Education is everything to Hao and Lisa Lam, founders of Best in Class Education Center. With nothing but the clothes on their back, the Lams sought salvation from an oppressive Vietnam in hopes of a better future. With hard work, dedication, and an immense passion for contributing to their community, the Lams found an inspiring future in education.
The founder and CEO of Best in Class Education Center, Hao Lam, fled Vietnam’s Communist government in the late 1980s. One of tens of thousands of “boat people” to attempt this daring grasp at freedom, Hao first met his wife Lisa on the very escape that allowed them the opportunity at a new life in North America. With their destinations previously established, they were bound to different sides of the continent; however, by continuing to be friends and supporting each other to pursue their dreams, they eventually found a place to be together in Seattle, Washington, where Best in Class Education Center was born.
On his quest to finding his calling, Hao embarked on many opportunities and worked tirelessly to put himself through school at the University of British Columbia, where he graduated at the top of his class with a BA in Mathematics. During that time, he tutored classmates through complex coursework and difficult exams—and that’s when a spark ignited. Hao knew that educating others was his ultimate passion in life.
In 1995, Hao and Lisa Lam opened their first BrainChild Education Center in Seattle. They quickly realized the demand was there—students needed more preparation than what they were receiving at school. Soon, the one original center in Seattle grew to ten company-owned education centers in the Seattle region over a course of 23 years.
Demand was so great that in 2010 they began offering franchise opportunities all across America. In 2011, the Lams acquired the BrainChild brand as sole proprietors and renamed it Best in Class Education Center, and the rest is positive, inspiring history in the making.
Currently, Best in Class Education Center is expanding across the nation and growing rapidly with 55+ centers in 14 states across the country. We want you to be a part of this inspiring and motivational future!
I am around my family and my incredible Best in Class team all the time. It never feels like I’m working. They inspire me, they encourage me, they challenge me, and they support me. We are making people’s lives a little bit better every day. There’s nothing better than that.
-Hao Lam, CEO & Chairman of Best in Class Education CENTER Author of From Bad to Worse to Best in Class: A refugees’ Success Story