Summary: During the 12 December 2023 Council Meeting, the City of Willow Park honored Louie Lu, a major developer in Tarrant County, Parker County, and Willow Park. From China to Texas, Mr. Lu is now developing two medical buildings in Willow Park.
Latest Update: Monday, 15 December, 2023
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Proclamation to Louie Lu, Willow Park Developer
During the 12 December 2023 Council Meeting (*1), the City of Willow Park honored Louie Lu, a major developer in Tarrant County, Parker County, and Willow Park.
From China to Texas (*2, 3), Mr. Lu is now developing two medical buildings in Willow Park (*4).
*1 During the 12 December 2023 Council Meeting, the City of Willow Park honored one of Willow Park's major developers. [Meeting video At 8:00 minutes]
We have a Proclamation tonight honoring Louie Lu.
Whereas Louie Lu United States from China in 1985, with $40 in his pockets, looking for opportunity, first living in South Dakota before moving to Fort Worth in 1992, having heard the call of Go West Young Man.
Whereas Louie quickly became a valued member of the vortex of the Community becoming a County member, starting an import business, eventually had a real estate development to his pursuits.
*2 Yangtze International, Inc. > A Word From the Founder
I was born near the great Yangtze River in the city of Wuhan, China... In 1985, I answered the calling of my heart to go to America. With only $40 in my pocket, I came to this land of freedom and opportunity with a P.H.D. – “Poor, Hungry & Driven.” God's gracious hand was upon me as I gratefully accepted the offer of a scholarship into a graduate program at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, which turned out to be a perfect school for me... In 1992, in a one-bedroom apartment, I founded Yangtze International, Inc., a now flourishing company specializing in importing custom-made products from China
*3 Only in America, Weatherford Democrat, 11 January 2015 [.pdf]
From China to Texas on a journey that has taken him out of the clutches of poverty to the success of an American businessman, Louie Lu has traveled a long way.
Lu was born and raised in Wuhan, located along the Yangtze River in China.
“It was a simple life,” Lu said.
Chairman Mao Zedong was the country’s leader during Lu’s childhood, which made life difficult for his family, he recalled, adding that everything was owned by the government.
His parents’ single-room home, where they raised Lu and his sister was very primitive, he said. Lu never experienced modern amenities such as central heat and air until he came to the United States. He compared the living standards to that of the U.S. more than a century ago, when many still lived on farmland.
Although his parents worked low-paying government jobs, earning less than $2 a day, Lu holds on to fond memories of his family and childhood.
“They were very wonderful parents,” he said. “The best parents I could ask for – very hardworking, decent, good people. We are a very close-knit family. I never felt we were poor.”
Lu lived in China until he attained his bachelor’s degree. In search of earning a master’s degree and bigger opportunities, he applied to South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. They offered him a scholarship, which ended with Lu coming to the United States in 1985 at the age of 27.
When he arrived, he had $40 in his pocket. Lu learned English and the ways of American culture from his classmates and professors. Upon completion of his Master’s Degree in Physics, Lu had managed to earn a 3.9 grade-point-average.
In 1991, looking for a place to call home, Lu came to Fort Worth, a move that forever changed his life.
Miles Seaborn Jr., then pastor of Birchman Baptist Church, visited Lu’s apartment in an effort to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him. Lu responded to the call, accepting Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. This decision of faith gave him a brand-new meaning, purpose and direction in his life, he said.
A year later, Lu founded Yangtze International Incorporated, a company specializing in importing custom-made products from China. The success of this company has poured into today’s market, where Lu describes his business as flourishing.
His business imports include:
• Pet products
• Auto A/C parts
• Custom or specialty products
• Various other products
But Lu’s successes don’t end there.
In 1998, Lu realized his lifelong dream of becoming a U.S. citizen. That same year, he married Meifeng, a woman from Taiwan who shared in Lu’s Christian faith.
Ten years ago, the two moved to Parker County to raise a family.
Four years later, Lu and his wife decided to spend some extra capital they had from Lu’s import business. Their desire was to find commercial land and build office spaces.
Approximately one and a half acres of farmland on Fort Worth Highway caught their attention. A Christian friend of Lu’s happened to own the property, so the two struck a deal and Lu purchased the lot and began developing it.
They had no committed tenants to begin with, so Lu recalls building on faith.
“That was probably a very cavalier spirit on my part,” he said comically. “But God had been blessing us.”
Committing his work further to the Lord, Lu and his wife went to the center of their first building during construction to pray over the facility and its future.
“Then God sent probably one of the best tenants you could find, [Fresenius Medical Care],” he said. “They are one of the largest dialysis providers in the country. They have over 1,700 [locations] nationwide.”
After they completed their first building, they decided to move forward with a sister facility to the east, purchasing enough land and turning it into a combined lot. Within two weeks, Baylor Health Care System had contacted the Lus, expressing their interest in renting.
Between both buildings, Lu now has a handful of tenants, also including dentist Michael Shelby, DMD and OBGYN Tim Tarkenton, MD.
“Six years ago, this was just farmland,” he said adding that it is incredible “to see all of this come to fruition and people coming here being blessed.”
Of his continued success, Lu said “The Bible says, ‘He who will honor Me, I will honor.’”
He is also grateful for the opportunities America has provided him.
“In this country, I have [a] taste of freedom,” he said. “America is a great country. It’s a land of opportunity for poor kids like me. I’m living the American dream.”
However, Lu’s story isn’t the only one with a happy ending.
“Since the government of Chairman Mao has [ended], over the past 30 years China has changed dramatically,” he said.
And things have become brighter for his family as well. Lu’s sister is a bank manager in China and his parents are retired. His parents have forsaken their original home to live comfortably with his sister in a condominium.
“God has been so good to us,” Lu said.
• Willow Park Civics Blog > Willow Park is developing: Update April 2023
*4 Willow Park Professional Plaza, LoopNet
• Construction Journal > Project Title, Willow Park Professional Building #4
• Bizpedia
Lu Capital, LLC
Company Number 0801017182 Willow Park Professional Bldg. #4
• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation > Willow Park Professional Bldg. #3
Project Name: Willow Park Professional Bldg. #3
Project Number: TABS2023000387
Facility Name: Willow Park Professional Bldg. #3
• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation > Willow Park Professional Bldg. #4
Project Name: Willow Park Professional Bldg. #4
Project Number: TABS2022027397
Facility Name: Willow Park Professional Bldg. #4
Location Address: 141 JD Towles Drive Willow Park, TX 76087
We are one of leading commercial real estate developers Parker County. We develop, build and own medical office buildings in Parker County and Tarrant County.
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