Shan huei "samuel" kuo
Shan Huei “Samuel” Kuo, is cofounder and chairman of the Dongguan, China-based Samson Holding Ltd., a global leader in furniture manufacturing founded in 1995 with his wife, Yi-Mei “Grace” Liu. With more than 10,000 employees worldwide, its more than six million square feet of production and warehouse facilities are located in China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the United States. Today the diversified brand portfolio includes Robb & Stuckey, Universal Furniture, Smartstuff™ by Universal Furniture, Paula Deen Home, Legacy Classic Furniture, Rachel Ray Home, Legacy Classic Kids, Inspirations by Wendy Bellissimo, Craftmaster Furniture, Baker, Milling Road, McGuire, Lacquer Craft Hospitality, Willis & Gambier (UK), Universal Furniture China and AtHome. In addition, the company manufactures OEM products for companies globally.
Mr. Kuo earned a degree in Economics Development from Tamkang University and served two years in the Taiwanese military. He joined his father’s pool cue manufacturing facility in Taichung, Taiwan and began producing dining and occasional furniture under the name Lacquer Craft, now a vertically integrated manufacturing resource for residential and commercial furniture. He opened the first manufacturing facility in mainland China in 1992, encouraging his suppliers to set up operations in China. Mr. Kuo pioneered the consolidated mixed container concept, which enabled small and medium U.S. retailers to import furniture directly from Asia. The company’s automated storage and retrieval (ASRS) warehouse, with a capacity for 4,000 containers, set the gold standard for the industry as the largest fully automated warehouse facility in the world.
Mr. Kuo was instrumental in forming the Taiwan Businessmen’s Association Dongguan, which focuses on education, career development and networking. He also served as chairman of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises. Under his leadership, Samson Holding has contributed time, talents and resources to the Home Furnishings Division of City of Hope, the American Home Furnishings Alliance and the Home Furnishings Division of the Anti-Defamation League, as well as many local charities and causes.