The Family Business CEOs to Watch Class of 2023 recognizes 23 exceptional business leaders. The CEOs honored run the gamut of family business leadership, from entrepreneurial founders to fifth-generation stewards of a multifaceted enterprise to non-family executives trusted by the family ownership group to lead and expand their operations.
Scott Oh
President | First generation | American Traveler Inc., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Scott Oh is the founder of American Traveler Inc., a luggage and travel bag specialist licensed by brands including Brookstone, Perry Ellis, Juicy Couture and Nautica to bring their vision to the marketplace. The company designs, manufactures and markets backpacks, sport bags, causal bags, business cases and a wide variety of luggage.
“As a first-generation immigrant from South Korea, Scott started the business and has grown the business to where it is now,” says Ian Kang, a partner at BDO USA.
“With the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, American Traveler Inc. experienced the most significant drop in revenue in the organization’s history. The company utilized this challenging time as an opportunity to find a new contract manufacturers and new product lines, and to develop new designs. As the world was slowly getting out of the pandemic with travel resumed, American Traveler was ready to jump right back in the game and grew by three times the annual revenue from what it was in 2019. I was very much impressed with the management team’s agile mentality going through the challenging time.
“Scott’s son Jonathan Oh is now becoming in charge of the operation as the VP of business operations. Jonathan is very well trained and educated, and I’m confident Jonathan will lead the organization to the next phase.”
“My family business means everything to me,” Scott Oh says. “When I started the business over 20 years ago I had always hoped that one of my sons would want to join and eventually take over the business. As an immigrant it was difficult to navigate all parts of the business. But as my son, who grew up and was educated in this country, joined the business, I felt relief knowing I could depend on him. Being able to work with my younger son, who is just as passionate about the business, has been a blessing to me, and I hope one day he’ll pass on the business to his son.”