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華美新創 | Mission | Partner |
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![]() In 2021, Allen Ku, the president of ADESSO Technology Company in Walnut, Los Angeles, received the "30th Model Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship Support Award for Overseas Chinese" from Taiwan. The award was presented by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. In 2022, he also received the "Outstanding Asian American Engineer Award," which honors Asian technologists for their outstanding contributions to the United States. In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, our reporter interviewed Allen Ku to share his 30-year immigrant journey. Allen Ku was born into a Hakka family in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and studied electronic engineering. In 1995, he was sent to the United States by a Taiwanese electronics company. He recalls arriving in the U.S. with $1,000 and no acquaintances. He started from scratch, working an average of 12 hours a day, and eventually rose from a technical support engineer to the branch manager. In 2002, Ku learned that an electronics company named ADESSO was up for sale. At 32, he took a bold step and invested his entire savings to purchase the company for $200,000. Initially, the company had only five employees, and he personally managed the early stages of the startup. Strategically avoiding highly competitive markets, he sought more cost-effective electronic products in mainland China. Within a few years, the company grew to become the third-largest computer peripheral equipment company in the U.S. market, just behind Logitech and Microsoft. Ku shared that today, ADESSO offers over 300 products, employs hundreds of staff, and has an annual revenue exceeding $50 million. The company's products are sold worldwide, with service teams in Taiwan, mainland China, the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, and the UK. ADESSO was selected as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. in 2008 and was named one of the top 100 continuously profitable small and medium-sized enterprises from 2010 to 2011. Ku attributes his success to a customer-first approach, providing top-quality service including same-day shipping, free technical support, manufacturer warranty, price protection, and a satisfaction guarantee with returns and exchanges. The year 2020 marked a turning point in Ku's life when he was suddenly struck by a suspected stroke, resulting in facial nerve disorder and requiring emergency hospitalization. During his hospital stay, he realized that life shouldn't be solely about making money. He reflected that his earlier life was focused on career and earning money, but he neglected giving back to society. "After achieving business success and family happiness, experiencing life and death made me want to give back to the community." Upon recovering from his illness, he established the "Adesso Nonprofit Foundation," focusing on education, health, safety, and environmental issues. The foundation donates hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to local school districts, schools, police departments, hospitals, social organizations, and Chinese community groups. It also provides scholarships and financial aid to support the community through charitable efforts. The foundation not only assists Chinese communities but also supports educational and cultural institutions of other ethnic groups. Last year, Ku became the president of the Diamond Bar Chinese Association and is currently the president of the Diamond Bar Chinese Friendship Association, actively participating in community affairs. Reflecting on nearly 30 years of living in the U.S., Ku's life philosophy is "everything depends on oneself, work hard and work harder." He has maintained a 60-hour workweek for 30 years. He believes that although hard work doesn't guarantee success, success always requires hard work, and giving back to the community after achieving success is a joyful endeavor. ![]() |
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