"Conquering Hearts with Her Spirit"

Shirley Wang is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Plastpro Inc., a manufacturer of award-winning fiberglass doors. Under Shirley’s leadership, Plastpro was named “Most Innovative” and “Top 100 Manufacturer” by Window and Door magazine. In 2005, Plastpro built the world’s first and largest state-of-the-art fully automated 300,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Ashtabula, Ohio. In 2021, Dry Construction awarded Plastpro Inc. with its “Company of the Year” award.

She is customer-focused and a great listener. She listens to the customer about what they want. Being customer-centric, Shirley designs doors based on customer wants, whether that means accommodating a specification that fits their needs or coming up with a style the customer indicates they want. “We are innovative and quality focused. We stand out because we built the most innovative and automated fiberglass door plant in the world, which allows for precision manufacturing, which guarantees we will deliver the best quality to our customers,” says Shirley.

When Shirley joined the board at UCLA, it was only 23 percent women, but after she finished being the chair of the board, the board comprised over 50 percent women. People also say that seeing Shirley in these leadership roles, both philanthropically and business-wise, inspires them to pursue similarly ambitious goals. Many women turn to Shirley for advice in business because she can put herself in their shoes and see things from the perspective of multiple stakeholders to understand where they are coming from and offer up solutions that work.

She has a no-nonsense approach that allows people to feel empowered and accountable. She sees people as individuals and considers their personal strengths and weaknesses in pushing them to be the best they can be.

Shirley is the daughter of a single mother and went through college on a Pell grant. While at UCLA, she was a salesperson for advertising at the school newspaper, and cold-calling helped her pay for college. This paved the way for her future roles in advertising, banking, and ultimately selling doors. Success is a process, and she believes that at its best, you’re always finding it – discovering new things, new ways, and innovations that lead into tomorrow. Shirley’s motto is to keep pushing yourself and others to be the best they can be. “Too many women have imposter syndrome. They don’t think they’re talented enough, experienced enough, or ready. I think women need to just get over that – fake it until you make it.”

For Shirley, the company’s biggest achievement has been its automated factory. “Everyone was outsourcing while we built a state of the art, fully automated 250,000 square foot facility in Ohio that allowed us to have full control over the quality and delivery of our products.”

In addition to Shirley’s professional efforts, she is a strong supporter of charitable and community activities. Through Plastpro, Shirley supports Habitat for Humanity and has provided fiberglass doors to construct over 100 homes. The company has also donated three technology labs to the public schools of Ashtabula County, Ohio. Plastpro also established the Plastpro Family Education Endowment Fund at Glenbeigh Hospital, providing educational opportunities to families impacted by addiction.

Through the Walter and Shirley Wang Foundation, Shirley and her husband, Walter, were the first and major sponsors of the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Becoming American: The Chinese Experience by Bill Moyers. This documentary on Chinese-American history examines immigration, citizenship and what it means to be American.

Shirley and her husband were the initial sponsors for the China AIDS documentary The Blood of Yingzhou District, which won the 2007 Academy Award for short documentary. They also supported The Warriors of Qiugang, which was nominated for the 2010 Academy Award in the same category and resulted in the Chinese government’s committing $30 million to clean up the toxic waste around the waterway where the film is set.

The Wangs are also lead supporters of anti-smoking and AIDS prevention initiatives in China, reaching over 500 million people. In 2006, the Wangs received the China AIDS Initiative’s first award for their seed support. Recently, Shirley became a member of the Committee of 100 in support of US-China relations and the full participation of Chinese Americans in American society. WL