CHARLIE ZHANG

FOUNDER, ZION ENTERPRISESWHY: Businessman, longtime area philanthropist who created well-known Chinese fast-food chain, Pick Up Stix, which he built to 85 stores before selling it in 2001. “I came to America with $20 and they gave me $50 million!” he told the Business Journal. A second food and beverage business he started after Pick Up Stix with his wife, Ling, Aseptic Solutions, would end up selling for even more. 

RECENT: Serious musician as a youth, now backs OC Music & Dance arts school. His funding helped it open amid pandemic with strict safety measures. Looking to expand arts offerings to others. 

QUOTABLE: On his passion for OCMD, says “helping the kids in Orange County is a reflection of my dream. I wanted to give them an opportunity that many of them could never realize.”