COLORADO BUSINESS HALL OF FAME
  • Laureates By Name
  • Laureates by Year
    • 2026
  • Registration
  • Supporters
  • Nomination Form
  • Junior Achievement
  • Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
  • PBS Specials
  • Laureates By Name
  • Laureates by Year
    • 2026
  • Registration
  • Supporters
  • Nomination Form
  • Junior Achievement
  • Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
  • PBS Specials

john J. sie


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Born in China, John Sie came to the United States in 1950 at 14. He stayed at a Catholic orphanage on Staten Island, NY, until he graduated from high school in 1953. He received Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Master of Electrical Engineering degrees from Manhattan College and Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1957 and 1958, respectively. Sie began his professional career in 1958 when he joined the RCA Defense Electronics Division on advanced microwave solid-state devices. In 1960, he co-founded and later became chairman and CEO of Micro State Electronics Corp., a subsidiary of Raytheon Co. In 1972, Sie joined Jerrold Electronics Corp., a subsidiary of General Instrument Co., as general manager and senior vice president of the cable television division. In 1977, he joined Showtime Entertainment as senior vice president of sales and marketing.

In 1984, Sie moved to Colorado to join Tele-Communication, Inc. as senior vice president in strategic planning, programming, marketing, technology, and government relations. Many consider Sie to be the father of digital television. In 1989, he submitted the first white paper on digital high-definition television to Congress and the Federal Communications Commission, which would dramatically change the landscape of television across the globe.

With a strong belief in giving back to the community, Sie and his wife Anna became the founding donors of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the first global institute to encompass research and clinical care specifically for people with Down Syndrome.
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Sie is also committed to bridging the U.S.-China relationship through mutual understanding, dialogue, and respect. He is a member of the prominent Committee of 100, a national non-partisan organization composed of outstanding American citizens of Chinese descent.

The Colorado Business Hall of Fame is co-presented by
Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain Inc. and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Videos produced by Becky Holden of Biography Media, [email protected]