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Jeff Chen & Julie Chen (陳哲夫、許春惠)

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Jeff Chen & Julie Chen (陳哲夫、許春惠)

Jeff Chen (陳哲夫, 1937–1995; also Chen Zhefu) and Julie Chen (許春惠, 1941–2021; also Xu Chunhui) were a Taiwanese American couple whose partnership built a hotel empire from a $2,000 seed investment, transforming them from modest immigrants into prominent figures in Southern California’s hospitality industry and Taiwanese American community leadership.

Identity Snapshot

  • English: Jeff Chen & Julie Chen
  • Also seen: Chen Zhefu & Xu Chunhui — 2023 roster pinyin. TAH #629 is Jeff Chen. TAH #630 is Julie Chen. Same people as Julie Chen (許春惠). Pages not merged.
  • Chinese: 陳哲夫、許春惠
  • Core roles: engineer, entrepreneur
  • Relationship: Married couple
  • Geography: Taiwanese American community (Los Angeles / Downey, California)
  • Lifespan: Chen Zhefu (1937–1995); Xu Chunhui (1941–2021)

Early Lives and Education

Chen Zhefu was born in 1937 in Taiwan. His father, Chen Zhangpei, was an engineer at Taiwan Power Company who had studied in Japan; his father died of complications from a cold when Chen was just three years old. His mother, Chen Wanque, was a graduate of a Taiwanese girls’ high school and worked as an elementary school teacher before immigrating to the United States in 1974.

Xu Chunhui was born in 1941 in Tainan, Taiwan. She attended Tainan First High School and graduated from National Taiwan Normal University’s Home Economics Department. In 1965, she came to the United States to pursue graduate studies in nutrition at the University of Texas at Austin.

Chen Zhefu received a scholarship to study at the University of Texas at Austin’s architecture program, graduating in 1966 with a master’s degree in structural engineering. Like many international students of his era, he arrived with limited resources but strong determination.

Partnership and Business Beginnings

The couple met in the United States and married in a modest ceremony — the bride arrived in a simple wedding dress, and they held a small reception in a rented hall. Like many newlyweds starting from nothing, they began with very little.

Their breakthrough came after Chen read the book How I Turned $1,000 Into a Million – In Real Estate In My Spare Time. Inspired by its principles, the couple adopted a strategy of investing in real estate while maintaining their day jobs. In 1969, they purchased their first property — a four-unit apartment building in Burbank — using $2,000 in cash and credit cards. This marked the beginning of what would become a multi-million-dollar hotel empire.

Hotel Empire: From $2,000 to Industry Leaders

The couple’s early approach was hands-on: Chen handled the design and structural engineering aspects of property rehabilitation, while Xu managed tenant relations and rental operations. After renovating their first apartment building, they lived in one unit and rented out the other three. The success of this model led them to acquire more properties, eventually owning up to 50 apartment units within three to four years.

In 1975, they made their first hotel purchase: the California Hotel, a distressed 203-unit property in downtown Los Angeles. The hotel had been poorly managed by its previous white owners, with only a 40% occupancy rate and facing imminent foreclosure. The Jewish sellers were hesitant to sell to the young Taiwanese couple, doubting their capability. However, Chen and Xu persisted with sincerity, intelligence, and courage, eventually convincing the elderly father of the seller to approve the sale.

After taking over, they discovered the situation was far worse than anticipated — the property had lost its central management, employees were demoralized, and the building’s infrastructure was in disrepair. Undeterred, they invested heavily in renovations, raising occupancy from 40% to 90%. This turnaround gave them the confidence and credibility to pursue larger opportunities.

Their portfolio expanded rapidly:

  • 1976–1986: Tahitian Village (Downey, California) — a 190-unit resort-style hotel with restaurant, bar, nightclub, meeting rooms, and swimming pool
  • 1980–1987: Ramada Inn in Pueblo, Colorado (185 rooms)
  • 1982–1987: Sheraton Inn in Decatur, Illinois (150 rooms)
  • 1984–1987: Rodeway Inn in Kansas City, Kansas (16 floors, 230 rooms)
  • 1984–1989: Howard Johnson in Decatur, Illinois (150 rooms)
  • 1986–1998: Ramada Plaza Hotel (originally Hilton) in Lincoln, Nebraska — their largest property with 230 rooms, two restaurants, nightclub, fitness center, indoor pool, and seven meeting rooms

The Ramada Plaza in Lincoln, Nebraska, represented their crowning achievement — a 16-story, 230-room conference center hotel that became a model of successful turnaround. When they acquired it, the property had been repossessed by banks twice, its management in disarray, and its facilities deteriorating. Chen and Xu developed a comprehensive turnaround plan, negotiating with bank executives for a three-year payment deferral. Their detailed business plan, guarantees, and genuine execution intent eventually won the bank’s trust. Within three years, the hotel had achieved operational balance and turned a profit.

Business Philosophy and Management Style

Chen Zhefu possessed strong entrepreneurial vision and organizational leadership. He famously said: “Life is a long-distance race; you can appreciate it with different moods. Business is a marathon — you cannot stop until you reach the finish line.”

Xu Chunhui was widely recognized as the operational genius behind their success. Applying her home economics training, she implemented rigorous personnel management systems emphasizing structure, accountability, rewards, and trust. She believed in identifying and nurturing employee strengths: “If an employee only has plus points, give them appropriate praise and encouragement, and they can grow to 70 or 80 points.” Her approach transformed demoralized staff into committed teams, earning her the reputation of being the “internist” of the hotel industry, complementing Chen’s role as the “surgeon” who handled structural renovations.

Community Leadership and Civic Engagement

Beyond business, the couple was deeply committed to community service and giving back to both the Taiwanese American community and the broader society. Their community involvement included:

  • Taiwanese American Hotel Association: Chen served as president of the Los Angeles chapter
  • Taiwanese American Community: Chen served as president of the LA Taiwanese American Association and as a senior advisor to the Elderly Association
  • Lion’s Club: Xu joined the Lion’s Club in 1997, served as treasurer and director, and was elected as a model mother by the Taiwanese American Lion’s Club in 2010
  • Taiwanese American seniors association: Xu served as a board member
  • North American Taiwanese Women’s Association: Xu served as treasurer of the Southern California chapter
  • Educational philanthropy: Established scholarships at the University of Texas at Austin’s architecture department, Tainan First High School, and the Southern California Tainan Alumni Association; the Jeff Chen Memorial Fund Scholarship is documented in the TAH archive ([[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/41-the-jeff-chen-memorial-fund-scholarship-awards|TAH #41, 陳哲夫紀念獎學金]])
  • Tainan First High School alumni: Founding president (創會會長) of the 台南一中校友會 alumni association by 1987 ([[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/263-e9-99-b3-e5-93-b2-e5-a4-ab-e5-8f-b0-e5-8d-97-e4-b8-80-e4-b8-ad-e6-a0-a1-e5-8|TAH #263, 1987]]; see also Southern California Alumni Association of Tainan First Senior High School)
  • Community record: Listed among the names in the 台灣公論報 page of April 15, 1985 preserved in [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/ourjourneys186|Our Journeys #186]] — evidence of his standing in the movement press of that period

The couple’s commitment to education was deeply personal — both had benefited from educational opportunities, and they sought to extend those opportunities to future generations.

Education

  • 國立成功大學 — 1961 — B.S., 建築系
  • Univ. of Texas, Austin — 1966 — M.S., Architectural Eng.

Employment

  • Boeing — 1967 — Engineer
  • Lockheed Air Craft — 1968 — Engineer
  • A.C. MARTIN — 1968 — Architect
  • 經營房地產:住宅、旅館 — 1969-95 — Owner

Family

Chen and Xu had two children:

  • Chen Hongjie (Jack): A pharmaceutical doctor who became a professor at Loma Linda University
  • Chen Zhenni (Jenny): An architect who served as the chief construction engineer for the $200 million renovation of Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 4, and was also a design consultant for the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

Legacy

Tragically, Chen Zhefu passed away in 1995 at the age of 58. Xu Chunhui continued to operate and expand the family’s hotel business, ensuring that Chen’s vision and community commitment lived on. She died in 2021 at the age of 80.

Their story exemplifies the immigrant entrepreneur’s journey — from a $2,000 investment to a multi-property hotel empire, from modest beginnings to industry recognition, and from personal success to lasting community impact. Their legacy continues through their children’s achievements, their ongoing business operations, and the scholarships and community programs they established.

Source Notes and Confidence

  • Content priority A: 2023 TAHS Publication (profile, pp. 23–27)
  • Hub: |2023 TAHS Publication
  • Note: Couple profile. Content extracted from the 2023 TAHS Publication “台美人菁英錄 第二輯” (Taiwanese American Elite Records, Volume 2), compiled by Yang Jiachou, Yang Pingchou, and Jiang Meijuan.

Sources

  • |TAH Foundation

  • |TAHS

  • |2023 TAHS Publication

  • |2017 TAHS Publication

  • [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/ff264|TAH #264 — 陳哲夫、許春惠夫婦 (以遙控經營外州大型旅館出名)]]

  • [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/mystories343|TAH #343 — 陳哲夫遙控式經營 獨到成功令人懷念]]

  • [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/629-jeff-chen-e9-99-b3-e5-93-b2-e5-a4-ab-201509|TAH #629 — Jeff Chen 陳哲夫 (Who’s Who)]]

  • [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/630-julie-chen-e8-a8-b1-e6-98-a5-e6-83-a0-201509|TAH #630 — Julie Chen 許春惠 (Who’s Who)]]

  • [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/ourjourneys186|Our Journeys #186 — 台灣公論報 1985-04-15 roster]]

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