Daniel Chung, the CEO and chief investment officer at investment firm Fred Alger Management, survived the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center by chance.
That morning a quarter century ago, the then-tech analyst started his day at the Intercontinental Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, searching for answers on why a key stockholding hadn't been performing well. The company's chief executive was set to make a presentation that day.
"I was running late, so I went straight to the meeting," Chung said. "The meeting starts. CEO walks out. He's barely started, and somebody comes from, I guess, the hotel or the AVs — you know, the audiovisual staff – and hands them a note."
"He looked at it, and he said, 'I'm not sure we can continue," Chung added. "There's been a plane or something at the World Trade Center.'"
Alger's offices were on the 93rd floor of One World Trade Center, the North Tower, the first building hit, at 8:46 a.m.