At Rosevale Kitchen and Cocktail Bar, amidst the company of about 50 guests, Margaret Wong celebrated the 40th anniversary of McWong International and the company’s transition to mwConnect. The celebratory event featured wine from Margaret’s own vineyard.
Blane Goettle officiated as the master of ceremonies, introducing Margaret, who reminisced about her pioneering efforts in obtaining the first UL certification for a lighting device manufactured in China. Acknowledging four decades of support, she highlighted the company’s evolution into IoT and AI sectors.
Your humble editor briefly reflected on Margaret’s enduring commitment to enhancing US-China relations. I noted the competitive landscape of the lighting industry, mentioning that when McWong was founded, rivals Advance and Universal held approximately 90% of the market share. Today, Advance has been absorbed by Signify, Universal has ceased operations, and mwConnect thrives. I also reminded the audience that Wong received an EdisonReport Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Paul Drosihn of the DALI Alliance extended his congratulations to Margaret for her achievements and talked about the significant growth DALI has seen over the past 5 years. Steven Zhou discussed his interview with Margaret, 25 years ago at the San Francisco airport as she was departing for a trip to Hong Kong. He got the job!
As the conversation turned to the rebranding, much credit was given to Rita Renner for her work in making this happen.
It was a great event and so good to see Margaret celebrating 40 years.