Raised in a simple and humble farmer’s family, Dato’ Dr. Joseph Lee Chia Sze, has since come a long way since his childhood days of helping out the family in the agriculture industry. Upon completing his diploma in 1990, a young Lee secured his first job as a Quality Control Inspector for a factory in Shah Alam, and even enrolled in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) as a part-time student.

Being inquisitive, young and with a passion for success, he further went on to establish his own Construction company which turn out to be the turning point in his life. Orient Arotek Engineering & Trading Sdn Bhd was set up in 2002 and focuses mainly on general contracting, construction management and building services of factories, refineries and warehouses, with expertise in palm oil refineries. The company started out with only 3 staff initially and has worked its way towards achieving a certification for Quality Management System (QMS) which attests to its effort in developing quality internal procedures and improving customer services. Now in its 16th year of operations, the company has since grown significantly and is now under the umbrella of the OAE Builder Group of Companies, of which Lee is the Managing Director.

As the Managing Director, Lee’s main role is to look for potential clients and oversee the business as it goes along. One of the key factors that led to the company’s success is its Cost-Effective Services, practised since the company commenced business. As revealed by Lee “Pricing and scheduling are two of the major challenges that I have to face in running my business. The prices of material are ever on the rise but not so where contract prices are concerned. Every single job done has to meet the client’s standard and we need to provide a highquality service to our clients.”

While maintaining a head quarters in Kuala Lumpur, the company has two other branches in Bintulu and Klang and is currently manned by over 20 management staff and close to 130 field staff. Lee says his employees play a major role in the company’s success. “It is their cooperation, hard work, dedication and faith they have towards the company that OAE Builder was able to grow from strength to strength.”

Lee makes it a point to lead by example when it comes to punctuality and neatness. He emphasises to all his staff the importance of being organised and to have an orderly approach to work. To Lee, employees are the company’s assets and he believes in rewarding the staff through the sharing of company’s profits in the form of annual bonuses and special benefits which explains the low staff turnover rate in the company.

Lee believes, there are no secrets to success. It is the result of serious preparation, hard work and perseverance, and this is where men are separated from boys. Having navigated the road to success, Lee knows well that without hard work, nothing grows but weeds. Holding strong to this motto, Lee envision for the company to become the leading Engineering & Construction Firm in Malaysia and eventually, internationally while delivering projects that consistently meets international standards.

To realise this vision, Lee ensures the entire staff from top to bottom can provide innovative, reliable and high-quality service to the clients, taking into account, product costing, quality, on-time delivery, safety and environmental concerns. Staff are required to adhere to strict work ethics, with no compromise. Seldom would one see the top management get down and get his hands dirty to rectify problems and ensure quality is maintained, but this is what Lee practises and his staff more than welcomes him to join them in their day to day routines.

Despite his hectic schedule and pressing deadlines which may require Lee to work even on weekends, Lee makes it a point to spend quality time with his family. “It is a case of what really matters in your life and how you go about achieving a good balance”, he says. However, with this said, Lee credits his wife for his happy family as a happy family requires a lot of patience and affection.

Being a firm believer in education and knowledge, Lee sees education as a world without borders and there is no age limit when it comes to learning. Lee has proven this by juggling his time amidst his busy schedule to complete his doctorate (PhD) in environment management at University Putra Malaysia (UPM), another step towards the goal he has set for himself.