Lifestyle
Paul and John Luciw
Asian influence
VICKI GILHULA
Winter 2008 |
The name Luciw may sound familiar because Paul and John are Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School graduates. Their brother, Michael, is an architect in the city.
The Luciw boys, sons of Fred and his late wife, Claire, grew up in the city’s South End. Paul and John both attended Laurentian University.
Paul, 43, moved to Hong Kong in 1991 to teach gym at the Canadian International School. He left teaching to work in the investment field for six years. He used his contacts and business experience to launch AsiaXPAT during the dotcom boom.
“We were funded by a listed company in Hong Kong in 1999, a substantial telecoms group headed by Richard Siemens, who is from Vancouver. I played hockey for the team that Rick’s company sponsored in Hong Kong. After a long and successful relationship with Rick’s group, we bought their shares back in 2005,” says Paul.
AsiaXPAT operates portals for Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul, Beijing and Taipei and is the dominant resource for expatriates living in Asia Pacific.
Content on each portal is similar to an MSN or Yahoo portal with news and classifieds.
The sites’ advertising client list reads like a who’s who of big business and includes dozens of well-known brands such as Sony, HSBC, Cathay Pacific Airways, Air Canada, Marriott Hotels, United Airways, E-Trade, VISA, and the Four Seasons Hotels.
Advertising billings run into the millions each year making AsiaXPAT one of the few successful pure online businesses in the world.
AsiaXPAT averages about 500,000 unique visitors per month and has more than 60,000 registered members. Most of those members would comprise professionals such as lawyers, architects, doctors and investment bankers and a substantial number are at the CEO or director level in multinational companies with bases throughout Asia.
The Luciw brothers are enjoying their success and their lifestyles. “We have been approached by funds out of the U.S. and China that invest in online media. Based on those discussions, AsiaXPAT would be worth at least $20 million. (US) However, we are not interested in selling the company at any price because it is growing dramatically and we still enjoy the challenges of making the site better,” says Paul.
“I can’t speak for John but I am quite happy to keep on doing this indefinitely. I work almost exclusively online so that allows me to live where I want and travel extensively and continue to work as long as I have an internet connection.”
Paul lives with his long-term girlfriend and has homes in Hong Kong and Bali. He is currently completing a land purchase in the remote mountains of Bali and plans to build an eco-friendly villa in this famous cultural district that is home to a number of international designers.
AsiaXPAT has also built and funds a school that teaches English and computer skills to extremely disadvantaged children in a number of villages on the island of Java.
“Coming from a working-class background in Sudbury, one realizes just how lucky we are to have had the opportunities that a country like Canada offers. Opportunities are extremely limited in many Asian countries and it’s a shame to waste potential, so we are pleased to contribute to the future of some of the local kids,” says Paul about the rationale for the school.
John, 41, married in July and was home in Sudbury to celebrate his marriage with his family and friends.
