Kenneth Li was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1975. Until the age of 14, he moved to Hong Kong with his uncle and later moved with his uncle to Houston in 1981. In Houston, his uncle opened a supermarket on Bellaire Boulevard, and Mr. Li worked there while pursuing a degree at Houston Baptist University. After graduating, Mr. Li started his real estate company, the Texas George Realty in 1988. He focused on Houston’s growing Asian community and the potential for development in the city’s Southwest; as such, he became instrumental in developing Houston’s New Chinatown. Subsequently, his company was named one of the top Asian-owned businesses in Houston. Following these successes, Mr. Li was appointed by the Houston Mayors to serve as the first Asian on the city of Houston’s Planning Commission and became a founding member of the Asian Real Estate Association in America. He also became involved with the Asian Chamber of Commerce and served as the Chairman of the Chinese Community Center in Houston.
View interview transcript PDF — Full interview materials on Rice Digital Scholarship