Dr.Hsu was honored with the “Businessperson of the Year Award” by the Orange County Chapter of Asian American Advancing Justice (AAAJ-OC) in 2018.
2018年亞美公義促進會（AAAJ）橙縣分會，頒贈年度企業家獎給徐真理醫師
(The following text is an excerpt from the book Chinese Americans in Irvine 1971-2021.)
Since 1971, the development of Irvine has followed the General Plan, with streets, parks, schools, and shopping centers built to the ideal of modern cities. Yet the planners of the city might not have envisioned that one day Asians would become the mainstream of the city.
The demographics of Irvine have changed over the years. Today, the City of Irvine counts more than 120,000 Asian residents—about 45% of the city's population. This trend of population growth has led to new business opportunities. Opened in 2008, Diamond Jamboree focusing on Asian food and taste, has become a new hotspot of leisure consumption. It has also attracted substantial media coverage and has become a destination for Irvine and Orange County.
Sitting on a 12-acre piece of land in the middle of Irvine Business Complex, Diamond Jamboree was developed by an unlikely entrepreneur, Dr. Alethea Hsu, a medical doctor by training.
In 1990, Dr. Hsu and her siblings developed Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights with a focus on Asian fusion food. Dr. Hsu saw that Diamond Plaza attracted many visitors from Orange County. So she began to look for a suitable property to replicate Diamond Plaza’s success.
After locating the land in Irvine Business Complex, the planning and construction took five years. When Diamond Jamboree opened for business in 2008, the US economy was suffering from a recession. However, Diamond Jamboree’s unique restaurants and shops drew so many visitors every weekend that the parking lot was at full capacity during peak hours.
Many of the tenants selected by Diamond Jamboree are operated by publicly traded companies from the Pacific Rim. All tenants go through a rigorous vetting process, and are carefully considered for the quality of their food or products, as well as the uniqueness they bring to the center. Their reputations in Asia also explain their enthusiastic reception in the US.
Dr. Hsu also believes that Diamond Jamboree stands apart from traditional Asian shopping malls in its multicultural focus. To accommodate students from UC Irvine, young professionals, and patrons from all backgrounds, all the shop signs are in English and service staff speak multiple languages.
The center sets up seasonal selfie backdrops so visitors can take photos to post on social media. It also hosts special events to celebrate Asian and western holidays. The waves of crowds give the center the atmosphere of a busy downtown.
The area around Diamond Jamboree used to be largely low-rise industrial buildings. It has been transformed into mid-rise modern apartments over the past 10 years. One of the marketing slogans of these new neighborhoods is that residents can walk to Diamond Jamboree to sample all the new offerings conveniently.
Diamond Jamboree has also become an icon for Orange County and Irvine. Destination Irvine’s website lists Diamond Jamboree as one of the top places to visit in Irvine for tourists.
In 2018, Irvine City Council approved Diamond Jamboree's expansion plan, scheduled to begin in 2020. The project was delayed due to the pandemic. According to the original plan, the second phase of Diamond Jamboree will involve the construction of a six-story building, of which the first and second floors will be retail shops, while the other floors will be used as parking to provide an additional 500 parking spaces for the center.
As a first generation immigrant, Dr. Hsu believes multiculturalism is the future for America. She supported the Irvine Global Village Festival for many years. She also quietly sponsored multicultural events hosted by local non-profit organizations.
In 2018 Dr. Hsu was presented with the “Businessperson of the Year Award” for her trailblazing leadership in creating Diamond Jamboree Plaza by the Orange County Chapter of Asian American Advancing Justice (AAAJ-OC). The other award recipient, Jeremy Lin, was unable to attend due to unexpected circumstances. The petite Dr. Hsu took the podium and remarked with humor, "... Jeremy and I have more in common than it might appear. We are both Taiwanese Americans and we are both dedicated to improving our communities. And I unleash Linsanity in my business practices.”
Dr. Hsu finished her speech with a special insight, “We owe the success of Diamond Jamboree to the continued support of our patrons...who either find our menu interesting or they feel at home. We are encouraged to be able to please people with different backgrounds. And that is the secret of our success.” (Written by Esther Hsiao)
(以下文字摘錄自《爾灣華裔紀實1971-2021》一書)
爾灣建市以來， 市內開發建設依循總體規畫 （General Plan），街道、公園、學校、商場整齊 美觀，成為現代計畫都市的先驅。然而當初規畫爾灣的時候，可能沒有預料到有一天，亞裔會成為這座城市的主流。
隨著爾灣亞裔人口逐年增加，今天爾灣市的亞裔已超過 12 萬人，佔全市人口 45%，人口成長趨勢帶動新的商機，2008 年 Diamond Jamboree 在爾灣市開幕， 聚焦亞洲流行風尚而成為休閑消費新寵兒，一時之間備受矚目，許多新聞媒體都將這座商場的成功，歸因 於美國亞裔的經濟實力。
以亞洲美食及商店為主的 Diamond Jamboree 佔地 僅 12 英畝，在爾灣商業區（Irvine Business Complex） 卻 發 揮了異軍突起的效應。 最令人訝異的是， Diamond Jamboree 總裁徐真理，是一位執業的復健科醫師。
行事為人低調的徐真理表示，父親行醫奉獻一 生，她也追隨習醫，一心想繼承父親的志業。而她的母親對投資經營房地產獨具眼光，啟發她研究企業管理，並抽空到洛杉磯加大修讀企管碩士，因而被兄弟姊妹推出來擔任家族企業總裁，負責對外協調工作， 管理商業房地產公司應該算是她的副業。
1990 年徐真理和家族成員開發羅蘭岡（Rowland Heights）鑽石廣場，標榜亞洲美食，締造亮麗業績。 徐真理看見鑽石廣場吸引許多從橙縣爾灣來的訪客， 於是，她開始在爾灣物色合適的商業房地產地點。
不過，由於爾灣主要商業房地產大部分仍由爾灣公司主控，想要找一塊理想中的商業用地並不容易， 最後在爾灣商業區買下德國化學公司出售的一塊多餘土地。
買地只是第一步，經過五年籌畫、興建，總面積 114,000 平方呎的商場落成時，正值美國經濟不景氣， 這座商場卻以來自亞洲的名店，吸引人潮車流匯聚， 原本規畫近 800 個停車位，每逢假日仍不敷使用，慕名而來的訪客不惜排隊等候，就為了體驗知名亞洲商店帶來的異國風味。
徐真理認為，與傳統的亞洲商場相較之下， Diamond Jamboree 更具有多元文化色彩，商場招牌以英文為主，服務人員也都講英語，特別受各族裔的大學生及上班族歡迎。
商場還為年輕人設置拍照打卡的背景牆，配合東、西方節日推出慶祝活動，在網紅推波助瀾下，這座商場經常出現有如市中心鬧區的景象。
當年 Diamond Jamboree 附近都是工業區，現在卻蓋起一棟接一棟新穎的現代公寓，而這些新社區賣點就是生活機能超強，走路就可到 Diamond Jamboree， 方便品嘗所有新產品。
2018 年爾灣市議會通過 Diamond Jamboree 的擴建計畫，原本預訂於 2020 年展開的第二期工程因新冠疫情而順延。按照原本的計畫，第二期工程將興建六層高的大樓，其中一樓及二樓是零售商店，其他樓層將會做為停車場，給商場再添 500 個停車位。
身為第一代移民的徐真理，一直不遺餘力的提倡多元文化，不但率領商家支持爾灣地球村節慶，也經常默默贊助本地的非營利社團文化活動。對她而言， Diamond Jamboree 的成功，來自具有開放包容心胸的居民，他們想念亞洲風味，也願意嚐試新的料理，這種融合多元文化的理念，正是徐真理堅持的初衷。
2018 年亞美公義促進會（AAAJ）橙縣分會，頒贈年度企業家獎給徐真理，表揚她對多元文化的貢獻。當晚獲獎的另一位傑出華裔林書豪因故無法出席，身材嬌小的徐真理致詞時幽默的說：「其實我跟林書豪有不少相似之處，我們都是台裔美國人，都有服務社區的熱情與理想，而我在企業經營上，就像林 豪在籃球場上，掀起令人感到不可思議的一股亞洲旋風。」（蕭迪玉撰文）