Mr. Ahn

Mr. Ahn is holding the candies he
imports. Dr. Chang is on the right.

"Honesty," Mr. Ahn said. "This is most important in the world of business . . . not profit."

Mr. Ahn is one of Professor Chang's good friends. Growing up, Mr. Ahn's friends called him "Elder Ahn" for his noble and religious lifestyle. He has a heart for others and has pursued a career where he strives to make a difference in his employees' lives.

Currently, Mr. Ahn is the CEO of Delifarm, a mid-sized Korean distribution business. Delifarm imports candy from the U.S., Italy and Scotland and distributes them to chain stores in South Korea. Some of these products include brand names like Tootsie, Loacker and Walker.

 For a man, with much power and who works in a bribery-driven Asian business market, Mr. Ahn humbly explained his company's history, present mission and future goals with our team. He described Asian business as "corrupt," giving examples of other CEO's offering women and drugs as an incentive for business deals. The businesses do not choose based on the best business offer; they choose the one that offers the most personal or immediate benefits, according to Mr. Ahn.


Mr. Ahn is interested in more than temporary business benefits; he cares about his employees' future. His business is a place where his self-motivated and honest employees can find peace in knowing they will not be forced to retire at age 55 as long as they continue to work on personal development. In Korea, forced retirement is a concern for most. If they cannot meet the skill level of younger employees entering the company, they are forced out.

In a society driven by educational hierarchy, employees are continually furthering their education to keep up with the latest skills for their position. However, a schedule filled with work and studying does not allow enough time for family, which was a major concern for Mr. Ahn. After retirement, the retired often face tensions with their spouse who has changed throughout the years while the other spouse was working. Thus, divorce is a common "problem-solver" for these situations.  Saddened by the divorce rate, Mr. Ahn has made it mandatory for employees to spend a certain amount of time with their family throughout the week. These employees do not have to sign in or out of a Delifarm building, though. Mr. Ahn's company relies on the trust of the individual employers, so he "trusts that they are working when they are supposed to."


"I got my philosophy for my business from the book of Proverbs," he said.

Mr. Ahn is a Christians who built his company's foundation on wisdom. He has never announced his faith to his employees, but he lives and humbly serves them based on his faith.