SUNY Maritime College Honors Dr. James S.C. Chao and Angela Chao
Photo by: www.sunymaritime.edu
The 15th annual Admiral’s Scholarship Dinner was held on May 1, 2018. The annual event recognizes excellence in the maritime industry. This year, for the first time, one of the recipients was a father and daughter—Dr. James S.C. Chao, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Foremost Group, and Angela Chao, Chair and CEO. Also recognized was Joseph Byrne, Vice President and Operations Manager at Turner Construction Group.
A further purpose of the annual dinner is to raise money to support scholarships for worthy maritime students. This year, the dinner broke previous records, raising $800,000 for scholarships.
A further purpose of the annual dinner is to raise money to support scholarships for worthy maritime students. This year, the dinner broke previous records, raising $800,000 for scholarships.
Best Practices and Corporate Excellence
In accepting the award, Angela Chao spoke about her father’s dedication to the maritime industry. She observed that since he launched the company with her late mother, Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, her father’s focus was on best practices and corporate excellence. Ms. Chao went on to relate the important life-lessons that she received from her father. Being attentive to customer needs, protecting the environment and working diligently were among the pieces of sage advice passed on to her by her father. Ms. Chao recognized the outstanding contributions of the SUNY Maritime community to the industry—its leadership and critical role in preparing the next generation of maritime leaders.
The Building Blocks of Relationship
Dr. Chao spoke about the importance of integrity, professionalism, and honor in building successful relationships, whether personal or business. He said that he is very proud to know that the Foremost Group embedded these principles into every aspect of their operations. Reflecting upon his own beginnings in maritime education, Dr. Chao went on to commend SUNY Maritime College for its role in nurturing the maritime leaders of tomorrow. He closed with words of appreciation for the tremendous honor that SUNY Maritime College has bestowed upon him and his family, saying that he looks forward to continuing the partnership for many years into the future.