Dream-builder makes mark

Sometimes a real estate project can end up building dreams. Min Christ, founder of the Global Incubation Center at Southport and CEO of Seattle Family Regional Center, was one of 10 honorees at the 2016 Distinguished American Vision Award for Asia ceremony in October.

The theme of the awards this year was "technology and innovation" and Christ was cited for her outstanding contribution to the cooperation and exchange in high tech between China and the US.

When Christ first moved to the United States from China in 1989, she started chasing her American Dream:

owning her own business.

Twenty-seven years later, Christ is now helping other immigrant entrepreneurs achieve their dreams, while managing one of the busiest hotel and conference centers on Lake Washington.

Hyatt Regency has signed on to partner with Seco Development for a 12-story, 347-room hotel, including 43,000 square feet of conference space. The project is called the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle's Southport.

"We are delighted to be working with Hyatt and contributing to the economic vitality of the area with this new hotel," Michael Christ, CEO of Seco Development and Min Christ's husband, said in a statement.

"Once constructed, this Hyatt Regency hotel will serve as a critical catalyst for the emerging South Lake Washington neighborhood," said Renton Mayor Denis Law. "This new development will have a positive impact on our region's employment base as well as demand for business services, tourism and convention

business."

The hotel is expected to open in June.

Founded in 1989 by Michael Christ, SECO Development has overseen previous land development projects in Kirkland, Bellevue and Mercer Island. Its latest project is the 12-story, 350-room Hyatt Regency in Renton. The $180 million project attracted more than 200 investors, the majority of whom are from Asia, including China and Vietnam.

"Real estate is about the land, not about development," she added. "It's important that it feels like a home, not like a box."

Christ hopes that Southport's hotel is one more step toward bolstering Renton's image as a high-tech center that will attract the right investors. "We want to change the city's image, to make it known as a high-tech town." Christ said.

Christ is working hard to bring more Chinese technology companies and investors to the newly constructed

Southport campus of the Global Incubation Center, which boasts 17.5 acres of waterfront property south of Lake Washington.

Christ led the creation of the Southport campus, where the Seattle Family Regional Center is located.

"The purpose is to build a strategic platform with a focus on off shore incubator and technology fi nance models to accelerate the incubation and marketization of high-tech startups and help them enter either the China or US market," Christ said.

The center has already signed cooperative agreements with Chinese companies such as Tsinghua Holdings,

Zhongguancun Dream Laboratory in Beijing, ARM Ecosystem Accelerator, the National Food Safety Innovation

Center, Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and others.

The new hotel project is partially fi nanced through the EB-5 program, which grants immigrant investors

temporary US residency for investments of $500,000 or $1 million. Immigrants investing $550,000 in the

new hotel at Southport will receive permanent residency for themselves and their families.

"The project begins as one of real estate, but my vision for it is not just to build the land, the building; but a dream home for new immigrants and entrepreneurs," Christ said.

lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com