By Avy Mallik
Entering the sixth floor of the Empress of China Restaurant on Tuesday, someone may have stopped to wonder what all the fuss was about. Cooks, waiters and managers scurried from place to place, frantically preparing lunch for their special guests. In the banquet room, some 30 people sat around circular mahogany tables. Several cameramen were on hand to film this hectic scene. All were there to honor one man: Jack Lee Fong.
The Zenith National Insurance Company presented Fong with an award for his achievements in workers’ compensation insurance.
Said Jon Lindsay, vice-president of The Zenith: “Jack Lee Fong has represented integrity and fairness throughout the history of the Chinese Restaurant Safety Association.” Lindsay, who officiated the ceremony and presented the award to Fong, was not alone in his praise of the Chinatown businessman.
“Jack has been in the insurance industry for 50 years, and is not only the founder and organizer of this group, but has continued giving better rates to employers than most of the industry,” Dorothy Der Fong, general manager of the Jack Lee Fong Insurance Agency, added.
For 30 years, Jack Fong, in partnership with the Zenith National Insurance Company, has helped restaurant owners by managing compensation for workplace injuries. As well as starting the Chinese Restaurant Safety Association, Fong has founded the United Garment Contractors Association. Tuesday’s press conference and subsequent award commemorated 30 years of successful leadership of these two groups. Fong has striven to be ahead of the rest of the insurance industry by giving competitive rates to small business owners and employers.
The Zenith Company, which has offices nationwide, is a specialist in worker’s compensation insurance. It was recently given an “A” rating by A.M. Best Company.
Despite some rough times for the company during the early to mid-’90s, Fong remained a loyal partner. “I only have one wife, and only one company [The Zenith],” chuckled Fong during the award banquet. |
