New Mattawa Council member didn't always intend to live here

MATTAWA — New Mattawa City Council member Sun Hwang never intended, as a young man, to live in Mattawa. He didn’t know of its existence.

There was little business when Hwang arrived in 1997. He saw opportunity and stayed. Now he is an important figure in the community.

Some people who’ve only heard of Hwang say he owns the town. That is far from the truth, but he is responsible for some of its business growth. He employs more than 40 people at his enterprises.

When Hwang learned there was a Council position open in January, he told his good friend Mayor Scott Hyndman that he would like to serve, and the Council accepted him.

“I like to get involved and help the community,” he said.

Hwang was just out of high school when he left his native Korea for the United States on Jan. 7, 1984. He had enrolled at Gonzaga University to study International Business and return to Korea.

That dream came apart before that school year ended. Hwang’s 68-year-old father, a businessman in Korea, died suddenly of a heart attack. With him went the flow of money needed to attend Gonzaga.

“Tuition at Gonzaga was very high,” Hwang said.

Sadly, Hwang’s father had just purchased an airline ticket and packed his bags to come to Spokane to visit his son.

Hwang stayed in the USA. He moved to Seattle and attended City University. But, with one year left toward a degree, he dropped his studies. He had married Kate, an American citizen, and a family was coming on.

The Hwangs went into business, opening Fremont Teriyaki. It specialized in Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Hwang doesn’t know why they didn’t include Korean.

While living in Seattle, Hwang took over operation of service station on 16th Avenue in Yakima, near The Cinema movie theaters. That didn’t turn out as well as he wanted.

In 1997, the Hwangs moved into a house at Desert Aire so that Hwang could manage the River View Trailer Court, owned by Kate’s family.

“There weren’t many businesses back then,” he said. “There was a shortage of housing. People were living down by the river in cardboard boxes during cherry season.”

That meant opportunity, and Hwang went to work. He bought about three acres of open land at Government and Boundary that same year.

In 1998, Hwang installed the Shell service station and built the mini mart with deli. He opened a coin-op laundry in the same building.

“My wife and I were the cooks,” he said. “I’m a very good cook, and she’s a better cook than me.”

That complex took up one acre. In 1999, Hwang then built an apartment complex on the other two acres.

Hwang turned his attention to the other (west) end of Government Way in 2008. He bought the building that houses Mattawa Market and the business. Along with it came the contract with the U.S. Postal Service to operate the post office.

In that building Hwang added a cafe with seating between the supermarket and the post office. It’s called Ole’s Deli, and it features Mexican cuisine.

Hwang maintains an office in a space at the end of the Mattawa Market building. But the room is large. So he has started a new business in partnership with Suk Kim.

Known as Desert Aire Solutions, it is a tech company that helps growers discover problem areas in their crops with the use of drones.

The Hwangs raised their son Oscar, 23 in Mattawa, and he is a Wahluke High graduate. He is studying to be a pilot in Arizona. He has a commercial license and is going for an instructional license.

The Hwangs have a daughter, Olivia, 11. Kate lives with her in the family home in Seattle so that she can attend school there. Hwang lives in one of his apartments and goes home every weekend.

“I’m kind of frustrated every Friday going back,” he said. “I’m nervous. There isn’t even a traffic light here.”

The good news is that Kate will join her husband in Mattawa or Desert Aire once Olivia is off to college.

Looking back, this is not the life Hwang planned. But he said that’s the way things work out for most people.

But you could say he is involved in international business. His post office originates letters for all parts of the world. His eateries serve Mexican and Asian specialties, and his customers include people of European, Central and South American, African and Asian descent. There might even be an Aussie or two.

And who knows, he may still have a real international business in his future. He doesn’t have one planned but, like all businessmen, he’s always thinking of the possibilities.

“My wife hates that,” he said.