Maureen Tseng’s visit to Silicon Valley late last year — Mo was AP employee No. 1 joining the Agency in early 1997 — was cause for an impromptu reunion.
Mo’s sister and brother-in-law, who also happen to be the parents of one of our account managers in Hoffman’s Silicon Valley office, Lauren Ho — sorry for not including a family tree for data visualization — hosted the reunion at their home in the East Bay.
I think it’s fair to call the get-together a “gabfest” in the best context of the word.
There was definitely “prolonged talking.”
At one point, everyone was herded into the living room for the requisite group photo.
A little bit of background on the participants:
Ray Schuster, the dapper fellow in the blue shirt, relocated from Silicon Valley to start our Asian operation in Singapore. He did it all, finding office space, hiring staff, securing clients, and making a mean cup of coffee. No matter how chaotic the situation, Ray’s measured demeanor served us well during that first year.
My wife Heather has been a big part of the Asia Pacific operation. She’s traveled on many occasions to Asia, including a trip to Seoul to surprise me on Valentine’s Day.
Bonnie Lamb, the keeper of verbs (and nouns), has supported our Asia Pacific team over the years as a resource for polishing English content.
In a sense, Mo is the keeper of the AP flame. We are fortunate that she continues to be part of the team.
Evelyn Lee joined the Agency in Singapore 2000, later relocating to our Silicon Valley office where she was an unofficial AP ambassador.
As you have probably surmised, Mo brought her niece Lauren, to our attention. She interned in our Singapore office before joining our San Jose office in 2013.
Paula Larson was an incredibly hard-charging VP in our Silicon Valley office for eight years who worked to shape who we are today. Like Evelyn, she helped others make the spiritual connection between Silicon Valley and Asia.
William Gaultier, introduced to us by Mo, worked in our Silicon Valley office for several years before launching his digital shop e-Storm. His global mentality, growing up France and working in Asia before making the trek to Silicon Valley, was a huge asset to the Agency. That “yes, life is good” smile always seems present with Mr. Gaultier. And in the latest twist of fate, he and his family are moving to Singapore where he’s taken a job that brings another description to the fore, client (a back story for another time).
I think it’s cool that these relationships have staying power.
