Seattle CEO: Generosity Built Our Firm and Community

For 50 years, Seattle's Chinatown community dreamed of building an iconic gate at their district entrance. When they approached architect Jerry Lee for help, his response was refreshingly simple: "Why don't we just do it?"

Lee, former CEO of architecture firm MG2, raised funds from scratch and contributed pro bono work to bring the vision to life. But his approach to leadership wasn't always this way.

"I was very focused. It was stressful," Lee admits about his early years running the firm. He pushed hard, demanded results, and measured success by traditional business metrics.

Everything changed when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. "I was able to put myself in other people's shoes," he says. "I was a lot more understanding after she passed away."

The transformation traced back to childhood lessons from his parents' grocery store in a rough Seattle neighborhood. While surrounding businesses got tagged and vandalized, their store remained untouched. The reason? His father fed anyone who came in hungry.

"That was part of my upbringing, to be part of a community, not just a business in a community," Lee recalls. His mother and father never talked about profit margins when someone needed help.

The Ripple Effect

Lee's philosophy reshaped how MG2 operated. He began measuring success by connections made and relationships built rather than quarterly earnings. "When you give, you get back more in return," he says.

The annual Rotisserie Chicken Delivery exemplifies this approach. Every holiday season, MG2 serves hundreds of complete chicken dinners to people in need across Seattle. It's not glamorous work, but it builds community one meal at a time.

His successor, current CEO Mitch Smith, watched how this generous leadership style actually accelerated business growth. Young architects sought mentorship, community projects opened doors to larger contracts, and employees stayed committed to the firm's mission.

The Chinatown Gate stands today as a physical reminder that patience, generosity, and showing up matter more than speed. Five decades of bureaucratic delays dissolved when someone simply decided to help.

Lee now runs the MG2 Foundation in retirement, continuing the work his parents started behind a grocery counter. His lesson for leaders is beautifully simple: helpfulness isn't a business strategy, it's the foundation that makes everything else possible.