The Early Years of Samel (Sam) Sem, Founder of SEMCO

The young man had seen many others called away from the work site.    None of them ever returned.  And now, it was his turn.  He felt the cold steel of a Soviet made AK-47 assault rifle against his neck.  He recognized the all too familiar sound of a loaded magazine being inserted into the rifle.  It was 1976 and he was only 17 years old.

*********************************************************************

Three decades later in a small windowless office that he shares with his son Chris, Samel (Sam) Sem, can be found working tirelessly to grow the business that he began from scratch in humble circumstances.  The headquarters of his company, SEMCO, is located in a small, nondescript commercial warehouse off of one of the busiest arterial roadways in Las Vegas.   The twenty year old company currently does business in 17 states of the U.S. and in 9 countries around the globe. 

Sam attributes his success to determination, persistence and faith.  Upon meeting him, one would never guess that that determination and faith was born in the infamous “killing fields” of Cambodia in the late 1970s.

Cambodia lies in Southeast Asia, bordering Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.  Two thirds of the country is covered by forests.  The Mekong River, the 12^th largest river in the world, travels the length of the country from north to south.  Cambodia’s climate is characterized by high temperatures and high humidity that last throughout most of the year.

Pol Pot, a Cambodian Chinese revolutionary, came to power in 1975 as the leader of the Khmer Rouge.  He imposed an extreme version of an agricultural based socialism that involved the forced movement of city residents into the countryside to work in collective farms and other  ventures.  His rule was ruthless and violent – during his four years in power, it is estimated that approximately 21% of the Cambodian population died from the effects of the harsh forced labor, widespread starvation, nonexistent medical care, and executions.  In all, almost 3 million people died while Pol Pot was in power.  The mass graves in Cambodia became known as the “killing fields.”

Sam, at the age of 16, was uprooted from his life in the capital city of Phnom Penh and forced to move, along with his family, to a work camp in the jungle.  The camp leader was a brutal Khmer official named Choun, known as “heart eater.”  Under Choun, Sam and his fellow workers witnessed horrific violence and endured a life of hardship and danger.

There was never enough to eat.  Sam had managed to obtain some extra fish to help feed his family.  When the extra food was discovered in his jungle tree house, he was called away and taken to the side of the road to be executed.  Ironically, Choun walked by at that very moment and casually said. “Let him go.”  And just like that, from a man whose word could mean life or death, Sam was spared.

To be continued…