“My name is KY Chow, and my passion is running my business.”
K.Y. Chow
Queens, entrepreneur, expert printer
K.Y. Chow is living his American dream. Except it is not a dream. It is his reality and his passion. For more than two decades, K.Y. has walked into his print shop ready to do business.
He runs his business like clockwork. There is a production meeting every morning, followed by worktime on the printing floor. He believes that the reason for his success cannot be found in any textbook; it is a combination of business sense, drive and confidence.
A native of Hong Kong, K.Y. left a well-paying Merchant banking job to immigrate to the United States in 1987. Six years after arriving in New York, he invested all his savings in a print shop. He had never owned a business before, but his instincts told him he had a good chance of succeeding. It was a risk he never regretted.
That first print shop was 850 square feet. Today, his business, Grand Meridian in Long Island City, occupies 35,000 square feet, and sales have grown by 300 percent despite recessions. In 2004, the company became one of the first companies to be certified by the City as an MWBE (minority and/or women-owned business enterprise).
K.Y.’s focus now is to inspire other small business owners in Chinatown and Queens by sharing his knowledge. “I have achieved the American dream, so my mission is to inspire others to do the same,” he said.
Although he has been running his business for nearly three decades, K.Y.’s drive is still strong. “Life is too short not to do what you love…and because I work hard, I am able to enjoy longevity. My name is K.Y. Chow and my passion is running my business.”