About Us
Harold L. Lee & Sons, Inc.
The Lee family has been in business serving the New York metropolitan area from its offices on Pell Street since 1888. Lee Insurance is the oldest and most experienced insurance agency in the New York Asian community and now serves its clients in New York and the rest of the nation from three offices across the country. Our headquarters are located in downtown New York, with offices in Northern and Southern California.
Lee Insurance's Chinese and English-speaking professionals personally know our clients and use the latest industry information and advanced technology to serve our clients' insurance needs.
Management
Sandra K. Lee - Chairperson & CEO
Ms. Lee graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.A. degree and also earned a R.N. diploma from the Helene Fuld School of Nursing in New York City. As a fourth generation family member operating the business, she has been an insurance executive since 1981. She is a licensed property and casualty broker, life and health agent, Series 6 Registered Representative, and real estate broker in New York as well as many other states. Her insurance focus for the agency has been group benefits, personal lines, and the overall marketing strategy and expansion for Lee Insurance.
Ms. Lee has been active leader on the local, state, and federal levels. She was a Presidential appointee of the 1995 White House Conference for Small Business and continues to serve on the Small Business Administration Fairness Board and National Advisory Council. She was on the Governor's State Commission for a Healthy New York from 1989 to 1995. She was selected in 1995 as a David Rockefeller Fellow, which is awarded to senior executives with a strong civic commitment to New York City. She is a trustee of NYU Downtown Hospital and the Chinatown Health Clinic Foundation. In 2002, she was named in Crain's New York Business as one of the top 100 Most Influential Business Leaders in NY and in 2003, was named as one of the top 100 Most Powerful Minority Business Leaders in NY.
She has been the recipient of many civic, community, and business awards over the years and has served on several insurance industry councils for One Beacon, Travelers, Chubb and IIAA.
Stephen Boon - President
Mr. Boon is a graduate of Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, where he earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration. After 13 years as a successful executive in the retail and garment industry, Mr. Boon joined Harold L. Lee & Sons, Inc. in 1978. He became a senior account executive specializing in property and casualty for middle market to large accounts, holding licenses as a property and casualty broker and life agent. In 1987, he was promoted to President of the firm and oversees the agency's property and casualty operations and financial institutions programs.
Mr. Boon holds leadership positions in several professional insurance associations that have earned him an outstanding reputation in the industry. He has served as the Financial Vice President of the Insurance Federation of New York and was a founder and recent past president of the Chinese American Insurance Association. During his tenure, he initiated a Scholarship Fund for Young Chinese American Insurance Professionals with St. Johns University/College of Insurance. He is an insurance advisor to many non-profit organizations and has managed insurance programs for municipal clients such as the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Senior Citizens HUD Housing Complexes, The Long Island Railroad, Metro-North and the MTA.
He has served on several industry producer councils and made presentations to carriers' senior level management on multi-cultural and emerging markets.
Affiliations
Lee Insurance has been an active member of the Chinatown and insurance communities. We remain involved through the following community and professional organizations:
Chinese American Insurance Association
Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America
The Insurance Federation of New York
National Association of Life Underwriters
New York Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Professional Insurance Agents Association
New York Chinese American Bankers Association
Company History
1888
Lee Kee Lo emigrates from Taishan Village - Guangdong Province, China and opens the Tai Lung (Great Prosperity) Company at 31 Pell Street, New York City.
1912
Harold L. Lee, son of Lee Kee Lo, joins the Tai Lung Company, after coming to America in 1905 and studying at The Mount Hermon School in Northfield, MA.
1920's
Harold Lee begins a foreign exchange business at 31 Pell Street. Tai Lung becomes Chinatown's first agent for American Express. Harold Lee becomes a representative at Manufacturers' Bank, its first Chinese employee, while simultaneously continuing his work at Tai Lung.
1930's
Rose Lee and Andrew P. Lee, Harold's eldest daughter and son, join the firm. Rose works in the foreign exchange business and heads up the bonding service for small businesses. Harold and Andrew introduce the concept of insurance to the Chinatown community. Lee Insurance is Chinatown's first full-service insurance agency.
1940
Andrew Lee receives his MBA degree from Columbia University and later serves in the US Army during World War II as a lieutenant in the Central Intelligence Corps. Rose and Catherine Lee run Lee Insurance during Andrew's absence.
1950's-1970's
Andrew Lee achieves and maintains status as member of the esteemed life insurance organization, The Million Dollar Roundtable.
1970's
Lee Insurance prospers and achieves prominence as a direct agent for Chubb, Hartford, Continental (CNA), and Maryland Casualty (Zurich).
1978
Stephen Boon, Jr., son of Rose Lee Boon, joins Lee Insurance.
1981
Sandra K. Lee, daughter of Andrew Lee, joins Lee Insurance.
1990's
Lee Insurance becomes a board member of both the Insurance Federation of New York and the Chinese American Insurance Association. Lee Insurance opens an office in Southern California.
1997
NYU - Downtown Hospital names its new $55 million Intensive Care Unit the Andrew P. Lee Critical Care Unit.
2002
Crain's NY names Sandra Lee as one of NYC's 100 Most Influential Business Leaders. Lee Insurance is featured in Rough Notes, a leading industry magazine.
2003
Sandra Lee named as one of NYC's 100 Most Powerful Minority Business Leaders by Crain's NY. Lee Insurance is profiled in Business Insurance and the National Underwriter magazines.Travelers names Lee Insurance the Agent of the Year—Emerging Markets. Lee Insurance opens an office in Northern California.