ALIST_Anniversary2017_Final (2)
ALIST Magazine 5th Anniversary Issue with Adora Svitak, agilisIT, Alfa, Ally Maki, Alsop Louie Partners, Andrew Ly, Andrew Yang, Angie Chang, Anjali Shah, Bernie Wong, Brian Wong, cancer survivors, Care.com, cat cafe, Cathreen Salesses, Chasu Kitchen, Chemistry, Chien-Chi Huang, Christina Ha, Cisco, Collegiate, comedians, concert pianist, Credit Karma, DHR International, Dr. Wendy Suzuki, Elaine Kwon, Elizabeth Yang, Ernestine Fu, Facebook, Girl Geek X, Glenn Sugiyama, Gracie Kim, Helen Wan, Hines Ward, Jackie Ho, Jewelry, Joyce Tang, Kalista Tazlin, Kenneth Lin, Kiip, Lewis Brisbois, Li-Young Lee, Linda Yu, madeleines, Managing Partner, Matthew Salesses, mental illness, Meow Parlour, Muse Refined, NAAAP 100, NAAAP Chicago Chapter President, NAAAP Inspire, NAAAP National President, Nanxi Lu, Neural Science, New York University, NFL, Padmasree Warrior, Peter Woo, Photography, Plano, Please Love Umma, Professor, Psychology, Rose Olea, Sheila Marcelo, Spark & Fury, Sports Practice, Steelers, stomach cancer, Sugar Bowl Bakery, TBS, TEAM, Texas, The Fung Brothers, The Partner Track, The Picky Eater, Thuhien Nguyen MD, UC Berkeley, Venture for America, Weike Wang, Wrecked, YouCaring.com, Youtube, Yul Kwon
ALIST Magazine 5th Anniversary Issue with Adora Svitak, agilisIT, Alfa, Ally Maki, Alsop Louie Partners, Andrew Ly, Andrew Yang, Angie Chang, Anjali Shah, Bernie Wong, Brian Wong, cancer survivors, Care.com, cat cafe, Cathreen Salesses, Chasu Kitchen, Chemistry, Chien-Chi Huang, Christina Ha, Cisco, Collegiate, comedians, concert pianist, Credit Karma, DHR International, Dr. Wendy Suzuki, Elaine Kwon, Elizabeth Yang, Ernestine Fu, Facebook, Girl Geek X, Glenn Sugiyama, Gracie Kim, Helen Wan, Hines Ward, Jackie Ho, Jewelry, Joyce Tang, Kalista Tazlin, Kenneth Lin, Kiip, Lewis Brisbois, Li-Young Lee, Linda Yu, madeleines, Managing Partner, Matthew Salesses, mental illness, Meow Parlour, Muse Refined, NAAAP 100, NAAAP Chicago Chapter President, NAAAP Inspire, NAAAP National President, Nanxi Lu, Neural Science, New York University, NFL, Padmasree Warrior, Peter Woo, Photography, Plano, Please Love Umma, Professor, Psychology, Rose Olea, Sheila Marcelo, Spark & Fury, Sports Practice, Steelers, stomach cancer, Sugar Bowl Bakery, TBS, TEAM, Texas, The Fung Brothers, The Partner Track, The Picky Eater, Thuhien Nguyen MD, UC Berkeley, Venture for America, Weike Wang, Wrecked, YouCaring.com, Youtube, Yul Kwon
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Q&A: It's all Sugar & Spice with Andrew Ly<br />
of the Sugar Bowl Bakery<br />
Sugar Bowl Bakery was named by the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) as one of the “Fast 100 Asian<br />
American Businesses” – joining the country’s fastest-growing Asian American-owned companies, based on percentage revenue growth over the immediate<br />
past two years. USPAACC’s Fast 100 posted collective annual revenue of $2.7 Billion, with companies recording up to 350% growth rate.<br />
CAREER<br />
Sugar Bowl Bakery CEO Andrew Ly and his four brothers came to America as refugees from Vietnam in 1979 with the hopes of making a decent living in<br />
a new country. After five years of hard work, the brothers pooled together the family's entire savings to buy Sugar Bowl Bakery, a small neighborhood coffee<br />
shop in the San Francisco Bay area. Since then, Sugar Bowl Bakery has grown from a small store-front shop to a nationwide distributor of baked goods<br />
approaching $100 million in revenue and continues to operate the business as a family unit. Along the way, they've added some members of the family's<br />
second generation and plenty of outside employees.<br />
outside talents, has brought us to where we<br />
are now. Our main goal is to continue down<br />
our path to success. We just want to continue<br />
to make high-quality products at a great value<br />
for our customers at all levels.<br />
AM: Why do you think that persistence prevails?<br />
AL: Persistence prevails because we would not<br />
be where we are today if it wasn’t for our patience.<br />
It is important to always be persistent,<br />
consistent and patient. You’ve got to be decisive,<br />
have the ability to eliminate the bad<br />
suggestions and execute the good, regardless<br />
AL: Habit of hard work – there is no other<br />
way.<br />
• A habit of making things simple so that<br />
you can focus<br />
• People skills: No one can succeed alone<br />
• Having great character and developing<br />
long lasting integrity<br />
• Be tenacious and patient: Nothing can<br />
happen overnight<br />
AM: Earlier this year, you launched an initiative<br />
with the Hayward Adult School and<br />
Alameda Workforce program. Whose idea<br />
was this and what are the expected outcome?<br />
SUGAR BOWL BAKERY<br />
<strong>ALIST</strong> Magazine: Why did you choose to<br />
invest in Sugar Bowl Bakery back in 1984?<br />
Andrew Ly: Our family believed the USA<br />
was the land of opportunity long before we<br />
arrived. We heard so much about the freedom<br />
and capitalistic opportunity this nation<br />
had to offer, so we came here to work without<br />
fear. We were confident we could be what we<br />
wanted to be, and work in any area we wanted<br />
to, while not having to worry about the fruit<br />
of our hard work being taken away by force.<br />
AM: How did you and your brothers transform<br />
a coffee shop into a huge wholesale operation<br />
, and what is next?<br />
AL: Much of our success can be attributed to<br />
our family’s ability to remain loyal, live within<br />
our means and maintain modesty and patience<br />
with each other through the good times and<br />
the bad. However, our success would also not<br />
be what it is today without the help of some<br />
key management team members who were<br />
hired from outside. The combination of family<br />
leadership and dedication, coupled with<br />
“Much of our success can be attributed to our<br />
family's ability to remain loyal, live within our means<br />
and maintain modesty and patience with each other<br />
through the good times and the bad.”<br />
of egos. A good leader takes responsibility and<br />
tries to do the right thing while staying persistent<br />
with your overall goals.<br />
AM: In another article, it was said that you<br />
founded the “family business as accidental<br />
entrepreneurs.” Can you elaborate?<br />
AL: We never bought our original coffee<br />
shop with the intentions of become a national<br />
distributor of baked goods. We bought it in<br />
hopes to make a decent living in a new country<br />
full of opportunity. It just turned out the<br />
company has become a national and international<br />
bakery with almost $100 million in<br />
annual sales!<br />
AM: What are some key experiences and or<br />
skills that someone needs to be a successful<br />
entrepreneur?<br />
AL: The ideas came from our HR Manager,<br />
the Director of Operations and one of my<br />
nephews, Michael Ly, who worked collaboratively<br />
with the team to make this happen.<br />
SUGAR BOWL BAKERY<br />
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