Thursday October 25, 2007
Genting Bhd founder Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, who died on Tuesday, went against all odds and did the unthinkable when he developed a worldclass casino resort in a place no one dared to venture to more than 40 years ago.
Lim, who started development of the hilltop area around the present day Genting Highlands Resort in 1965, was reportedly inspired by the cool mountain air of Cameron Highlands.
He transformed the hilltop gaming and entertainment complex into the powerhouse of his multi-billion dollar empire.
Genting - the city of entertainment
Dubbed the “Casino King,” his career was also a rags-to-riches story he arrived in Malaya in 1937 from China after a 10- day voyage with only US$2 in his pocket but persevered to become one of the richest men in the world.
In March 2003, he was included in the Forbes Global magazine's list of World's Billionaires, coming in as the 206th richest man with a net worth of US$2.1bil.
Born on Feb 28 in 1918 in the Anxi district of Fujian Province, China, he worked as a carpenter with his uncle upon his arrival here, sold sundries and started a scrap-metal business.
He saved up enough money and set up Kien Huat Construction in 1950, which remains his flagship private entity.
One of his major breakthroughs was as a subcontractor for the Old Klang Road development project in Kuala Lumpur.
He later worked on a RM300,000 project to develop a drainage system from the Kuala Lumpur city centre to Pantai.
His competence paved the way for Kien Huat Construction to become a government- licensed contractor, which resulted in him obtaining a string of contracts.
Among the major projects undertaken by Kien Huat were Penang's Air Itam Dam, Kelantan's Kemubu Irrigation Scheme and the Cameron Highlands Hydro Electric Power Project It was while working on the dam in Cameron Highlands in 1964 that he saw the possibility of developing a hill resort nearer to Kuala Lumpur.
In 1968, he founded Genting Bhd, which was granted the only casino licence by the federal government.
Well-known for his hands-on approach, he was worker, project manager and engineer for the project.
His leadership propelled Genting to emerge as a key blue chip on the stock market, diversifying into plantations, paper, oil and gas, and power.
The company also transferred its gambling and resort-related operations to its subsidiary, Resorts World Bhd, which remained cash-rich even during the crippling 1997/98 Asian financial crisis.
A philanthropist, he is also well remembered for the RM20mil donation to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, from where he received an honourary doctorate.
The late Lim also received a string of awards including “Property Man of the Year” in 2002 by International Real Estate Federation FIABCI, 1987 Manager of the Year by the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Malaysia, and “Business Achiever of the Year” by Yazhou Zhoukan, a Hong Kong-based international Chinese business daily.
Lim leaves a wife, Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua, and six children. — Bernama
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