Sam Cho

In the winter of 2016, there was an opportunity to exploit the price differential of eggs in the midst of Asia's worst avian influenza (bird flu) pandemic. The bird flu wiped out chicken flocks across the region which resulted in an egg shortage. The price of eggs nearly tripled in countries like South Korea. In response, the South Korean government temporarily reduced import tariffs to 0% and subsidized freight cost to encourage egg imports to buttress the egg shortage crisis.[14]

In February 2017, Cho founded and served as the CEO of Seven Seas Export, a trading company that took advantage of the crisis. In 2 years, Cho exported over 2.5 million pounds of American egg products to Asia.[15]

In September 2019, Cho was a recipient of the 425 Business 30 Under 30 award.[16]

In May 2019, Cho announced his campaign to run and replace Courtney Gregoire on the Seattle Port Commission.[17]

Cho's priorities included the economy, environmental sustainability, accountability, transparency, and fighting human trafficking.

Despite a primary race with six other candidates including a former mayor,[18] Cho came first place with 31.1% of the vote to move onto the general election.[19][20]

In the general election,[21] his opponent was former City of Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger. Cho defeated the former mayor with 60.8% of the vote,[22] becoming the first Korean American and youngest port commissioner since the founding of the port in 1911. He was sworn in on January 7, 2020.[23][24]

Cho was also endorsed by former Governor of Washington and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke.[25] In 2020, Cho was named to New America's list of Next-Generation Asian American Foreign Policy and National Security leaders.[25]

During his first term, Cho pushed to adopt new technology and platforms to upgrade and modernize the travel experience at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

In 2021, the Port of Seattle launched a free pilot program called SEA Spot Saver that allowed passengers to make reservations for TSA security screening ahead of their flights.[26] The virtual queue system was meant to help reduce wait times in security lines by allowing passengers to show up at their reservation times rather than stand in line. The pilot was initially with only Alaska and Delta Airlines but was rolled out airport-wide after seeing early success.[27]

The airport also launched Order@SEA, a mobile ordering app that allows passengers to order food from airport concessions on their phones and get it delivered to their gate.[28]

According to Cho, "waiting in line is the least fun and most stressful part of any trip" and technology can make the airport experience a better one."[29]

In January 2022, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was upgraded by Skytrax to a four-star airport, becoming only the second large hub airport in the US to receive four stars.[30] The airport was also named "Best Airport in North America" in 2022 and 2023 by Skytrax.[31]

Sam Cho standing with John Kerry and other world leaders at COP 27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt

Cho has been an advocate of strong environmental practices within and across ports industries.[32] As a managing member of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, Cho worked in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Energy to explore the feasibility of a "green trade corridor" between South Korea and the Pacific Northwest.[33]

In November 2022, Cho traveled to South Korea to meet with officials of the Busan Port Authority. Immediately after, Cho traveled to Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt to announce the green shipping corridor between the Port of Busan and Northwest Seaport Alliance at the United Nations COP 27 conference alongside Climate Envoy and former Secretary of State John Kerry and other world leaders.[34][35]

One of Cho's major focuses as a port commissioner has been in the area of combating human and labor trafficking.[36] In January 2020, the Port of Seattle became the first port authority in the United States to provide proprietary training to all of the port's aviation and maritime employees on human trafficking awareness. Since the initial rollout, the Port of Seattle has received requests from other airports and port authorities to look at its model and provide similar training.[37] Awareness campaigns resulted in higher call volumes to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which Cho considers a positive outcome as it indicates more people are reaching out for help or reporting suspicious activity.[38]

In 2022, the Port of Seattle received the U.S. Department of Transportation's Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award.[39][40]

Cho publicly endorsed and supported efforts to provide airline flight kitchen workers a $16 minimum wage at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Seatac). Flight kitchen workers were initially exempt from Seatac's Proposition 1 minimum wage ordinance because of jurisdictional issues.[41] Cho provided public testimony in the Washington State Legislature in support of Senate Bill 6217 which gave the ports the authority to set minimum labor standards for certain employees at an airport.[42]

Sam Cho announcing the SEA Welcome Center for Afghan refugees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

In October 2020, Cho introduced and passed a motion on racial equity and addressing structural racism at the port. The motion assessed port policies to address systemic or institutionalized biases. It also mandated unconscious bias training across the organization and established a community advisory board.[43]

When President Joe Biden announced the full withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan in July 2021, a crisis of refugees fleeing from the Taliban ensued. The Port of Seattle worked immediately to establish a space within Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to aid with the refugee resettlement efforts.[44] Cho referenced his own family's difficulties immigrating to the United States as a reason for why the port needed to serve as a welcoming environment for refugees.[45][46]

The established space was called the SEA Welcome Center and provided an area for resettlement agencies to welcome and assist refugees. The opening of the center was announced at a press conference with Cho and Washington State Governor Jay Inslee in October 2021 at the airport.[47]