Commission.
Lew also founded the San Diego chapter of the Asian Business Association.
“My husband and I went to San Francisco and learned about the ABA and brought it back. ”
In her private time, Lew loves to travel. She doesn’t suffer jet lag, so she gets teased about this a lot. “I just get on the plane and fall asleep. The minute it lands I wake up refreshed,” she says.
Lew has traveled extensively in the United States, Canada, Europe and in Asia and Mexico. She recently returned from a trip to Angar Wat, a historic monument in Cambodia that was lost in the jungle, but recently rediscovered and restored.
Lew said the experience gave her a new perspective about life.
“Angar Wat was so beautiful but Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world with an average annual income of only $200. It makes one realize how fortunate we are living in the United States. We have material worth and a democratic society that protects our freedom. The trip made me recommit to help those less fortunate.”
Walke is a freelance writer for the Business Journal.
