Sam Chang (Chinese name: Shen Leong Chang) is a
Taiwanese-American
Taiwanese Americans () are Americans who carry full or partial ancestry from Taiwan. This includes American-born citizens who descend from migrants from Taiwan.
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, 49% of Taiwanese Americans lived in the state of Califo ...
businessman and
developer
Developer may refer to:
Computers
* Software developer, a person or organization who develop programs/applications
* Video game developer, a person or business involved in video game development, the process of designing and creating games
* Web d ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
Background
A native of
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, Chang dropped out of high school to help his parents manage a
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
hotel.
Prior to becoming a developer in New York City, Chang operated hotels and restaurants in the suburbs of
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. His first New York project was in 1997.
Business
Chang is the chairman of
McSam Hotel Group, and is one of the largest hotel developers in New York City. His company has completed 25 hotels in the
five boroughs of New York City, with a stated goal of at least 50. He currently has 4,000 rooms under development for a variety of national hotel chains.
He is the first
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
to build a
high-rise hotel in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
Many of Chang's hotels are designed by New York architects Gene Kaufman
and Michael Kang. Tritel Construction (of which he is a 50% partner) handles much of the construction.
Chang was honored as a 2007 "Developer of the Year" by
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton.
The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...
, for the multiple Hilton properties he is developing in Manhattan and
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
.
Investments
Chang has a 7.5 percent stake in
Trump Entertainment Resorts
Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc. was a gambling and hospitality company. The company previously owned and operated the now-demolished Trump Plaza and Trump World's Fair (both in Atlantic City), the now-closed Trump Marina, Trump Casino & Hote ...
.
Personal life
Chang has four children: Danny, Kevin, Jeffrey, and Jennifer.
The Real Deal: "Sam Chang" by Lauren Elkies
retrieved March 23, 2014
See also
* Chinese Americans in New York City
The New York metropolitan area is home to the largest and most prominent ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia, hosting Chinese populations representing all 34 provincial-level administrative units of China. The Chinese American population ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Sam
1960 births
Living people
American construction businesspeople
American hoteliers
American people of Chinese descent
American real estate businesspeople
American restaurateurs
Businesspeople from New York (state)
Businesspeople from Taipei
People from Centre Island, New York
Taiwanese real estate businesspeople
Taiwanese emigrants to the United States