Upwardly mobile young business people keep Hong Kong's economy truly entrepreneurial
Entrepreneurship forms the bedrock of the Hong Kong economy. Entrepreneurial mainland emigrants arriving on local shores in the 1950s after the Japanese occupation laid the foundations for today's economy. And now the city's small and medium-sized businesses, which make up 98 per cent of local enterprises, keep it ticking along. Here we profile five upwardly mobile people whose stories exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit of Hong Kong.
Stephen Greer, 37
Chief executive, Smorgon Hartwell Recycling
Pennsylvanian Stephen Greer founded Hartwell Pacific in 1993 as a sole proprietor metals trading business. By 2001, he had opened nine recycling facilities in seven countries and sold a 22 per cent stake of the business. In 2003, Smorgon Steel Group bought 50 per cent and Smorgon Hartwell Recycling was listed on the Australian stock exchange. This year, Smorgon bought the balance of the business. Mr Greer remains chief executive of Smorgon Hartwell Recycling, the Asian recycling arm of the Smorgon Steel Group.
I was the neighbourhood paperboy from the age of nine. I had to make multiple trips on my route as the bag was too heavy for me to carry. I woke up every morning at 6am to fold and deliver the papers before school, which was not much fun when there was snow outside and it was minus 20 degrees Celsius. I still have the same alarm clock. It could wake me out of a coma.
I learned about meeting customer expectations and keeping track of accounts receivables. Can you believe people would late-pay a nine-year-old their weekly newspaper bill?
