John Hur's house

John Hur fled a culture in South Korea in which family history determined one's occupation. He earned undergraduate and master's degrees in this country while working full time. He bought a 7-Eleven to learn how American business worked. He worked for IBM for 16 years. And he began investing in real estate in different parts of the country.

Austin real estate in the 1980s made Hur rich, and it nearly broke him. But he would never leave. Today, he owns five businesses built around chemical sales, real estate and investment. He helped found and is active in the Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce.

"Austin is on the radar screen in Korea as a place where you can participate in American culture and succeed in the larger marketplace," Hur says.