Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Ming Chiang:
On Living by His Values

English text by Angela Feng and Irene Luo

Photography by Xuehui Zhang

In the past decade, the furniture industry has seen many top players flounder and disappear with the decline of the retail store business model and the rise of digital marketing. Nevertheless, Ming Chiang, CEO of Casual Home Worldwide, Inc. and Yu Shan Co., has not only managed to keep pace with the rapidly evolving furniture industry—he’s managed to flourish, as his company has grown into one of the biggest players in furniture on Amazon.

But what truly distinguishes this Taiwanese-American entrepreneur is not his skill as a businessman, but his heart to positively impact his customers and his community. Imbued with this philosophy, Casual Home sells 100 percent solid wood furniture, made from completely sustainably sourced materials. With top-quality furniture and consumer-centric designs, Ming’s company aims to foster community and provide the best for families and homes of all sizes.

Besides a businessman, Ming is also an avid philanthropist, serving as a regional director of the American Red Cross on Long Island. He is the first Asian in the greater New York region to hold such a position. In every facet of his life, Ming stands by his values and seeks the betterment of society through his actions.

 

 

A PIVOTAL MOMENT

In 1977, when Ming was 12 years old, he immigrated with his parents to the United States. Growing up, Ming and his siblings regularly helped his parents’ furniture company, Yu Shan, with tasks like unloading, taking stock, and moving furniture.

After college, he started working for the sales team at Yu Shan, which was primarily selling outdoor furniture. In 1989, Ming and his father traveled to Indonesia to see their manufacturer’s factory. It was Ming’s first time witnessing the wood sourcing process—and what he saw shocked him.

Trees were downed on a massive scale, with little consideration of the long-term consequences. He was aghast to witness the destruction of the environment, and he felt ashamed at his own implicit involvement. “What else can we do; the market is the way it is,” his father said to him. But Ming was unwilling to accept the status quo, and he sought a solution.

While traveling in Thailand, Ming noticed people extracting rubber from the many rubber trees there, killing the trees in the process. He realized he could use the wood from these trees, which would otherwise be wasted, to produce furniture. Although rubber tree wood is less durable than other woods, using it to make furniture would be far more environmentally sustainable and would save natural resources. As a result, Ming persuaded his father to transform the entire business from selling outdoor furniture—which requires cutting the largest and strongest trees—to selling indoor furniture instead, made from the wood of Thailand’s rubber trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VALUING QUALITY OVER PROFITS

At the beginning, the company struggled to start over. At this point, Ming was also managing Casual Home, a new furniture trading company he had established. But in 1997, the Thai baht suddenly fell, and Yu Shan had two surprisingly prosperous years, allowing it to greatly expand.

Fast-forwarding to 2008, Ming turned the financial crisis in the United States into another opportunity by contacting the lumber yards that were previously supported by the burgeoning real estate market. After the real estate market crashed, the lumber yards were in distress, and many were forced to close. Ming successfully negotiated with them to secure large quantities of first-rate American wood at discounted prices. Now, Yu Shan could create furniture of the best quality. A decade later, these lumber yards continue to offer Ming unbeatable prices, as a token of appreciation for how he helped save them from bankruptcy.

Also in 2008, the company started selling on Amazon, an important transition toward online retail. Because of his interest in the tech industry, Ming had been a consistent follower of Amazon since it first started selling books and music online. Through observing Amazon’s explosive growth, he realized the vast possibilities of online retail and rapidly increased sales online.

But over time, Ming also discovered the underbelly of online retail. In today’s profit-driven world, instead of striving to craft a high-quality product and then setting an appropriate price tag, companies “first set a price, and then make products within this price range,” he said. “So problems with poor-quality workmanship and shoddy materials are extremely severe.” The problem has been further exacerbated by the fact that online retailing is based almost solely on customer reviews. Thus, manufacturers focus on making products that give a strong first impression and function well in the first few months or a year, so the products can amass favorable reviews and become top-sellers. They no longer concern themselves with ensuring that their furniture will endure for 10 or 20 years.

“This is not good for us, not good for anyone,” Ming said, as products deteriorate in quality and customers must frequently dispose of the products and purchase new ones, squandering the environment’s resources.

To go against this trend, CasualHome.com sells only high-quality furniture guaranteed to last at least five years. This approach “does not earn us much profit,” he confessed, but for Ming, it’s worth it.

 

 

NOT JUST A BUSINESSMAN

“Ever since I witnessed the damage to the environment in Indonesia, I felt we needed to do something to give back to society,” Ming said. Beyond seeking to promote environmentally sustainable practices in the furniture industry, he also serves his community as regional director with the American Red Cross. He has heavily involved himself with relief efforts after natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy and frequently participates in philanthropic events in New York. Through his example, he hopes to encourage more fellow Chinese- and Taiwanese-Americans to engage with their communities.

Recently, Casual Home kicked off its 2018 Corporate Partnership with North Shore Animal League America (NSALA)—the world’s largest no-kill animal shelter and rescue organization—by donating 174 plush pet mat beds to the nonprofit.

For Ming, his aspirations go far beyond building a prosperous business. At every moment, he strives to safeguard his values and to do his part in serving his customers, uplifting his community, and inspiring positive change.