Woman Entrepreneur of the Year finalist: Lee-En Chung

During spring training this past season, Lee-En Chung, the self-professed “fashion diva,” was spotted wearing her signature item — a pair of Cole Haan burnt orange suede sneakers — at more than 17 games in 29 days. After showing off a scroll of photos of herself “bedazzled” in creative orange, black and white outfits — also known as the official colors of the Baltimore Orioles — it seems hard to believe that she just recently became a fan of baseball.

The motivation behind her newfound love of America’s favorite pastime stems from her latest project. Chung, an engineer and general contractor who has earned her LEED AP designation, worked as a consulting engineer providing owner’s representative services for the $31.2 million renovation of spring-training facilities for the Baltimore Orioles (which included Ed Smith Stadium and Buck O’ Neil Baseball Complex). Ivy Ventures Inc., Chung’s business, was hired to look out for the owner’s best interest (in this case, Sarasota County), performing duties such as protecting the budget, looking over the scheduling, coordinating items, etc. She recalls with laughter inspecting with an architect more than 7,000 fixed seats in the stadium to be sure they were ready for opening day. She also served on the selection committees to help chose the best architects and construction managers for the job.

After the completion of the large project, being a finalist for the Women Entrepreneur Award has been sweet validation.

“This award means a lot to me, because it acknowledges that women can be successful in business,” says Chung. “For me to be in a male-dominated industry, at a male-dominated project, the timing of the acknowledgment is very touching.”

Chung has a family full of inspiration for her chosen career — her father is a civil engineer and her mother, who died while Chung was attending Columbia University, was an architect in Taiwan.

“I took for granted that women could be architects,” says Chung. “She was a pioneer and cutting edge at the time, and I don’t think I ever realized it. There is incredible architectural detail in this stadium. I would have loved to show off this project to my mom.”

After college, Chung worked as a project engineer for national construction companies in Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach Gardens, which presented her many great work experiences. Once she successfully received her General Contractors License in Florida (she passed on her first try, one of a few women taking the test in a room full of 1,000 men), Chung moved back to Sarasota to start her own company so she could manage her own construction projects.

“I love seeing buildings go up and love seeing progress on a project,” says Chung. “Economic development, providing jobs and watching it all come together, it’s just so exciting.”

A volunteer with Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County, a member of Rotary Club of Sarasota and president of the Columbia University Alumni Club of Sarasota, Chung is passionate about what the future brings.

She’s excited at the thought of working on other sports-venue projects and outdoor venues, which will allow her to cater to fans so they enjoy the experience of attending an event in the venue she helped build.
She’ll continue to cheer on the Orioles, too.
 

At a glance

Address: Ivy Ventures, Inc., 2477 Stickney Point Road, Suite 317-B, Sarasota

Start date: March 1992

Number of employees when started: One

Number of employees now: One

Advice for other small business owners: “To acquire as much as knowledge and in diverse areas, not necessarily just in your industry.”

Biggest challenge: “To be taken seriously as an engineer. I’m a petite woman, and most business people assume I don’t know construction. However, I love construction. My entire career has been in construction management and consulting.”

Where do you see your business a year from now? “I see my company providing more owners representative services to projects that would like someone to be the liaison between design and construction teams. I also know up to six languages (proficient in four languages), so I’m pursuing a few international consulting projects. I love multi-culturalism.”

Best place to go for a power lunch? “Tropical Thai, Pho Cali or the new Patrick’s.”

What was the first day on the job (working on Ed Smith Stadium) like? “It was very exciting because I really didn’t know much about baseball. I have had to learn MLB standards, everything. Now I’m a huge Orioles fan.”

If you could have any job for the day, what would you do? “I’d be a cookie-baking caterer. I love baking cookies and cobblers and experimenting with new recipes. I grew up without desserts, so I started baking after college. It’s a fun hobby and can be so relaxing.”

Who is your business hero/inspiration? “She no longer with us, but Linda Novey-White was a huge business inspiration. She was an extraordinary entrepreneur in the hospitality industry worldwide. She epitomized customer service. Another inspiration is Flori Roberts. She’s been on the cutting edge throughout her career. When she sees a need, she goes for it and creates a solution while touching lives in so many different ways.”

What is one advantage of having your business in Sarasota? “Sarasota is a small town, and the benefit of networking here is so enjoyable. Sarasota is a supportive environment for people who want to start a business and stay in business. In this community, when you ask for help, people are willing to go the extra mile to provide resources.”

Contact Stephanie Hannum at [email protected].