Nelson and Lorna Chen received the 2009 Persons of the Year award at the Greater Fort Lee Chamber of Commerce’s 41st annual dinner dance, held on May2 at the Doubletree Hotel in Fort Lee. A mother and son team of Realtors were honored as the Person of the Year at the Greater Fort Lee Chamber of Commerce’s 41st annual dinner dance at the Doubletree Hotel in Fort Lee on May 2. Lorna and Nelson Chen talked about their struggle for success. “I was born in Hong Kong, China, at the time a British Colony,” said Lorna. “Hong Kong was ceded by China to Britain as a result of the Opium War in 1842.” She said that while her parents were attending a wedding in Shanghai, the imperial Japanese Army bombed Hong Kong. The country was completely cut off and she was placed under the care of the housekeeper with a large family of her own. “I lived in a crib day and night in her house,” she said. “Whenever the family was out, the crib was placed in front of the door to deter thieves from coming in. I have been a light sleeper ever since.” At the age of 13, she immigrated to the United States with her aunt and was sent to live with family in New Rochelle, N.Y. After college, she was recruited by IBM to be one of the first 10 programmer trainees in New York City. She stayed in the IT field for the next 20 years, eventually becoming the data base administrator at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and later CornellMedical Center. But Lorna knew she had a different calling. “My real love is real estate, and I worked in it part-time for years,” she said. “In the early 80’s, Joe Murphy of Murphy Realty [Fort Lee] asked me to be the director of Condo and Co-op for his 23 offices.” In 1984, she was recruited by Hartz Mountain Industries, the largest real estate developer at the time in New Jersey, which was headquartered in Edgewater. She became the vice president of Residential Development. In 1996, the Chens started the Chen Agency and they never looked back. “Lorna and Nelson have distinguished themselves through service benefiting both the business and civil communities in the greater Fort Lee area,” chamber President Craig Weinstein said. Weinstein said the unique qualities inherent in the mother and son team make them resilient during a fragile economy. “Lorna and Nelson are the hardest working people I know,” Weinstein said. “They both have superb knowledge of real estate.” The Chens have been honored with many awards including a Certificate of Merit from the chamber after completely renovating a dilapidated building in Fort Lee, which was vacant for several years. It’s now their office. Nelson, president and owner of the agency, is in his 30’s but has already established himself as a powerhouse broker in the industry. He became a licensed real estate agent in 1986 and has been awarded a lifetime membership to the New Jersey Association of Realtors Million Dollar Sales Club after achieving more than $100 million in sales. Nelson was attending the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania when he received scholarships in 1987 and 1988 from the New Jersey Association of Realtors Educational Foundation. He now serves on that foundation’s board of trustees. As an alumnus of the Elisabeth Morrow and Dwight-Englewood Schools in Englewood, Nelson recognizes the value in a fine education. He was one of the youngest members of the Dwight-Englewood School’s Board of Trustees and is a charter member of the Elisabeth Morrow School’s Alumni Committee. It’s their civil service that has made them role models, not just as business owners but as members of the community. “Trust, professionalism, honesty and extremely detail-oriented,” Weinstein said. “In any language, trust is the most important word,” Lorna said. “In today’s world of the Ponzi schemes and CEO misdeeds, trust has disappeared from our vocabulary. Trust is alive and well tonight, because Nelson and I can go up to each and everyone of you, look you in the eye and say, ‘I trust you’- followed by ‘I love you.’ In your company, we are deeply and profoundly humbled.” Fast Facts: Lorna Chen 30 years experience as real estate broker Recipient of the Realtors Circle of Excellence Platinum Level from the of the New Jersey Realtor’s Association Specializes in condominium, townhouse and house sales in Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs, Leonia, Fair Lawn, Demarest, Palisades Park, Ridgefield and Lynhurst Member of the Eastern Bergen County’s Cultural Diversity Program Fluent in three Chinese language dialects Nelson Chen Awarded the 1998 Realtor of the Year by the Eastern Bergen County Board of Realtors Served as president of the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service (NJMLS) in 1998, 2000, and 2003, and has been a member of the NJMLS Board of Directors since 1995 Member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Association of Realtors Educational Foundation.