A Note from the Chief Financial Officer

When I was attending Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission meeting as a commissioner last week, I thought I was the luckiest person in the world. It is beyond my wildest dream that one day I would be having lunch at the Governor’s residence in Lansing with fellow commissioners, government officials, and APA business leaders when I immigrated to the United States with my family in high school. Looking back, it has been an incredible journey since the day Jimmy told Eric and me that he wanted to start a software development company twenty years ago. I was very fortunate to participate in the very first planning meeting in Jimmy’s basement and grow up with Logic. In June this year, Logic will mark its 20th birthday. Since I know the marketing department will have a remote chance to ask me to say something about this milestone, I would like to take the opportunity to share my thoughts on this remarkable accomplishment:

As my roles have changed in the last several years, I have been invited to speak at different events about my experience as an entrepreneur and as a community leader. My favorite presentation topic these days is, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”, which was made famous by Steve Jobs in his 2005 speech at Stanford’s commencement. I thought the phrase fits well with Logic’s entrepreneurial spirit in the technology forefront. “Stay Hungry” encourages us to be curious to learn more and accomplish more, and “Stay Foolish” dares us to make unconventional decisions and take risks.

When Jimmy and I first started Logic, we were the only two shareholders who quit our regular jobs and devoted 100% of our time to the company. In hindsight, it was a very naïve and risky decision because neither one of us had any real experience running a start-up business, nor did we have many business connections. However, we weren’t going to let our lack of experience hinder us and were willing to push ourselves and do the things people said could not be accomplished. With limited capital, a business idea, and lots of enthusiasm, we were able to grow Logic from one office in the basement of a downtown Ann Arbor building, to five offices and approximately 200 employees world-wide.

Recently, someone pointed out to me that our entrepreneurial spirit may be connected to our immigrant backgrounds. Tom Friedman, who wrote The World Is Flat, said “New immigrants are paranoid optimists” in his “Five Ways to Succeed in Life and Work” speech. Jimmy and I were naïve to start Logic but our eternal optimism carried us through all the challenges in the past two decades.

On the eve of Logic’s 20th anniversary, I would like to thank all the people who trusted us, helped us, and supported us so Logic can be where it is today. I would also like to encourage everyone, whatever your stage in business, career, or school, to stay hungry and stay foolish because you never know where your passion can lead you. And, also, when your life seems impossible or stale, just keep the faith and never give up!

Warmly,
Grace Lee