Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong (February 28,
1918 – October 23, 2007) was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman.
He was renowned for his vision and courage in transforming Genting Highlands
from an unexplored hilltop to one of the world's most successful casino
resorts. He was once the 3rd richest man in Malaysia with a net worth estimated
to be 4.2 billion USD, making him the 204th richest person in the billionaire
list compiled by Forbes.
The idea of developing Genting
Highlands was first conceived when Lim Goh Tong was having a dinner in Cameron
Highlands. An idea struck him when he was enjoying the soothing cool breeze of
Cameron Highlands that as the living standard rose in Malaysia, more and more
people would visit mountain resorts for relaxation and recreation, but Cameron
Highlands was too far away from the capital city Kuala Lumpur, therefore
building a mountain resort nearer to Kuala Lumpur would have great business
potential.
Upon conceiving this idea, many people
were skeptical of him to turn a forest into a tourist resort. Tan Sri Lim Goh
Tong ignored all the negativities and went ahead with his plan although most
thought it was really risky and reckoned him who was financially comfortable to
be foolish to invest heavily in money and time to develop Genting.
After Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime
minister of Malaysia visited Genting Highlands and commended Lim's effort to
develop a resort contributing to Malaysia's tourism industry without government
help, Genting was granted the only casino license. The whole Genting project
was completed in January 1971but opened its door for business on 8 May 1971.
In the next 30 years, Lim continued
to develop and expand Genting Highlands beyond its original idea of a hotel
with basic tourist facilities. Among the projects were the construction of more
hotels, indoor and outdoor theme parks, and a convention centre. In 1993, a
township was developed on an 81-hectare piece of land around the site of the
Genting Skyway cable car station at the suggestion of Tun Mahathir, the prime
minister of Malaysia. It was named Gohtong Jaya after Lim as a token of
remembrance for his efforts in the development of Genting Highlands.
As
of now, Genting Highlands is one of the most successful Casino resorts in the
world and is one of the primary tourist attractions in Malaysia. Lim's company,
Genting Group operates Genting Highlands and has diversified into many other
industries such as plantations, property, paper, power generation, oil and gas
exploration and cruise boat industries.
His
eventual success was attributed to his entrepreneurial spirit. "The Genting project fitted my idea of
an ideal business," he wrote. "No
one was interested in it, which meant no competition." Lim Goh Tong
had won many awards together with his company Genting Group for his
entrepreneurship and his contribution, among them were Malaysian Entrepreneurs
Award 1985, Manager of the Year Award 1986, Business Achiever of the Year Award1994,
Number 1 ranking of 10 Malaysian Leading Companies 1999 and The Best Employer
Award 1996.
After
I read all the three articles about Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, I found that to
become a success entrepreneur, we need to have some of the characteristics. First
of all, an entrepreneur must be creative. Just like Lim Goh Tong, he had the
idea to develop a hilltop resort when he visited Cameron Highlands. Besides to
develop the resort, he designed Genting to become a place suitable for a family
trip. The second characteristic I saw from Lim Goh Tong is brave. This can be
showed when he had the idea to develop Genting, although many people said that
it was really risky and foolish, Lim Goh Tong ignored all the negativities and
continue the project and lastly, he was success. Last but not least, an
entrepreneur should be innovative. Although Genting is successfully developed
but Lim Goh Tong still make innovation on it to become more attractive and
involved in more sectors. For example, he get the license of casino, plantations,
property, paper, power generation, oil and gas exploration and cruise boat
industries.
Article 1
Biography of Mr. Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong
Biography
Mr. Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong
Tan
Sri Lim Goh Tong (February 28, 1918 – October 23, 2007) was a prominent
wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman. He was renowned for his vision
and courage in transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop
to one of the world's most successful casino resorts. He was once the
3rd richest man in Malaysia with a net worth estimated to be 4.2 billion
USD, making him the 204th richest person in the billionaire list
compiled by Forbes.
The Japanese invaded Malaya in 1942 and caused Lim to have a few near-death occasions. During the early Japanese Occupation, he earned a living as a vegetable farmer, but decided to switch to petty trading for a better living. Later on Lim ventured into scrap-metal and hardware trading. When the Japanese Occupation ended, there was an urgent demand for heavy machinery for resumed operations in mines and rubber plantations, Lim seized the opportunity and engaged in second-hand machinery trading, making his first fortune.
From used machinery trading, Lim strayed into iron mining fortuitously. Lim joined as a partner in an iron mining company which couldn't settle the outstanding payment of two bulldozers with him, and this proved to be a successful venture as he earned a substantial amount of profit from the mining industry, including forming a joint-venture tin mining company which was one of the first Chinese tin companies to utilize dredges in mining tin.
While dealing in heavy machinery, Lim accumulated a wide range of reconditioned machines as well as a substantial amount of cash to move into the construction and related industries. In the name of his family construction company, Kien Huat Private Limited, Lim began taking on several contracting jobs with help and guidance from his uncles. Kien Huat won accolades and became recognized as one of the leading construction companies after successfully completing many major projects. Among the biggest projects completed was the Ayer Itam Dam, the first time a local contractor had been given the construction job of such magnitude.
Lim went on the brink of bankruptcy when construction work was facing problems in the Kemubu Irrigation Scheme, but managed to overcome the obstacles and completed the project.
The idea of building a hilltop resort was first conceived when Lim Goh Tong was having a dinner in Cameron Highlands. As he was enjoying the soothing cool breeze of Cameron Highlands, an idea struck him that as the standard of living rose steadily in Malaysia, more and more people would visit mountain resorts for relaxation and recreation, but Cameron Highlands was too far away from the capital city Kuala Lumpur, therefore building a mountain resort nearer to Kuala Lumpur would have great business potential.
After doing some research, Lim found Gunung (mountain in Malay) Ulu Kali at a place called Genting Sempah to be an ideal location for his plan. He formed an expedition and explored the place, collecting a wealth of data on the topography, drainage, soil conditions and other relevant aspects of the region, this proved to be very useful in drawing up the plan for developing the resort.
Upon conceiving this idea, many naysayers were skeptical of Lim turning a wilderness into a tourist resort. Most thought it was really risky and reckoned Lim who was financially comfortable to be foolish to invest heavily in money and time to develop Genting, but Lim brushed off all these negativities and went ahead firmly with his plan.
After getting approvals from the federal and state governments, Lim began the project in the face of a colossal task. Among the problems were building the access road towards the hilltop, water and electricity supplies, sewerage system and fire safety. Lim managed to build the access road towards the summit in three years when it was estimated to take fifteen years. Several sources of water in the mountain were identified, water supply was secured by building water-collection stations and water filtration plants with treated water stored in reservoirs. Electricity is supplied through a central electricity generation system with 12 big generators.
During the construction, Lim survived six close brushes with death. Meanwhile, Lim had to administer another major project in Kelantan, the Kemubu Irrigation Scheme at the same time. This stretched his physical endurance to the limits as he had to shuttle between Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan and he worked seven days a week.
During the Genting project, Lim spent all he had without earning any income. He sold an 810-hectare rubber estate to raise RM2.5 million. In addition, he invested all the money he had made from iron mining, sub-contracting and hardware business. The project was a heavy drain on Lim's finances. When asked to invest in this project, Lim's friends turned him down and counseled him to drop the entire scheme instead.
Genting was granted the only casino license after Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime minister of Malaysia then, visited Genting Highlands and commended Lim's effort to develop a resort contributing to Malaysia's tourism industry without government help.
Lim managed to obtain a pioneer status for Genting Highlands and tax incentives despite its resort development not qualifying for it. He did so by convincing the government that tax incentives in the early stage of development of Genting Highlands were not only vital for them but also profitable to the government later on.
The whole Genting project was completed in January 1971, but prior to officially commencing business, Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas were hit by the worst rainstorms in a century, the road to Genting was closed by landslides at 180 locations, the damaged sections took four months to repair. Genting opened its door for business on May 8, 1971.
In the next 30 years, Lim continued to develop and expand Genting Highlands beyond its original idea of a hotel with basic tourist facilities. Among the projects were the construction of more hotels, indoor and outdoor theme parks, and a convention centre. A new road was built to shorten the journey to Genting from the northern states, and RM120 million was invested to widen a 10 km stretch of the access road to reduce congestion. Another RM128 million was spent on constructing a cable car system to provide visitors with an alternative mode of transportation.
In 1993, at the suggestion of Tun Mahathir, the prime minister of Malaysia then, a township was developed on an 81-hectare piece of land around the site of the Genting Skyway cable car station. It was named Gohtong Jaya after Lim as a token of remembrance for his efforts in the development of Genting Highlands.
As of now, Genting Highlands is one of the most successful casino resorts in the world and is one of the primary tourist attractions in Malaysia. Lim's company, Genting Group operates Genting Highlands and has diversified into many other industries such as plantations, property, paper, power generation, oil and gas exploration and cruise industries. In the process new company brands were created that have become distinctive names in their respective fields, namely Asiatic, Genting Sanyen and Star Cruises.
On December 31, 2003, Lim handed his chairmanship of Genting Group over to his son, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.
Lim died at 11.20am, October 23, 2007, at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC).
Mr. Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong
Achievement and Awards
Lim had won many awards together with his company Genting Group for his entrepreneurship and his contribution, among them were:
The Japanese invaded Malaya in 1942 and caused Lim to have a few near-death occasions. During the early Japanese Occupation, he earned a living as a vegetable farmer, but decided to switch to petty trading for a better living. Later on Lim ventured into scrap-metal and hardware trading. When the Japanese Occupation ended, there was an urgent demand for heavy machinery for resumed operations in mines and rubber plantations, Lim seized the opportunity and engaged in second-hand machinery trading, making his first fortune.
From used machinery trading, Lim strayed into iron mining fortuitously. Lim joined as a partner in an iron mining company which couldn't settle the outstanding payment of two bulldozers with him, and this proved to be a successful venture as he earned a substantial amount of profit from the mining industry, including forming a joint-venture tin mining company which was one of the first Chinese tin companies to utilize dredges in mining tin.
While dealing in heavy machinery, Lim accumulated a wide range of reconditioned machines as well as a substantial amount of cash to move into the construction and related industries. In the name of his family construction company, Kien Huat Private Limited, Lim began taking on several contracting jobs with help and guidance from his uncles. Kien Huat won accolades and became recognized as one of the leading construction companies after successfully completing many major projects. Among the biggest projects completed was the Ayer Itam Dam, the first time a local contractor had been given the construction job of such magnitude.
Lim went on the brink of bankruptcy when construction work was facing problems in the Kemubu Irrigation Scheme, but managed to overcome the obstacles and completed the project.
The idea of building a hilltop resort was first conceived when Lim Goh Tong was having a dinner in Cameron Highlands. As he was enjoying the soothing cool breeze of Cameron Highlands, an idea struck him that as the standard of living rose steadily in Malaysia, more and more people would visit mountain resorts for relaxation and recreation, but Cameron Highlands was too far away from the capital city Kuala Lumpur, therefore building a mountain resort nearer to Kuala Lumpur would have great business potential.
After doing some research, Lim found Gunung (mountain in Malay) Ulu Kali at a place called Genting Sempah to be an ideal location for his plan. He formed an expedition and explored the place, collecting a wealth of data on the topography, drainage, soil conditions and other relevant aspects of the region, this proved to be very useful in drawing up the plan for developing the resort.
Upon conceiving this idea, many naysayers were skeptical of Lim turning a wilderness into a tourist resort. Most thought it was really risky and reckoned Lim who was financially comfortable to be foolish to invest heavily in money and time to develop Genting, but Lim brushed off all these negativities and went ahead firmly with his plan.
After getting approvals from the federal and state governments, Lim began the project in the face of a colossal task. Among the problems were building the access road towards the hilltop, water and electricity supplies, sewerage system and fire safety. Lim managed to build the access road towards the summit in three years when it was estimated to take fifteen years. Several sources of water in the mountain were identified, water supply was secured by building water-collection stations and water filtration plants with treated water stored in reservoirs. Electricity is supplied through a central electricity generation system with 12 big generators.
During the construction, Lim survived six close brushes with death. Meanwhile, Lim had to administer another major project in Kelantan, the Kemubu Irrigation Scheme at the same time. This stretched his physical endurance to the limits as he had to shuttle between Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan and he worked seven days a week.
During the Genting project, Lim spent all he had without earning any income. He sold an 810-hectare rubber estate to raise RM2.5 million. In addition, he invested all the money he had made from iron mining, sub-contracting and hardware business. The project was a heavy drain on Lim's finances. When asked to invest in this project, Lim's friends turned him down and counseled him to drop the entire scheme instead.
Genting was granted the only casino license after Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime minister of Malaysia then, visited Genting Highlands and commended Lim's effort to develop a resort contributing to Malaysia's tourism industry without government help.
Lim managed to obtain a pioneer status for Genting Highlands and tax incentives despite its resort development not qualifying for it. He did so by convincing the government that tax incentives in the early stage of development of Genting Highlands were not only vital for them but also profitable to the government later on.
The whole Genting project was completed in January 1971, but prior to officially commencing business, Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas were hit by the worst rainstorms in a century, the road to Genting was closed by landslides at 180 locations, the damaged sections took four months to repair. Genting opened its door for business on May 8, 1971.
In the next 30 years, Lim continued to develop and expand Genting Highlands beyond its original idea of a hotel with basic tourist facilities. Among the projects were the construction of more hotels, indoor and outdoor theme parks, and a convention centre. A new road was built to shorten the journey to Genting from the northern states, and RM120 million was invested to widen a 10 km stretch of the access road to reduce congestion. Another RM128 million was spent on constructing a cable car system to provide visitors with an alternative mode of transportation.
In 1993, at the suggestion of Tun Mahathir, the prime minister of Malaysia then, a township was developed on an 81-hectare piece of land around the site of the Genting Skyway cable car station. It was named Gohtong Jaya after Lim as a token of remembrance for his efforts in the development of Genting Highlands.
As of now, Genting Highlands is one of the most successful casino resorts in the world and is one of the primary tourist attractions in Malaysia. Lim's company, Genting Group operates Genting Highlands and has diversified into many other industries such as plantations, property, paper, power generation, oil and gas exploration and cruise industries. In the process new company brands were created that have become distinctive names in their respective fields, namely Asiatic, Genting Sanyen and Star Cruises.
On December 31, 2003, Lim handed his chairmanship of Genting Group over to his son, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.
Lim died at 11.20am, October 23, 2007, at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC).
Mr. Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong
Achievement and Awards
Lim had won many awards together with his company Genting Group for his entrepreneurship and his contribution, among them were:
Malaysian Entrepreneurs Award 1985
Manager of the Year Award 1986
Business Achiever of the Year Award 1994
Number 1 ranking of 10 Malaysian Leading Companies 1996
The Best Employer Award 1996
He
was conferred the title "Tan Sri" by the government of Malaysia on 6
June 1979 in recognition to the contribution he has made to the country.
In 1978 Lim set up Yayasan Lim, a family foundation that donates regularly to educational and medical institutions, old folk's homes, various organizations for the physically handicapped and other charitable causes.
In 1978 Lim set up Yayasan Lim, a family foundation that donates regularly to educational and medical institutions, old folk's homes, various organizations for the physically handicapped and other charitable causes.
Article 2
SUCCESS STORY : Lim goh tong
- Hoping that i can post an inspiration success story of our proud nations billionaire.
- MALAYSIAN Billionaire tycoon Lim Goh Tong has died at the age of 90, following a short illness, leaving an estimated US$4.3 billion (S$6.2 billion) fortune.
- The tycoon handed over the running of an empire with interests in property, power generation, plantations, paper manufacturing and information technology.
- Genting's Hong Kong-listed subsidiary, Star Cruises, is the third-largest cruise operator in the world, while the group also controls Britain's biggest casino operator Stanley Leisure.
- But Tan Sri Lim, one of Malaysia's wealthiest businessmen, is best known for turning Genting Highlands, a hill outcrop just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, into one of the world's most profitable casino resorts.
- And to his admirers, he was more than just a developer, personifying the clutch of overseas Chinese business entrepreneurs who fled hardship in their homeland to build the corporate empires that played a major role in South-east Asia's economic boom.
- "He is a model of success, starting from scratch, and his achievements came through hard work" said Tan Sri William Cheng, who controls Malaysia's diversified Lion Group of companies.
- Tan Sri Lim, who hailed from China's Fujian province, was forced to leave school at the age of 16, after his father died, and began selling vegetable seeds to support his family.
- In 1937, he left Fujian for what was then British-controlled Malaya, where he dabbled in a host of businesses ranging from selling machinery to building and tin mining.
- Tan Sri Lim, who did not speak English and conversed with Malaysia's political elite in colloquial Malay, came up with the idea of a hilltop resort while working on a hydroelectric project in 1963.
- The development of Genting, whose name in Chinese means "on top of clouds", now attracts more than 18 million visitors a year, but it brought him perilously close to bankruptcy before taking off.
- He was helped by the Malaysian government, which subsidised the building of a road to the resort and awarded him a casino licence.
- But his eventual success was attributed to his entrepreneurial spirit, and he gave an insight into his style in his recent autobiography.
Article 3
"The Genting project fitted my idea of an ideal business," he wrote.
"No one was interested in it, which meant no competition."
He always used this as his success key
1. Never make language barrier a limitation to succeed. Lim Goh Tong did not speak or write in English. He spoke Hokkien in his native land China, and after coming to Malaysia, he learned Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese & Mandarin. But that did not stop him to negotiate one of the biggest business contracts in the country.
2. Be polite, humble and respectful to others. If you can rub shoulders with tycoons, politicians and high officials, ask yourself, can you get along well too with hawkers and manual workers? Often times, success goes to our heads and we forget where we came from and our hardship seems to be a forgotten past.
3. When it comes to appointment and meeting, have a habit to be punctual. Better still, come 5 to 10 minutes early. Malaysians have a very weird habit when it comes to appointments, interviews and meeting. Don’t be one. Make punctuality your personal and business principle.
Do not make excuse to cancel appointments just because the person is not important. Also, a good advice is that, if you want to know if a person will be a good friend and business partner, watch if he arrives on the appointed time when you set a date or meeting. If you are late for job interview when you can be early, know that you will not make a good employee.
4. Live a disciplined, simple life. Get up early from bed to start your day. You will see prosperity coming your way.
5. Make effort to carry something that you can write or jot down when you have anything coming to mind. Lim Goh Tong used small notebook. Now you are spoiled with choices when it comes to note taking - PDA, mobile phone, note book and so on. Do not make excuses. Also, organize your day with a diary or personal organizer. Always create a to do list.
6. Be bold yet cautious (the Chinese say ‘dan da xin xi‘). Try things that have never been done before. Challenge the norm of ways of doing work or job. Be willing to take that risk. A reward is waiting at the end of it.
7. Believe the power of conviction. If you make a decision and you believe that is a strong one, go ahead with it, no matter what you are up against. Believe in yourself.
The Genting Story
When it comes to the Genting story, most Malaysians will recognise it as synonymous with the rise of its namesake hill resort,
Looking Back with Pride
The idea of a hill resort was chanced upon by late Tan Sri Lim Goh
Tong amidst the crisp air of Cameron Highlands in 1964. Tan Sri Lim was then
working on a hydro-electric power project at the popular hill resort, patronised
mostly by British colonials seeking cool refuge from the tropical heat, when he
foresaw a prosperous Malaysia of the future desiring a cool mountain holiday
resort within the reach of all Malaysians.
The
Challenges
A study of the maps and Kuala Lumpur’s vicinity located the ideal
site - the 1,800-metre Gunung Ulu Kali, just 58 km from Kuala Lumpur. Amidst the
dense virgin tropical jungle and rugged terrain, the task to transform a remote
mountain into Malaysia’s premier holiday destination seemed impossible… but not
for Tan Sri Lim.
The Mammoth Task Begins
Setting up a private company called Genting Highlands Berhad on 27
April 1965, with the late Tan Sri Haji Mohammed Noah bin Omar, Tan Sri Lim
successfully obtained approval for the alienation of 12,000 acres and 2,800
acres of land from the Pahang and Selangor State Government respectively between
the years 1965 and 1970.
On 18 August 1965, a technical and
construction team began the herculean task that would take four years to
complete the access road from Genting Sempah to the peak of Gunung Ulu Kali.
To ensure the sound and prompt
construction of the hotel-cum-resort, Tan Sri Lim devoted all of his time,
capital and resources, including the reserves of his family company, Kien Huat
Berhad towards the making of this "dream resort".
The Beginning
On 31 March 1969, the late YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman,
Malaysia’s first Prime Minister graced the official laying of the foundation
stone for the company’s pioneer hotel, the then Highlands Hotel, marking the
completion of the access road to Genting Highlands Resort.
The Prime Minister was impressed
that the private sector, without the assistance of the Government, could develop
a mountain resort for the enjoyment of all Malaysians; a gaming licence was
suggested to help accelerate the development of this remote area.
In 1971, the first hotel at Genting
Highlands was successfully completed and was then named Highlands Hotel (now
renamed Theme Park Hotel).
The
Development - Genting Highlands Resort
Since the opening of
the first hotel in 1971, Genting Highlands Resort continued to grow from
strength to strength. The development of the area continued to this present day
to enhance Genting Highlands Resort as the premier holiday destination in the
region while ensuring that the natural beauty of the rain forest is maintained.
To date, Genting Highlands Resort
has five hotels (namely Genting Hotel, Highlands Hotel, Resort Hotel, Theme
Park Hotel and First World Hotel) and two apartment blocks (Ria and Kayangan Apartments) at the
hilltop and Awana Genting Highlands Golf and Country Resort.
Together with integrated
world-standard entertainment facilities encompassing various leisure, indoor and
outdoor theme parks and gaming facilities, Genting Highlands Resort has become
the "City of Entertainment" and Malaysia's Premier Resort.
In 1997, Genting Highlands Resort
further boosted its facility attraction with Genting Skyway cable car system that provides a 3.38 km transport to the
hilltop. Genting Skyway is also recognised as the "World's Fastest Mono Cable
Car System" with a maximum speed of 21.6 km per hour and the "Longest Cable Car
in Malaysia and Southeast Asia".
The Expansion -
Genting Group
Genting Group, founded by Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong and with Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay as
its Chairman and Chief Executive, has since expanded and diversified from its
initial hotel and resort activities to plantation, power generation and oil and
gas exploration and production.
Today, Genting Berhad is a leading multinational corporation in Malaysia that
has constantly been acknowledged by various organisations for its exemplary
leadership and management. Genting Berhad was acknowledged as the No.1 Leading
Company in Malaysia for 10 years, i.e. in 2004 and from 1994 to 2002 by The
Asian Wall Street Journal 200 (formerly Far Eastern Economic Review 200).
Genting Berhad was also rated No.1 in Malaysia and No.2 in Asia for Overall Best
Managed Company for the Decade by Asiamoney.
The Passing of a Great Man
Sadly, our Founder Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong passed away peacefully on 23 October
2007 and was laid to rest at Gohtong Memorial Park on 29 October 2007. He will
be greatly missed by the management and staff of the Genting Group.
"Once the goals have been clearly defined, with the greatest amount of determination and hard work, one can conclusively realise one's goals."- Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, Founder
Hi, Suey. How did you know Lim so informative which I couldn't find from Wikipedia?
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