I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, which is a very ethnic town. It was actually developed by a lot of immigrants who came over from Europe.

[My father’s Navy] assignment allowed him to take the family, so my mom and my sister and I went to Guam. As a Bayonne boy, if I’d have stayed in that city, I probably would have gotten a high school diploma and gone to work [in the US].

We [Thompson and a friend] traveled the world for nine months. I got to see Vietnam before the Vietnam War, and Berlin before they built the wall. That was what made me decide that I wanted to go overseas after I graduated.

We only took ships, because it was cheaper and we had the time. When we got to Europe, we realized we didn’t have any money. It was a real hand-to-mouth type of thing. I ate a lot of bread. It was a good education.

I was an aeronautical engineering major, but I never used it a day in my life.

[After graduation,] I didn’t care about money. I just wanted to be in Japan…I learned my Japanese at what they called stand bars, where you actually sit at the bar but there’re always hostesses there that just talk to you. Females in Japan talk differently than males. I probably have a sort of female accent.

In the late 60s, the Cultural Revolution had become so bad in China that it overlapped into Hong Kong and it scared a lot of expats away… By 1970, 1971 that was over, and the expats started coming back, and there was really no one situated here to do proper packing [and relocation] services.

“Transport Services International” was a very forgettable name. Nobody could figure it out. So we called it Crown.

[People ask,] “Is there a magic formula you can tell us?” Someone asked me to say it in one word. The word is “perseverance.” You get hit with unexpected problems, and there are a lot of reasons to say, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” You have to push yourself through.

Another analogy with entrepreneurship: It’s sort of like riding a wild horse, and you have to stay on.

We just closed our biggest year by growth margin. I’m there every day, and I’m sitting in my chairman’s seat, but most of my day is committed to other types of activities.

It had always been part of my family belief to help people. And when you get into a position where you are able to do more of that, charities become very, very important. You see the benefits of not just writing a check but of actually participating.

My favorite thing, being a businessman, is just the way the system works here [in Hong Kong]. I believe that, however it came, from the British or Chinese or whoever, it’s a system that really supports entrepreneurship and supports people to make something of their lives, whether in business or otherwise.

All the things that you always hear about, the taxes and the rule of law, are part of that. But the fact is that someone can start out their life here and really progress up the ladder… I know sometimes young Chinese think, “I can’t afford a house.” The government understands that they have to change things there. But the reality is that there’s no perfect place anywhere.

I like learning about wine. But also I like art, and I collect art… The galleries I like have more realist or semi-realist art. I’m not into this really wild [work]. Maybe I’m not sophisticated enough. I like to look at a painting that has something I can relate to.

I never lost my love for history. I love learning about places and also people, and how they got to where they are—finding a common denominator.

I’ve always lived by the water because of my father’s naval connection. I couldn’t live in Chengdu.

We [my wife and I] had our happiest moments out waterskiing on the junk in some bay or having lunch on Lamma. Because life has become so busy, when Sunday comes… [I] read the Sunday paper, and then I might just take a nap.

I start to get stressed on Sunday night when I realize I have to start the week again. But I love what I do.

One of Thompson’s upcoming charity events is Hike for Hospice on Feb 26, which raises money for hospice and palliative care and bereavement support services. Find out more at www.hospicecare.org.hk.