Arthur Wong is the President of Certare Ventures, LLP—a company he started in 1968 by opening a Burger King restaurant in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Arthur has expanded his restaurant businesses to 250 locations in 30 states. Certare Ventures also started dozens of businesses in titanium manufacturing, electronic payment software, historic hotels, commercial real estate, student housing, rental apartments, and lithium ion battery manufacturing.
Arthur was born and raised on Cermak Road in Chicago’s Chinatown. His education includes Tilden Technical High School in Chicago, Illinois, and Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin—where he earned a B.A. in History. He is a recipient of multiple awards bestowed by Chinese American Service League, including the Golden Lion Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Arthur’s passion is competitive sailboat racing, and he has participated in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac twenty-eight times—winning once. He was married for 50 years, and he has two rambunctious children and three rough-and-tumble grandchildren.