From humble beginnings

By: J. David Chapman//Guest Columnist//December 13, 2018

Son, father, husband, student, attorney and broker. All titles that Andrew Hwang is comfortable answering. Andrew, who is the co-founder and partner of Adept Commercial Real Estate and an of counsel real estate attorney with Riggs Abney, was the guest speaker at the last UCO Real Estate Club meeting of the year. Even though the students have final exams next week, the room was at capacity to hear Andrew’s story. Many even stayed afterward for a little one-on-one with Andrew. What made Andrew’s story different and interesting?

Family is really important to Andrew. You can’t be with him more than a few minutes without him telling you about his wife and kids. He is also a dedicated son and proud of his Korean heritage. In fact, he credits much of his success to his parents and tells a story that started right here in Edmond at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Andrew’s parents came to Edmond from South Korea to attend UCO. His mother entered nursing school at UCO, ultimately getting a degree in nursing with hopes of obtaining permanent resident status in this country. His father found his calling at UCO, but it was not school, it was cleaning buildings. He dropped out of school and started a building-cleaning company that today cleans over 10,000 square feet per night. A true immigration success story.

Andrew’s parents put an emphasis on education and wanted their children to be successful – possibly becoming doctors or lawyers. Andrew wanted a career in real estate. The good news is there is actually a path to real estate through law school. In Oklahoma, those graduating from law school can sit for the real estate broker exam, and this was Andrew’s key to satisfying the desires of his parents and his career aspirations. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in economics before graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2014. After cutting his teeth in the commercial real estate industry with Sperry Van Ness, he teamed up with friend and business partner Zach Martin to form Adept Commercial Real Estate. Setting up an office in Bricktown, the two have built a team of brokers doing deals and have even ventured out into the world of real estate investment.

J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).