Sam Cho

Sam Cho (born April 24, 1990) is an American politician and entrepreneur based in Seattle, Washington serving as a commissioner of the Port of Seattle. Prior to serving as a commissioner, he was Founder and CEO of Seven Seas Export, a political appointee under President Barack Obama and a staffer for a member of the Washington State Senate and United States Congress. Cho was elected to the Seattle Port Commission in 2019,[1] becoming the only minority port commissioner, as well as the youngest ever port commissioner. He made history by taking his oath of office in two languages, English and Korean, as an homage to his family's immigrant roots.[2]

Sam Cho
Sam Cho
Member of the Seattle Port Commission
Position 2
Assumed office
January 7, 2020 (2020-01-07)
Preceded byCourtney Gregoire
Personal details
Born (1990-04-24) April 24, 1990
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationAmerican University (BA)
London School of Economics (MS)
ProfessionPolitician and Entrepreneur

Early life and education

Cho was born in Chicago, Illinois but raised in Seattle, Washington by his immigrant parents who came to the United States in the late 1980s through the Port of Seattle from South Korea.[3]

He attended University Preparatory Academy, a private school in Seattle.

Cho holds a B.A. from American University, where he served as the President of the Korean Student Association and interned for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI). Cho was also a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.[4]

He earned his Masters of Science degree from The London School of Economics and wrote his graduate dissertation on asymmetries in trade liberalization between South Korea and Japan.[5]

Early career

Cho was recruited his junior year on American University's campus by the US Department of State to work as an analyst. After graduate school, he went on to become a congressional staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Ami Bera from California's 7th congressional district for whom he managed a legislative portfolio of foreign affairs, trade, defense, banking, small business, science and tech. He also staffed the Congressman in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Shortly after, he received a political appointment to serve in the Obama Administration as a Special Assistant.[1]

After the Obama Administration ended, he returned to his home state of Washington to start a business in international exports and work in the Washington State Legislature for Senator Bob Hasegawa.

In 2018, Cho was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to serve as a Commissioner on the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA), making him the youngest serving Commissioner at the time.[6]

In 2020, Cho was named to New America's list of Next-Generation Asian American Foreign Policy and National Security leaders.[7]

Business career

Seven Seas Export

As the Obama Administration was winding down in the winter of 2016, Cho identified an opportunity to arbitrage the price of eggs in the midst of Asia's worst avian influenza (bird flu) pandemic. The bird flu wiped out chicken flocks across the region which resulted in an egg shortage. The price of eggs nearly tripled in countries like South Korea. In response, the South Korean government temporarily reduced import tariffs to 0% and subsidized freight cost to encourage egg imports to buttress the egg shortage crisis.[8]

In February of 2017, Cho founded and served as the CEO of Seven Seas Export, a trading company that took advantage of the arbitrage opportunity. In 2 years, Cho exported over 2.5 million pounds of American egg products to Asia.[9]

In September of 2019, Cho was a recipient of the 425 Business 30 Under 30 award.[10]

After his election to the Seattle Port Commission, Cho divested from his company to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

Political career

Port of Seattle Commission

In May 2019, Cho announced his campaign to run and replace Courtney Gregoire on the Seattle Port Commission.[11]

Cho's priorities included the economy, environmental sustainability, accountability, transparency, and fighting human trafficking. Despite being a newcomer with low name recognition, he was able to win over the endorsement of key organizations such as the Longshoreman's Union, Conservation Voters, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), local laborers union, and King County Labor Council.

Despite a crowded primary race with six other candidates including a former mayor,[12] Cho came first place with 31.1% of the vote to move onto the general election.[13][14]

In the general election,[15] his opponent was former City of Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger. Cho defeated the former mayor with 60.8% of the vote,[16] becoming the first Korean American and youngest port commissioner since the founding of the port in 1911. He was sworn in on January 7, 2020.[17][18]

Cho was also endorsed by Gary Locke, Norman Mineta, Martha Choe, and Mike Honda.

References
  1. Sam Cho. Ballotpedia.
  2. Sam Cho, sworn in as Port of Seattle’s only minority commissioner, voices concern about immigration and border policies. Seattle Times. 2020-01-07.
  3. Sam Cho, on the importance of embracing and continuing to celebrate diversity. Northwest Asian Weekly. 2020-01-10.
  4. Sam H. Cho. Council of Korean Americans.
  5. Sam Cho. Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.
  6. Commissioners. Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.
  7. 2020 Asian American Pacific Islander National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders. New America. 2020-05-20.
  8. South Korea is coping with its worst outbreak of avian flu ever — and U.S. egg farmers are benefiting . Los Angeles Times. 2017-01-24.
  9. Here's how a young entrepreneur used a popular breakfast item to launch his own international company. Circa. 2017-09-21.
  10. 30 Under 30. 425 Business. 2019.
  11. Macz, Brandon. International exporter seeks Port of Seattle Commission seat. Queen Anne & Magnolia News. 2019-05-21.
  12. Vedantam, Keerthi. Felleman trounces competition in Port of Seattle primary election; Cho and Degginger lead pack for other seat . Seattle Times. 2019-08-06.
  13. Brewster, David. A Pendulum Election for Seattle. Post Alley. 2019-08-07.
  14. Vedantam, Keerthi. Felleman trounces competition in Port of Seattle primary election; Cho and Degginger lead pack for other seat. Seattle Times. 2019-08-06.
  15. Warn, Daniel. Former Bellevue mayor, international exporter square off for port commission. Queen Anne & Magnolia News. 2019-10-22.
  16. Vedantam, Keerthi. 10 candidates are competing for 2 seats on Port of Seattle Commission. Seattle Times. 2019-07-22.
  17. Ng, Assunta. From unknown to Port Commissioner—How and why Cho won big in the election. Northwest Asian Weekly. 2019-11-14.
  18. Khashimova Long, Katherine. Former Bellevue Mayor Degginger concedes to Cho in Seattle Port Commissioner race. Seattle Times. 2019-11-07.
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