Mentorship

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Hello, I’m Larry. My corporate real estate finance career spans over 25 years. I specialized in large construction loans that financed a property’s development from raw land to a completed building, to a fully tenanted stabilized cash-flowing project.

I also provided bank financing for private commercial real estate companies to go public. I enjoyed working with large private companies and funds because the principals were self-made individuals with fascinating backstories and larger-than-life personalities.

My greatest career accomplishment was underwriting and syndicating Wells Fargo’s first financing of a private commercial real estate company (Spieker Partners) to go public (Spieker Properties REIT).

In my spare time, I swim competitively at the Master's level and am nationally ranked in the 200-meter-long course butterfly event for my age group.

My favorite restaurant is House of Nanking (SF) back when Peter Fong was the sole cook. You sat at the counter without ordering. Peter would cook up dishes on his wok and plate them in front of you.

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Hi, I’m Frances. I worked in the AEC industry for three decades, beginning in architecture. During my career in the commercial construction business, I partnered with many well-known Bay Area companies and institutions.

The career accomplishments I’m most proud of include building a successful business in Northern California with great teammates and representing women in our industry.

Throughout my career, I had both formal and informal mentors who provided quality insights. If they didn’t know the answers to my questions, they connected me with others in the profession. I think it’s important to have a mentor to help gain a broader perspective from industry professionals.

I’m looking for mentees with a few years in the profession, who are open and seek a trusted mentor. I can provide regular mentorship meetings to discuss various issues and be present on an as-needed basis.

In my free time, I enjoy traveling, painting and playing golf! Marafuku is my favorite Asian restaurant in the Bay Area.

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Nice to meet you, I’m Wayne. I started my career at Salas O’Brien (formerly O’Brien and Associates), a San Jose consulting engineering firm. I also worked as a design-build mechanical contractor at Linford Companies in Oakland and later started a division for ACCO Engineering in Concord. After ACCO, we started a design-build division for Kent Lim Mechanical (previously KML Associates). I then entered the owner side of the business and partnered with Jim Young at Young Electric Company where I am currently the President/CEO.

Mentors have guided me throughout my life and have inspired me to pursue my goals. I believe every student or young professional should have someone to empower them and believe in all the great things they can do. Beautiful things can happen when individuals find what they love to do, and it’s an honor to be part of that process.

Although an ideal mentee would be someone smart, hungry and humble, we at AAPI-CPA are here to help anyone interested in improving themselves.

In my free time, I enjoy playing sports, reading and spending time with friends and family. I also love to travel locally and internationally.

My favorite Bay Area restaurant is Henry’s Hunan in San Francisco.

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Hello, I’m Aziz, a Bay Area real-estate investment consultant with two decades of commercial real estate brokerage experience. My background in finance, business development and management has complemented my real estate career. I specialize in commercial real estate, sales and leasing. I am honored to be recognized by the City of Oakland when they declared December 12th Aziz Khatri Day.

Some characteristics that have helped me lead effectively include patience, respect and listening empathetically. These traits have also assisted me in building the next generation of leaders and witnessing many mentees’ journeys to success.

A mentor helped motivate and encourage me throughout my career, and I attribute much of my success to her. My ideal mentee would be someone who is disciplined, listens, and challenges themselves to act to attain their goals. I offer mentees my experience as a leader in the real estate, retail, coaching and consulting industries.

In my spare time, I enjoy traveling and spending quality time with my grandchildren. Yank Sing is my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area.

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Hi, I’m Sylvia. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a Master's Degree in Architecture, I worked at Gensler for two years as a junior designer. I then started my firm, Kwan Henmi Architecture and Planning. After 5 years, Denis Henmi, my husband, joined me. We had the firm for 37 years until we merged with DLR Group in 2017. After working with them for 5 years, I retired in 2022.

Some of the career accomplishments I’m most proud of include Pac Bell Park (now Oracle Park), the Central Subway and several beautiful residential highrises in San Francisco.

I have had mentors in every phase of my life. In my youth, in high school, at university and during my career. It’s been so helpful! I would like to mentor someone with many questions, even if they have established a pathway for themselves. There are many ways to go forth in a career and forks on the road to decide on.

In my free time, I enjoy skiing, kayaking, hiking and visiting our son in Hawaii. I also sing, play piano and take golf lessons. My favorite Asian restaurants in the Bay Area are Fang, Harbor View, China Live and Palette.

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Good to meet you. I’m Stuart, a Co-founder of ACP and former Scholarship Chair. I’m actively involved in the Mentorship Leader Program for AAPI-CPA. Now retired and consulting in project management to keep busy, I have 30 years of experience in general contractor work in commercial and healthcare construction projects.

My career evolved from a construction truck driver to a construction manager working with building owners in design and construction. Some of my work accomplishments include building the Novato Community Hospital and the Kaiser San Leandro Medical Center, along with rehabilitating the Officer in Charge quarters at the U.S. Coast Guard Fort Point Station. I have a wealth of experience working with Bay Area general contractors, architects and engineers.

I mentor because I want to share experiences with those open to learning, and I can continue learning from others. Now that I’m fully retired, I enjoy golfing with my friends, spending time with my dog and road biking in Marin. My favorite restaurants in the Bay Area are Green Island Restaurant for Chinese and Fukusuke Restaurant for Japanese.

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Hello, I’m Tom. I have a project-control skill set in cost management, estimating, scheduling and portfolio management, built on a foundation in project management and honed by 12 years on the construction site.

My strengths include building and leading teams, streamlining processes, sharing knowledge and seeking continuous learning to help my organization succeed.

The highlight of my career is the Stanford Building 160 Seismic retrofit. At Genentech, I’ve implemented two Portfolio Project Management systems (Unifier & Cora).

I believe in taking a genuine interest in people, listening carefully, empowering and trusting people to make decisions, discovering and developing the potential in people and congratulating them for a job well done.

I mentor because I want to give back and share lessons I’ve learned so that the next generation can learn sooner and progress faster than me. I’m looking for a mentee who is interested in continually learning about themselves and expanding their knowledge base.

In my free time, I work out Deka CrossFit style, hike, bike, run and compete in triathlons. One of my favorite places for Asian food in the Bay Area is Osaka Market’s sushi section in Fremont.

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Nice to meet you! I’m Leon, a Managing Partner at Lubin Olson & Niewiandomski LLP, which is where I’ve learned how to run a business and lead a company. I began my career as a CPA and then pursued my Juris Doctor (JD) from UCSF.

My attorney experience spans over 30 years and includes work on sophisticated commercial real estate transactions. I also assisted clients in buying, building, developing, financing, leasing, and managing properties in categories ranging from office and retail to apartments and mixed-use properties. Additionally, I handle general business and corporate matters for start-ups, growth companies and corporations.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, running and spending time with my family and dog. My favorite restaurant in the Bay Area is Great China in Berkeley.