Sam Cho
Sam Cho
Member of the Seattle Port Commission
Position 2
Assumed office
January 7, 2020
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

Sam Cho (born April 24, 1990, Chicago) 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 in the Obama Administration,[1][2][3] 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,[4] becoming the only minority port commissioner at that time. He took his oath of office in two languages, English and Korean as a tribute to his family's immigrant roots.[5]

Cho was listed by Seattle Magazine as one of the top 25 most influential people in the region.[6]

In 2023, Cho became the President of the Port of Seattle Commission, making him the youngest and first person of color to serve as President in the port's history.[7][8]

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.[9]

Cho holds a B.A. from American University, where he was member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.[10][11] and a Masters of Science degree from The London School of Economics.[12]

Early career

Cho was a congressional staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Ami Bera from California's 7th congressional district. He was also a Special Assistant in the General Services Administration.[4]

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).[13]

Business career

Seven Seas Export

In the winter of 2016, there was an opportunity to exploit the price differential 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.[14]

In February 2017, Cho founded and served as the CEO of Seven Seas Export, a trading company that took advantage of the crisis. In 2 years, Cho exported over 2.5 million pounds of American egg products to Asia.[15]

In September 2019, Cho was a recipient of the 425 Business 30 Under 30 award.[16]

Political career

Sam Cho giving a campaign speech

Port of Seattle Commission

In May 2019, Cho announced his campaign to run and replace Courtney Gregoire on the Seattle Port Commission.[17]

Cho's priorities included the economy, environmental sustainability, accountability, transparency, and fighting human trafficking.

Despite a primary race with six other candidates including a former mayor,[18] Cho came first place with 31.1% of the vote to move onto the general election.[19][20]

In the general election,[21] his opponent was former City of Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger. Cho defeated the former mayor with 60.8% of the vote,[22] 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.[23][24]

Cho was also endorsed by former Governor of Washington and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke.[25] In 2020, Cho was named to New America's list of Next-Generation Asian American Foreign Policy and National Security leaders.[25]

Technology

During his first term, Cho pushed to adopt new technology and platforms to upgrade and modernize the travel experience at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

In 2021, the Port of Seattle launched a free pilot program called SEA Spot Saver that allowed passengers to make reservations for TSA security screening ahead of their flights.[26] The virtual queue system was meant to help reduce wait times in security lines by allowing passengers to show up at their reservation times rather than stand in line. The pilot was initially with only Alaska and Delta Airlines but was rolled out airport-wide after seeing early success.[27]

The airport also launched Order@SEA, a mobile ordering app that allows passengers to order food from airport concessions on their phones and get it delivered to their gate.[28]

According to Cho, "waiting in line is the least fun and most stressful part of any trip" and technology can make the airport experience a better one."[29]

In January 2022, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was upgraded by Skytrax to a four-star airport, becoming only the second large hub airport in the US to receive four stars.[30] The airport was also named "Best Airport in North America" in 2022 and 2023 by Skytrax.[31]

Environmental issues

Sam Cho standing with John Kerry and other world leaders at COP 27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt

Cho has been an advocate of strong environmental practices within and across ports industries.[32] As a managing member of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, Cho worked in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Energy to explore the feasibility of a "green trade corridor" between South Korea and the Pacific Northwest.[33]

In November 2022, Cho traveled to South Korea to meet with officials of the Busan Port Authority. Immediately after, Cho traveled to Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt to announce the green shipping corridor between the Port of Busan and Northwest Seaport Alliance at the United Nations COP 27 conference alongside Climate Envoy and former Secretary of State John Kerry and other world leaders.[34][35]

Anti-human trafficking efforts

One of Cho's major focuses as a port commissioner has been in the area of combating human and labor trafficking.[36] In January 2020, the Port of Seattle became the first port authority in the United States to provide proprietary training to all of the port's aviation and maritime employees on human trafficking awareness. Since the initial rollout, the Port of Seattle has received requests from other airports and port authorities to look at its model and provide similar training.[37] Awareness campaigns resulted in higher call volumes to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which Cho considers a positive outcome as it indicates more people are reaching out for help or reporting suspicious activity.[38]

In 2022, the Port of Seattle received the U.S. Department of Transportation's Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award.[39][40]

Airline catering worker minimum wage

Cho publicly endorsed and supported efforts to provide airline flight kitchen workers a $16 minimum wage at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Seatac). Flight kitchen workers were initially exempt from Seatac's Proposition 1 minimum wage ordinance because of jurisdictional issues.[41] Cho provided public testimony in the Washington State Legislature in support of Senate Bill 6217 which gave the ports the authority to set minimum labor standards for certain employees at an airport.[42]

Equity, diversity, and inclusion

Sam Cho announcing the SEA Welcome Center for Afghan refugees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

In October 2020, Cho introduced and passed a motion on racial equity and addressing structural racism at the port. The motion assessed port policies to address systemic or institutionalized biases. It also mandated unconscious bias training across the organization and established a community advisory board.[43]

Afghan refugee crisis

When President Joe Biden announced the full withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan in July 2021, a crisis of refugees fleeing from the Taliban ensued. The Port of Seattle worked immediately to establish a space within Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to aid with the refugee resettlement efforts.[44] Cho referenced his own family's difficulties immigrating to the United States as a reason for why the port needed to serve as a welcoming environment for refugees.[45][46]

The established space was called the SEA Welcome Center and provided an area for resettlement agencies to welcome and assist refugees. The opening of the center was announced at a press conference with Cho and Washington State Governor Jay Inslee in October 2021 at the airport.[47]

References

  1. ↑ Macz, Brandon. "International exporter seeks Port of Seattle Commission seat". Queen Anne & Magnolia News. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  2. ↑ "Candidates". Obama Alumni Association. 2019-05-18. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  3. ↑ "Cho, Sam". Port of Seattle. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  4. 1 2 Sam Cho. Ballotpedia.
  5. ↑ Sam Cho, sworn in as Port of Seattle's only minority commissioner, voices concern about immigration and border policies. Seattle Times. 2020-01-07.
  6. ↑ Nishiwaki, Chris S. (March 6, 2023). "Most Influential, Politics: Sam Cho". Seattle magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  7. ↑ Stearns, John (11 January 2023). "Kirkland's Cho Takes Helm on Port of Seattle Commission". 425Business.com/.
  8. ↑ Schumann, Timothy (12 January 2023). "Port of Seattle elects youngest commissioner in 111-year history". The Center Square.
  9. ↑ Sam Cho, on the importance of embracing and continuing to celebrate diversity. Northwest Asian Weekly. 2020-01-10.
  10. ↑ Sam H. Cho. Council of Korean Americans.
  11. ↑ "Sam Cho". Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  12. ↑ Sam Cho. Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.
  13. ↑ Commissioners. Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Here's how a young entrepreneur used a popular breakfast item to launch his own international company. Circa. 2017-09-21.
  16. ↑ 30 Under 30. 425 Business. 2019.
  17. ↑ Macz, Brandon. International exporter seeks Port of Seattle Commission seat. Queen Anne & Magnolia News. 2019-05-21.
  18. ↑ Vedantam, Keerthi. Felleman trounces competition in Port of Seattle primary election; Cho and Degginger lead pack for other seat . Seattle Times. 2019-08-06.
  19. ↑ Brewster, David. A Pendulum Election for Seattle. Post Alley. 2019-08-07.
  20. ↑ Vedantam, Keerthi. Felleman trounces competition in Port of Seattle primary election; Cho and Degginger lead pack for other seat. Seattle Times. 2019-08-06.
  21. ↑ Warn, Daniel. Former Bellevue mayor, international exporter square off for port commission. Queen Anne & Magnolia News. 2019-10-22.
  22. ↑ Vedantam, Keerthi. 10 candidates are competing for 2 seats on Port of Seattle Commission. Seattle Times. 2019-07-22.
  23. ↑ Ng, Assunta. From unknown to Port Commissioner—How and why Cho won big in the election. Northwest Asian Weekly. 2019-11-14.
  24. ↑ Khashimova Long, Katherine. Former Bellevue Mayor Degginger concedes to Cho in Seattle Port Commissioner race. Seattle Times. 2019-11-07.
  25. 1 2 "Biggest difference between 2 Seattle Port Commission candidates may be who's backing them". Seattle Times. October 21, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Seattle airport testing new tech to allow travelers to wait in virtual line for security screening". GeekWire.
  27. ↑ Maye, Ronny (November 23, 2022). "Breeze Through Airport Security With This New Spot-Saver Program". Fodors Travel Guide.
  28. ↑ "Need a bite at Seattle-Tacoma airport? A robot will now deliver food to you at your gate". The Seattle Times. September 9, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Seattle airport helping travelers avoid lines with mobile food ordering and delivery to gate via robot – GeekWire".
  30. ↑ Plaisted, James (January 27, 2022). "Seattle-Tacoma International Airport becomes the latest 4-Star Airport".
  31. ↑ "Sea-Tac Airport named 'Best Airport in North America' 2nd year in a row, survey finds". FOX 13 Seattle. March 15, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Port Leaders Pushing for Decarbonization at United Nations Climate Conference". www.portseattle.org.
  33. ↑ "U.S. – Republic of Korea Joint Statement Announcing Collaboration on Green Shipping Corridors". U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the Republic of Korea. November 7, 2022.
  34. ↑ "NWSA, Busan Port Authority collaborate on decarbonisation initiative". Container News. November 8, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Northwest Seaport Alliance announces decarbonization partnership with Busan Port Authority". Alliance verte — Green Marine.
  36. ↑ "Port of Seattle: How to Stop the Invisible Problem of Human Trafficking". Schwabe. April 14, 2021.
  37. ↑ "How Airport and Seaport Employees Can Help Stop Human Trafficking - HS Today". April 18, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Port of Seattle Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign Results in Higher Call Volumes to National Human Trafficking Hotline". South Seattle Emerald. January 23, 2021.
  39. ↑ "U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Highlights Department's Work to Combat Human Trafficking | US Department of Transportation". www.transportation.gov.
  40. ↑ "Port of Seattle awarded grant for combatting human trafficking". Yahoo Sports. 27 January 2023.
  41. ↑ Fowler, Lilly. "While airlines rake it in, catering staff at Sea-Tac airport threaten to strike | Crosscut". crosscut.com.
  42. ↑ House Bill Report ESSB 6217.
  43. ↑ "Port of Seattle Passes Motion to Improve Racial Equity in Its Workplaces". South Seattle Emerald. October 15, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Port of Seattle helps welcome roughly 3,000 Afghan refugees". king5.com. February 15, 2022.
  45. ↑ "SEA Airport Prepares a Welcoming Environment for Afghan Refugees". www.portseattle.org.
  46. ↑ Daily, Julia Park The (9 April 2022). "Refugee resettlement efforts help Afghan arrivals integrate into Seattle community". The Daily of the University of Washington.
  47. ↑ "Governor Jay Inslee Press Conference - TVW". tvw.org. 22 October 2021.
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