With airport improvements, better connectivity via the Pan-Borneo Highway, and the ripple effects of regional development, Tawau is entering a phase of renewed relevance. Compared to Sabah’s more prominent cities, Tawau is a launchpad to some of Borneo’s most extraordinary experiences. It acts as the arrival point for travellers headed to Sipadan, Mabul, and Kapalai—three of the world’s most celebrated dive sites—and offers access to destinations like Tawau Hills Park, home to ancient rainforest giants, sulphur springs, and dormant volcanic structures.
At the same time, the region’s sprawling cocoa, palm oil, and fisheries industries form a major part of its economy, creating conditions that support real estate growth in residential homes, shoplots, and industrial spaces. Its commercially active environment makes Tawau a quietly strong performer within Sabah’s property market. Eizlan Yeo, director of Chuan Ann Realty Sdn Bhd, saw an untapped opportunity in Tawau’s commercial landscape and, together with his father, Datuk Anwar Yeo Abdullah, developed the Midvalley Commercial Hub. Their efforts were recognised with the Tawau Property Development Of The Year Excellence Award at the SHAREDA Excellence Awards 2025.
“We see ourselves not just as builders of physical space but also as passionate contributors to community development and the livelihoods of the local population.”
“We envisioned the development as a way to level up Tawau’s real estate scene,” Eizlan says. “By introducing the double ceiling height concept locally, businesses now have the flexibility to customise their spaces just like in Kuala Lumpur. Owning the majority of the development also allowed us to implement integrated planning for tenant placements, ensuring the ‘right place, right space’ for each business. This level of meticulous planning is new to the local market.” Although he has taken an active role in the family business, his ambitions extend far beyond. Eizlan’s early career at Bank Negara Malaysia, where he advanced from summer intern to supervisor in the financial conglomerates supervision department, equipped him with a solid foundation he now leverages in real estate development.
“Overcoming the uncertainty of moving forward with a revolutionary project like this was our biggest challenge. We had a vision—one we weren’t sure Tawau was ready for. As we often say, ‘selling the units is easy, but selling the vision is harder’. The market will always have doubts at the start, but the attention the project has received and the positive sentiments around it have been incredibly validating.
“We’ve always had our finger on the pulse of Tawau. We live here, we’re very much part of the community’s fabric, and we understand what’s missing in the local market and how we can fill those gaps. Chuan Ann Realty was also the first local developer in Tawau and, over the years, we’ve come to realise the important role we play as torchbearers in elevating its real estate market. Internally, our motto is simple: we create products that the locals might not even know they need yet.
“As developers, we need to anticipate trends and offer products on par with our Kuala Lumpur counterparts to stay competitive, as customers have become much savvier. The days of building houses without considering lifestyle and landscaping are long gone. Buyers are now willing to pay a premium price for integrated developments with a higher standard of living. Adapting to these expectations is no longer optional—it’s essential.
“As cliched as it may sound, we see ourselves not just as builders of physical space but also as passionate contributors to community development and the livelihoods of the local population. We bring this commitment to every project and each success only strengthens and motivates us to take on the next one.
“The quote ‘failure to plan is planning for failure’ has always resonated with me. It seems like such a simple concept, yet it is the cornerstone of our entire work philosophy: planning. How do we adapt to changes and create positive impact? Planning. How do we elevate our developments and use them to bring a community to the forefront of modernisation? Planning. Every project, despite its inherent chaos, is carefully choreographed and orchestrated to achieve each milestone and deliver the best to our customers.”
Photography: Jemmie Chew, and Hailey Tan/COOP Studio
Production assistant: Yiyee Tan/COOP Studio
Backdrop: Within TheOccasions
