national envelope corporation was an american manufacturer of envelopes .

national envelope was founded in 1952 in long island city , new york as the new york envelope company by william ungar , who served as its chairman , president and chief executive officer .

founded with 3 machines and 5 employees , ungar grew the business through acquisitions , the purchase of assets from bankrupt or troubled companies , and organic growth .

in 2001 , they had seventeen manufacturing facilities in nine states .

in june 2010 , nec filed for voluntary bankruptcy under chapter 11 , title 11 , united states code and later in 2010 , it was acquired by the private equity firm gores group in june 2013 , national envelope ( then renamed ne opco inc ) filed for bankruptcy a second time .

in september 2013 , the operating assets of national envelope were sold to the printing company cenveo for $ 25 million while hilco receivables llc purchased its existing accounts receivable for $ 25 million and southern paper llc purchased its inventory for $ 15 million .

the national envelope brand was retired .

national envelope corporation

national envelope corporation <EOT> principal operating units : aristocrat envelope corporation ; chicago area distribution center ; national envelope corporation - - central ; national envelope corporation - - east ; national envelope corporation - - midwest ; national envelope corporation - - north ; national envelope corporation - - northwest ; national envelope corporation - - south ; national envelope corporation - - west ; national envelope of texas ; new york envelope company ; old colony envelope company .

national envelope moves into the southwest with the purchase of texas - based envelope manufacturer colortree .

ask a question about working or interviewing at national envelope . our community is ready to answer .

national envelope ' s new york envelope co . was the parent firm ' s biggest unit in 1996 , with about $ 160 million of national envelope ' s estimated $ 300 million in sales . old colony accounted for about $ 60 million , and national envelope - - central , based in earth city , missouri , for about $ 35 million . other company units , in 1999 , aside from the aforementioned and the westfield and worcester units , were aristocrat envelope corp . , based in long island city ; national envelope - - east ( union ) ; national envelope - - midwest ( lenexa , kansas ) ; national envelope - - northwest ( tukwila , washington ) ; national envelope - - south ( austell , georgia ) ; and national envelope - - west ( chino , california ) . the chicago area distribution center was in warrenville , illinois . national envelope ' s sales office was also in warrenville . corporate marketing was in union . the sample department was in westfield .

company launches national envelope - - north in worcester , massachusetts , as it expands throughout new england .

frisco , texas – national envelope is pleased to announce cenveo has acquired substantially all of the assets of national envelope . the sale formally closed today after receiving court approval to proceed on september 11 , 2013 . cenveo anticipates a full integration of the two companies by the end of the year , and national envelope will begin using the cenveo name immediately .

* cenveo corporation comprises many brands , the earliest of which was established in 1921 .

national envelope acquired a presence in the southwest in 1998 by purchasing the texas envelope manufacturer colortree . this firm , renamed national envelope of texas , then ceased to serve envelope users directly and instead became a wholesaler to national envelope and other paper customers . based in grand prairie , texas , colortree had counted among its customers dallas envelope distributors clampitt and olmstead kirk as well as dallas county firms unisource and xpedx , the latter a subsidiary of international paper . national envelope said it would transfer its own dallas distribution operation to grand prairie . the envelope market , after a period of consolidation by manufacturers and paper merchants because of increased use of the internet and fax machines , was said to be improving because of the growth of direct mail and small and home offices .

federal express corporation is listed on the new york stock exchange ; the ticker symbol is fdx .

bankrupt national envelope agreed on wednesday to sell its operating assets , including a plant in fayette county , to competitor cenveo inc . , the world ' s largest envelope maker , for $ 25 million .

national envelope during its day was the most wonderful place to work . great family owned organization . too bad the financial depression killed this company .

" business booms and depressions since 1775 : an accurate charting of the past and present trend of prices , national income , federal debt , business , stock averages and commodities with a special study of wages and postwar industry , " tension envelope corporation , 1943 .

powell , barbara , ' national envelope buys colortree in grand prairie , ' fort worth star - telegram , july 31 , 1998 , p . 4 .

2012 poland : fedex corporation acquired courier company courier opek sp . z o . o . ( opek ) .

the company ' s parent , ne opco inc . , sought chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on june 10 for the second time in three years . national envelope employs 400 workers in upper tyrone township , its largest of eight envelope manufacturing plants .

cenveo said it expects that the acquisition of national envelope will increase sales by about $ 300 million and operating profit by about $ 30 million when the combination of the two companies is complete .

federal express becomes the first company to win the malcolm baldrige national quality award in the service category .

national envelope corporation is the largest privately held envelope manufacturing company in the united states , turning out up to 100 million envelopes every day in some 2 , 500 varieties . its assortment includes commercial and official regulars , custom - designed booklet envelopes for special direct - mail uses , and everything in between . the company has grown in part by acquisition of other firms . its founder , after 47 years , was still chief executive officer in 1999 .

principal competitors : american business products inc . ; american mail - well envelope ; gilman paper co .

2015 north america : fedex corporation acquired genco , one of north america’s largest third - party logistics providers , and rebranded it as fedex supply chain .

national physical laboratory ( npl ) in middlesex , england develops npl data network under d . w . davies

2014 north america : fedex corporation acquired bongo international , a leader in cross - border enablement technologies and solutions , and rebranded it as fedex cross border .

law360 , wilmington ( august 22 , 2013 , 6 : 13 pm edt ) - - private equity - owned ne opco inc . , which does business as national envelope , struck a $ 65 million sales trifecta wednesday as the bankrupt envelope maker announced a series of deals to parcel out its assets among three separate buyers .

get to know our industry experts . explore the endless solutions for all your print , envelope or label needs .

by 1971 national envelope was big enough to move into new england , building a plant in worcester , massachusetts , and stocking it with the equipment and employees of the united states envelope co . ' s worcester facility , which had recently closed its doors . this operation became national envelope - - north , manufacturing envelopes for such firms as baybanks inc . , raytheon co . , and the publisher of the boston globe . in 1996 the 133 , 000 - square - foot facility was turning out millions of envelopes a day , operating around the clock five days a week .

national envelope , based in frisco , texas , said it reached a definitive agreement with stamford , conn . - based cenveo to sell most of national ' s assets for $ 20 million in cash and $ 5 million in stock . a closing is subject to bankruptcy court approval , closing conditions and is expected to occur by the end of september .

national envelope picked up 440 employees in 1994 , when it acquired old colony envelope co . of westfield , massachusetts , a firm dating from 1920 . a national leader in the paper - conversion industry and an official converter for several leading mills , old colony was supplying prominent fine - paper merchants with envelopes in a variety of paper grades , colors , and textures . its envelopes had been used for president bush ' s white house parties , president clinton ' s first inaugural celebrations , and stationery addressed by jacqueline kennedy and barbara bush . the envelope manufacturing association recently had honored old colony for the most improved safety record in the industry . in the year before , the company was recognized for the best safety record for u . s . envelope manufacturers employing 250 or more workers .

at national we have one focus , supplying envelopes to the trade ! if it ' s considered an envelope , we make it . our assortment includes envelopes from commercial and official regulars to custom designed booklets for special direct mail uses , and everything in between . by specializing in one thing , envelopes , national is able to offer the best quality and service and millions of envelopes in stock daily ! key dates :

with the old colony acquisition , national envelope now had ten fully integrated manufacturing facilities in california , georgia , kansas , massachusetts , missouri , new jersey , and new york . in late 1996 the parent company was threatening to leave new york city by moving its headquarters and plant in long island city - - a community in the borough of queens & mdashø union , new jersey , where it already had a plant . the firm said it had outgrown its two - building complex in long island city and could save more than 20 percent in costs by moving to new jersey . national envelope was the only remaining one of the five or so envelope manufacturers operating in the city when ungar founded the firm . earlier in the year , his company had closed its brooklyn plant and moved much of the work to union to save money . national envelope subsequently decided not to move after city and state officials offered the firm a multimillion - dollar package of tax concessions and other incentives .

parent company fdx is renamed " fedex corporation . " services are divided into companies that operate independently yet compete collectively : fedex express , fedex ground , fedex global logistics , fedex custom critical , and fedex services .

2016 europe : fedex corporation acquired tnt express , one of the world’s largest express delivery companies , which offers road and air delivery services in europe , the middle east and africa , asia pacific , and the americas .

national envelope ' s chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010 resulted in an auction of its assets for $ 208 million to private - equity firm gores group llc of los angeles after three years of losses caused by the recession and rising use of the internet . among the bidders in that sale was publicly owned cenveo .

national envelope reduced employment to about 1 , 600 workers from about 2 , 200 in the past year , and listed assets and liabilities of as much as $ 500 million each in its bankruptcy filings . it was “actively seeking a buyer who ( will be ) committed to the business , ” a spokeswoman said .

in 1943 , as american businesses tried to guess whether wartime relief from the depression would translate into postwar prosperity , the tension envelope corporation printed this chart for customers . the infographic folded into a pamphlet and could be displayed on the wall when opened . ( the online archive of the federal reserve , fraser , has digitized a pdf of the pamphlet , which you can view here . )

the proposed transactions would see connecticut - based printer cenveo inc . acquire national envelope ' s operating assets for $ 25 million , hilco receivables llc pick up accounts receivable for $ 25 million and southern paper llc take on its inventory for $ 15 million , according to a sale motion filed in delaware bankruptcy court . . . .

william ungar , a holocaust survivor of two polish concentration camps , came to new york city in 1946 on the first ship transporting displaced persons to america after world war ii . arriving with $ 15 in his pocket , he found work with f . l . smith , a manufacturer of envelope - making machines . ungar founded national envelope in a tiny space on manhattan ' s lower east side in 1952 . the firm originally was staffed with five employees and turned out 200 envelopes per day .

bay , suzanne , ' old colony , new beginning : envelope manufacturer has new owner and big expansion plans , ' businesswest , december 1994 , p . 31 .

in announcing the acquisition , ungar said the existing old colony site in westfield ' s turnpike industrial park would be doubled to 240 , 000 square feet with the construction of a new adjacent building to replace another westfield plant used by old colony but retained by international paper . ungar said that management and workers would be kept as part of an independent and autonomous operation and that the purchase would combine national envelope ' s strength in the commodity envelope field with old colony ' s leadership in mill - branded envelopes .

) comes on - line 16 july under the auspices of the society for public access computing ( sopac ) . later freenet program management assumed by the national public telecomputing network (

grant , peter , ' envelope skirmish : a queens firm with 500 jobs eyes nj move , ' new york daily news , december 24 , 1996 , p . 44 .

with an eye on the future , federal express built on its express delivery service to create a more diversified corporation of different but related businesses . originally called fdx corp . , fedex corp . was formed in january 1998 when it acquired caliber system inc .

bob kahn poses internet problem , starts internetting research program at arpa . vinton cerf sketches gateway architecture in march on back of envelope in hotel lobby in san francisco ( : vgc : )

national envelope ' s array of envelopes in 1999 included commercial and official ones , both made of regular and recycled papers ; window envelopes ; booklet - style envelopes ; and translucent ones , in 24 colors . there were also open - end specialty envelopes ; open - side specialty ones , including blank forms , proxy , collect - to - mailers , filing jackets , and remittance envelopes ; and open - end catalogs / coins envelopes , including policy , glove , and scarf ones . fine - paper envelopes were available from more than 30 different mills and ranged from standard kraft to specialty woven . also available were clasped envelopes and retail / soho / super size ones . presentation portfolio envelopes were offered in micro linen or micro strife and available in 15 colors , with an interior holding two four - inch - deep pockets for insertions , including business cards and floppy discs . national envelope also was presenting a full - line color catalog that it said presented the most complete line of products in the envelope industry .

fedex national ltl merges with fedex freight east and west , and the company offers two levels of service across all lengths of haul in a single network : fedex freight ® priority and fedex freight ® economy .

to centralize sales , marketing , customer service , and information technology support for fedex express and fedex ground , the corporation formed a new subsidiary named fedex corporate services , inc . ( a / k / a fedex services ) , which began operations in june 2000 . the move started the process of transforming its technology and delivery services into a portfolio of shipping and business solutions .

csnet ( computer science network ) built by a collaboration of computer scientists and u . of delaware , purdue u . , u . of wisconsin , rand corporation and bbn through seed money granted by nsf to provide networking services ( specially email ) to university scientists with no access to arpanet . csnet later becomes known as the computer and science network . ( : amk , lhl : )

fedex corp . acquires watkins motor lines , and re - brands it as fedex national ltl and fedex freight canada , enhancing the ability of fedex freight to serve u . s . customers with long - haul ltl freight services and offer ltl freight services to canadian and cross - border customers as well .

national envelope purchased old colony from its parent , international paper co . , after a difficult period in which it was on the block for about two years . ' we did a great deal of soul - searching during the recession , ' old colony ' s general manager told suzanne may of businesswest , a regional massachusetts publication . ' we had gotten into all kinds of things that were not germane to who we are , and we were trying to be all things to all people . once we regained our focus , however , and got back to doing what we do very well - - which is manufacturing fine quality envelopes - - we started to see improvement . '

reporting on the factory ' s silver anniversary in 1996 , globe staffer jennifer lee wrote that national envelope ' s milestone ' stands as a testament to the enduring vitality of niche manufacturing in massachusetts and to the ability of such manufacturing to continue to provide blue - collar workers with secure wages and jobs . ' some of the employees attending a birthday party at the factory spoke of good pay and benefits , progressive hiring policies , and room for advancement . layoffs had been unknown except for a two - week period in the 1980s involving only a handful of workers . the 200 employees had an in - house union , wages said by the company to be competitive with other new england manufacturers , company - paid pensions , full medical and dental insurance , life insurance , sick leave , and earned vacation time . ' it ' s the kind of thing that attracts good - quality employees and retains them , ' said the factory ' s general manager . ' it allows us to compete by producing quality . '

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eyec exhibits its range of print inspection systems at labelexpo americas in chicago , ill .

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29 - 10 hunters point avenue long island city , new york 11101 u . s . a .

lee , jennifer , ' the science of letters : in era of e - mail , worcester firm continues to thrive , ' boston globe , june 18 , 1996 , p . 39 .

source : international directory of company histories , vol . 32 . st . james press , 2000 .

we work with you to understand how your business works today and use a holistic approach to identify and document cost savings , streamline processes and better utilize your employees , internal resources and current suppliers .

we have four facilities to serve you in texas : amarillo , san antonio , dallas and ennis . when projects require an out - of - state facility , we ' ll manage the process and serve as your single point of contact .

cenveo’s expertise is in understanding our customers’ needs – from concept to execution . combined with our breadth of products and services , we are equipped to handle your multi - channel strategic execution .

through strategic investments , a consultative approach and sound leadership , cenveo continues to pursue its mission of delivering innovative solutions at high quality and low cost . leverage our experts to expand your opportunities .

dedicated strategic solutions professionals ensure that our clients get results they expect from their solutions investment . serving over 100 , 000 customers , cenveo offers proven methodologies and expert resources to strengthen and grow your business .

with a nationwide network of over 50 facilities plus manufacturing operations in asia , south america and central america , cenveo is positioned to produce , warehouse and distribute both domestically and internationally . headquartered in stamford , ct , our global portfolio provides for a full range of production , fulfillment , distribution and program management services .

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both companies have been affected by the rise of email and online bill paying , reducing demand for paper envelopes .

“we ' re very happy with the outcome of the chapter 11 proceedings . ” jim pinto , ceo , stated . “all parties involved worked diligently to see that the company was sold through the bankruptcy process and received the best possible outcome . this sale ensures the best result for all interested stakeholders , including debt holders , owners , creditors , customers and employees . ”

spokesmen for both companies could not be reached for further comment . spokesmen for united steelworkers local 198 , which represents workers at the local plant , could not be reached .

pinto previously blamed a decrease in sales to competition and “a continuing decline in the volume of u . s . mail . ” in filings in u . s . bankruptcy court in wilmington , del . , he said “the company ' s customer base continues to encourage their customers to move towards an electronic flow of information . ” pinto has been ceo since january .

the company continued to operate under bankruptcy protection , but warned employees in june that falling sales and mounting financial problems could result in a sale or closing of all its sites .

the company has other plants in appleton , wis . ; industry , calif . ; ennis , texas ; frisco , texas ; exton ; shelbyville , ky . ; smyrna , ga . ; westfield , mass . ; lenexa , kan . ; and kent , wash .

since then , revenue declined by 20 percent to $ 427 million in 2012 from the year before , with a loss of $ 60 . 1 million compared with $ 44 . 1 million in 2011 , its filing showed . the company has reported losses every year since 2007 .

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verra mobility announces merger agreement with gores holdings ii , inc . june 21 , 2018

antares capital supports the gores group’s recapitalization of turbineaero , inc . march 27 , 2018

fast paced environment and worked on your on to meet the production requirements of all customer orders and inspected and set up of production equipments .

worked for this company for years . employees became like family . new company took over and caused a lot of issues which resulted in my departure . overall not a bad experience

( all ) united states - 121 appleton , wi - 11 austell , ga - 3 baldwin park , ca - 1 chino , ca - 2 corsicana , tx - 1 earth city , mo - 2 elk grove village , il - 2 ennis , tx - 7 exton , pa - 2 frisco , tx - 13 industry , ca - 4 lenexa , ks - 8 lithia springs , ga - 1 mount pleasant , pa - 1 mount pleasant , sc - 1 nashville , tn - 7 nashville - davidson , tn - 1 new york , ny - 2 san francisco , ca - 1 scottdale , pa - 18 scottsdale , az - 1 shelbyville , ky - 8 smyrna , ga - 8 st . louis , mo - 1 union , nj - 1 uniontown , pa - 1 westfield , ma - 2 worcester , ma - 4 canada - 1 mississauga , on - 1

fast paced , stressful job . no a / c in warehouse . extremely hot during summer months and very cold during winter months . no lunch breaks . only two 15 minute breaks a day . company has since shut down .

learned a lot about working with different types of people . the climate was hot or cold depending on the time of year . an experience that i won ' t forget .

the company definitely had its anchor in the ground from being there for a long time , but there were always highs and lows like the tide as to whether employees were going to have to jump ship , because of unstability especially after it changed its name .

horrible ar manager who ran department with an iron fist and ultimately failed to collect large amounts . when a manager can make their elder employees to cry on the work floor , there need to be changes and unfortunately the company made those changes too late .

yes i really liked it it was really fun i was iaid off mostly overnight position for the company i was offered to go back but it ' s not for me anymore .

great place to work . the hours might not be for everyone but the pay even starting out is great , you get full benefits and it ' s full time . just the managers are a little rough even with the smallest things but that ' s anyone . overall i loved the place

company very bad turn over . management was poor . they did not give proper training . most people that got hired there didn ' t last a week . very stressful job

tedious work with lots of overtime ( wanted or not ) , descent people to work with .

a typical day at work was clocking in , finding my machine assignment , preparing my station , feeding the machine on the manual feed machines , checking envelopes for defects , packing envelopes in boxes and putting boxes in crates . the workplace culture was cliquish , but was good when you were working close to your group of people . the hardest part of my job was standing between eight and 12 hours a day , with only two 15 minute breaks ( three if working overtime ) , and the suffocating heat , especially in the summer . the most enjoyable part of the job was the constant business .

just do as i do i be always the best at were ever you are doing , strive to be number1 always , due to bad economy the company went bankruptcy . and that ' s why a lot of us do not work there anymore .

making sure that all the orders are right for the days work scheduled and bringing my co workers up to speed with what happening at the company and safety problems or concerns ! and helping with co workers if they need help . checking orders before the shipments are ready to be ship ! !

good place to start your career , if you don ' t have higher learning in education . good working scheduled . i worked assisting the maintenance manager , which entails ordering parts to maintain the continues running operation of all extruder machines . organized the maintenance tool shed , as well as the shop . performed 100 % inventory of all equipment . in charge of purchasing all parts , and tool , as well as all turn - in of damaged equipment , or parts .

i really enjoyed working for this company . they had financial issues and filled bankruptcy . the people all are friendly and helpful .

a typical work day here was inspecting all products before leaving the factory for quality . i got along well with my coworkers , hardest part of job was the long hours worked , i really enjoyed my job , my boss made it a fun environment .

loved working there issue is management closed the plant we folded envelopes there specialty etc . open end , booklet card guard , tyvek , string and button , clasp any sizes from 2 3 / 6 x 3 3 / 4 to 24 x30 + sizes

everyone knew everyone we were all descendant family members . there was a time to work and a time to play safely . but above all we were a huge family and took care of each other . everyone was there for each other when a crisis came about .

learned all aspects of the shipping and receiving duties . also duties were inventory management with cycle counts . working with good coworkers was enjoyable

the infographic and the explanatory text below it tap data from several sources , including u . s . treasury reports , the department of labor ' s bureau of labor statistics , the survey of current business , and the committee for economic development , a nonprofit founded in 1942 to help american business plan for the postwar future . excerpted text from a committee for economic development publication , " business planning now for v day , " can be found in the lower left - hand corner of the chart .

in an explanatory section on the federal debt—represented on the chart as a red line that climbs steeply upward beginning in 1941—the chart ' s authors articulate a strong stance on what could be an alarming indicator : " the necessary cost of this war is not important . victory is worth the price . whatever the cost to the future citizens is , they will get their money ' s worth in benefits derived . "

slate is published by the slate group , a graham holdings company . all contents © 2018 the slate group llc . all rights reserved .

today , fedex is consistently recognized as one of the most admired brands in the world and one of the best places to work . but like many innovative companies , we started out as an idea championed by a determined person .

in 1965 , yale university undergraduate frederick w . smith wrote a term paper that invented an industry and changed what’s possible . in the paper , he laid out the logistical challenges facing pioneering firms in the information technology industry . most airfreight shippers relied on passenger route systems , but those didn’t make economic sense for urgent shipments , smith wrote .

he proposed a system specifically designed to accommodate time - sensitive shipments such as medicine , computer parts , and electronics . smith’s professor apparently didn’t see the revolutionary implications of his thesis , and the paper received just an average grade .

in august 1971 , following a stint in the military , smith bought controlling interest in arkansas aviation sales , located in little rock , arkansas . while operating his new firm , he saw firsthand how difficult it was to get packages and other airfreight delivered within one to two days . with his term paper in mind , smith set out to find a better way . thus the idea for federal express was born : a company that has revolutionized global business practices and that now defines speed and reliability .

smith named the company federal express because he believed the patriotic meaning associated with the word “federal” suggested an interest in nationwide economic activity . he also hoped the name would resonate with the federal reserve bank , a potential customer . although the bank denied his proposal , smith kept the name because he thought it was memorable and would help attract public attention .

company headquarters later moved to memphis , tennessee . memphis was chosen because of its central location within the u . s . and because memphis international airport was rarely closed due to bad weather . the airport was also willing to make the necessary improvements for the operation and additional hangar space was readily available .

federal express officially began operations on april 17 , 1973 , with 389 team members . that night , 14 small aircraft took off from memphis and delivered 186 packages to 25 u . s . cities from rochester , new york , to miami , florida . though the company did not show a profit until july 1975 , it soon became the premier carrier of high - priority goods in the marketplace and set the standard for the express shipping industry it established .

in the mid - 1970s , federal express was a leader in lobbying for air cargo deregulation , which was legislated in 1977 . these changes were important , because they allowed the company to use larger aircraft ( boeing 727s and mcdonnell - douglas dc - 10s ) and spurred its rapid growth . today fedex express has the world’s largest all - cargo air fleet , including boeing 777s , 767s , 757s , and md - 11s and airbus a - 300s and a - 310s .

by the 1980s , federal express was well established . its growth rate was compounding at about 40 percent annually , and competitors were trying to catch up . in fiscal year 1983 , it reported $ 1 billion in revenues , making american business history as the first company to reach that financial hallmark inside 10 years of startup without mergers or acquisitions .

following the first of several international acquisitions , intercontinental operations began in 1984 with service to europe and asia . the following year , federal express marked its first regular scheduled flight to europe . in 1988 , the company initiated direct - scheduled cargo service to japan .

in another major move , federal express acquired tiger international inc . in february 1989 . when it integrated the flying tigers network on august 7 , 1989 , federal express became the world’s largest full - service , all - cargo airline . the acquisition included routes to 21 countries , a fleet of boeing 747s and 727s , facilities throughout the world , and tigers’ expertise in international airfreight .

the company made another significant transition in 1994 , adopting the name “fedex” as its official brand . one year later , it was authorized to serve china through an acquisition from evergreen international airlines . under this authority , it became the sole u . s . - based , all - cargo carrier with aviation rights to the world’s most populous nation . its global reach has continued to expand into what is now an unsurpassed network , delivering to customers in more than 220 countries and territories .

viking freight , a regional ltl freight carrier serving the western u . s .

caribbean transportation services , a provider of airfreight forwarding between the u . s . , puerto rico , the dominican republic , and caribbean islands

in january 2000 , fedex unleashed the power of its global brand . in a move to further integrate the company’s portfolio of services , fdx corp . was renamed fedex corp . in addition :

american freightways and viking freight became fedex freight in february 2001 , when fedex finalized the acquisition of american freightways , a leading ltl freight carrier serving 40 states in the eastern two - thirds of the u . s .

in the next three years , fedex expanded access to u . s . customers and bolstered its e - commerce solutions with additional acquisitions :

in february 2004 , fedex acquired privately held kinko’s inc . , and rebranded it as fedex kinko’s ( then rebranded it again as fedex office in 2008 ) . the acquisition expanded retail access for fedex ® shipping services to all 1 , 200 kinko’s stores in operation at that time , enhanced fedex document management services , and broadened business reach to customers of all sizes . for kinko’s , the move added the resources and expertise needed to continue expansion of its corporate document outsourcing business and international operations .

in september 2004 , fedex acquired parcel direct , a leading parcel consolidator that it later rebranded as fedex smartpost . the acquisition complemented a fedex alliance with the u . s . postal service , providing customers in the e - commerce and catalog segments with a proven , cost - effective solution for low - weight , less time - sensitive residential shipments .

with 95 percent of world consumers living outside u . s . borders , fedex has worked to make international shipping as easy as possible for customers who want to connect with opportunity in global markets .

in february 2000 , fedex acquired towergroup international , a leader in international logistics and trade information technology . towergroup became the foundation of a new subsidiary , fedex trade networks , which in turn acquired worldtariff ® , a premier customs duty and tax information company , one month later .

fedex trade networks is now one of north america’s largest - volume customs entry filers and a leader in international ocean and air freight forwarding and trade facilitation .

with the value of global trade now at more than $ 18 trillion , fedex has continued transforming its business to better align with projected worldwide population and economic growth . one key to that has been the acquisition of numerous transportation companies that allow us to directly serve specific markets and provide better service to our customers .

2006 united kingdom : fedex acquired anc holdings ltd , a u . k . domestic express transportation company , and rebranded it as fedex uk .

2007 china : fedex acquired tianjin datian w . group co . ltd . ’s 50 percent share of the joint venture between fedex and dtw international priority express , along with dtw group’s domestic express network in china . fedex then launched a domestic express service for the chinese market .

2011 india : fedex express acquires prakash air freight pvt . ltd . ( pafex ) and afl pvt . ltd . / unifreight india pvt . ltd .

2011 mexico : fedex express acquired servicios nacionales mupa , s . a . de c . v . ( multipack ) .

2014 africa : fedex express acquired supaswift businesses in south africa and six other countries ; botswana , malawi , mozambique , namibia , swaziland and zambia .

as the world we live in continues to change , so does fedex . with that in mind , you can be sure the spirit of fedex innovation is hard at work delivering a brighter , better future for the world .

go to the fedex corporate brochure to see how fedex comes together to connect the world — serving our customers , our communities and our team members .

it’s not every day that a new industry takes modern form , but that’s what happened when fedex president , chairman , and ceo frederick w . smith founded federal express . the company’s “hub and spoke” system enabled efficient overnight express service , and fedex was the first to pioneer tracking and tracing capability so customers would know where their shipments were . over more than four decades , fedex has built a portfolio of innovative solutions that connect customers to more than 220 countries and territories . that’s 99 percent of the world’s global gross domestic product . imagine the possibilities .

fedex express begins operating a new around - the - world flight linking tnt’s european air hub in liège ( belgium ) to the fedex world hub in memphis ( u . s . ) — an important step in connecting the fedex express and tnt worldwide networks .

fedex opens new $ 100 million international express and cargo hub in shanghai , china — more than tripling the capacity of the old facility and allowing fedex to process up to 36 , 000 packages per hour .

multiple natural disasters hit the u . s . , latin america and the caribbean in the last half of 2017 , including hurricanes , earthquakes and wildfires . fedex works with relief organizations to deliver thousands of tons of medical supplies , food and water to texas , florida , puerto rico and other affected areas .

fedex corp . acquires tnt express — the largest acquisition in fedex history — significantly enhancing the fedex network in europe , the middle east and africa , asia - pacific , and the americas . tnt adds a second - to - none european road network to the robust express network fedex operates in europe .

fedex corp . acquires genco , one of north america’s largest third - party logistics providers , and rebrands it as fedex supply chain . the acquisition expands fedex retail and e - commerce service offerings , including distribution and fulfillment , kitting and packaging , returns processing , test , repair , refurbish , transportation , and recommerce solutions .

fedex corp . acquires bongo international , a leader in cross - border enablement technologies and solutions , and rebrands it as fedex cross border . the acquisition complements and expands the fedex global e - commerce portfolio with capabilities including duty and tax calculations , currency conversions , shopping cart management , and more .

fedex techconnect opens a package laboratory to better serve customers . the 30 , 000 - square - foot facility provides free package testing and design services for fedex express , fedex ground and fedex freight customers .

fedex express acquires supaswift businesses in south africa and six other countries , botswana , malawi , mozambique , namibia , swaziland and zambia . the move provides access to an established regional ground network and extensive knowledge of the southern africa region .

fedex express takes delivery of its first 767 - 300 freighter . the 767 will be used for the fedex express domestic network , and is 30 percent more fuel efficient and has 20 percent lower unit operating costs than the aircraft they will replace .

fedex launches fedex delivery manager ® , which provides u . s . customers with a range of flexible options to schedule dates , locations and times of delivery .

fedex corp . acquires the polish courier company opek sp . z o . o . ( opek ) for $ 54 million . this acquisition gives its fedex express business unit access to a nationwide domestic ground network with an estimated $ 70 million in annual revenue and 12 . 5 million shipments annually .

fedex corp . acquires tatex , a leading french business - to - business express transportation company , for $ 55 million . this acquisition gives its fedex express business unit access to a nationwide domestic ground network that carries 19 million shipments and produces approximately €150 million in revenues annually .

fedex corp . acquires rapidão cometa , one of the largest transportation and logistics companies in brazil . this acquisition brings more than $ 500 million of annual revenue , and is the latest step in the company ' s strategy for profitable growth in the fedex express latin america and caribbean ( lac ) region .

fedex express acquires the logistics , distribution , and express businesses of afl pvt . ltd . and its affiliate , unifreight india pvt . ltd . this acquisition provides fedex more robust domestic transportation and added capabilities in india .

fedex express acquires the operations of multipack in mexico . multipack ' s existing operations include its pickup and delivery network , warehousing , and logistics services .

fedex introduces the first all - electric trucks to be used in the u . s . parcel delivery business .

senseaware ® powered by fedex , an information service that uses a web - based collaboration platform to provide near real - time visibility and insight into the condition of shipments while in the transportation process .

fedex express unveils its first boeing 777 freighter . the move makes it the first u . s . - based global all - cargo freight airline to take delivery of the 777 , which is the world ' s largest twin - engine cargo aircraft .

fedex express introduces boeing 757 freighters to its fleet ; the fuel - efficient 757s demonstrate the company ' s commitment to environmentally conscious growth .

fedex kinko ' s introduces print online , an innovative web - based printing tool allowing customers to access the chain ' s professional printing services from anywhere in the u . s .

fedex express builds its service capabilities in europe by acquiring u . k . domestic express company anc ( later re - branded fedex uk ) and flying - cargo hungary kft , now a wholly owned operation in one of eastern europe ' s most dynamic markets .

fedex express expands its presence in india with the acquisition of prakash air freight pvt . ltd . ( pafex ) .

fedex expands its presence in china by acquiring dtw group ' s 50 percent share of the fedex - dtw international priority express joint venture and becomes a wholly foreign - owned enterprise .

fedex launches the fedexcup ® with the pga tour , also introducing a season - ending competitive element to the schedule .

fedex launches around - the - world flights — eastbound and westbound — to provide faster , better connectivity to the major markets around the world .

fedex announces the development of a new asia pacific hub in guangzhou , china .

fedex unveils california ' s largest corporate solar - power installation at its oakland hub .

fedex corp . acquires kinko ' s for us $ 2 . 4 billion , which expands the company ' s retail access to all of the 1 , 200 - plus kinko ' s stores for greater customer convenience . the retail store locations get a new brand identity — fedex kinko ' s office and print centers .

fedex expands services for customers in the e - tail and catalog segments by acquiring parcel direct , a leading parcel consolidator . fedex later re - brands the fedex ground subsidiary as fedex smartpost ® .

fedex corp . brands two of its ltl companies together as fedex freight . american freightways becomes fedex freight east and viking freight becomes fedex freight west , both continuing to operate independently to optimize service in their geographic markets .

fedex trade networks reorganizes ; towergroup international becomes fedex trade networks transport & brokerage inc . , and a new subsidiary is created , incorporating the services of worldtariff , called fedex trade networks trade services inc .

fedex home delivery completes its expansion to serve virtually 100 percent of the u . s . population .

fedex express and the u . s . postal service forge a public - private alliance . fedex express provides air transportation of some u . s . mail and places fedex express ® drop boxes at post offices nationwide .

fedex corp . acquires american freightways ( now part of fedex freight ) , an ltl carrier serving the 40 eastern states in the u . s .

fedex ground launches fedex home delivery ® , an innovative business - to - residential service , in major u . s . markets .

fedex trade networks is created with the acquisitions of towergroup international and worldtariff ® .

fedex introduces customer technology solutions including a redesigned fedex . com , fedex e - commerce builder , fedex ® global trade manager , and fedex ship manager ® .

federal express launches its euroone ® network , opening a hub at roissy - charles de gaulle airport .

fedex acquires caliber system inc . and creates fdx corp . the move creates a $ 16 billion transportation powerhouse , composed of the traditional federal express distribution service and small - package carrier rps ; less - than - truckload ( ltl ) carrier viking freight ; caliber logistics ; caliber technology ; and roberts express .

fedex becomes the first company to allow customers to process shipments online with the introduction of fedex internetship ® ( now fedex ship manager ® at fedex . com ) .

fedex opens the asia pacific hub in subic bay , philippines , launching the fedex asiaone ® network .

federal express officially adopts " fedex " as its brand recognized as the worldwide standard for fast , reliable service .

fedex launches urltoken as the first transportation website to offer online package status tracking , enabling customers to conduct business via the internet .

fedex ship ® software allows customers to process and manage shipping from their desktop .

the federal express clear sm electronic customs clearance system is created to expedite regulatory clearance while cargo is en route .

a four - ton high - press water drill and 5 , 700 lbs . of equipment are flown to midland , texas , to support the rescue of 18 - month - old jessica mcclure from a well .

federal express introduces the supertracker ® , a hand - held bar code scanner system that captures detailed package information .

the first pc - based automated shipping system , later named fedex powership ® , is introduced .

federal express becomes the first u . s . company to reach revenues of $ 1 billion within 10 years of startup , without merger or acquisition .

federal express implements dads ( digitally assisted dispatch system ) to coordinate on - call pickups for customers .


chen shu-chu ( chinese : 陳樹菊 ; pinyin : chén shùjú ; pe̍h - ōe-jī : tân sū-kiok , born circa 1951 ) is a vegetable vendor and philanthropist from taitung in southeastern taiwan .

she gives generously with her modest incomes .

she said " money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it and always be happy when she helped others . "

she was selected as one of the time 100 for year 2010 in the heroes category .

she is also one of the 48 heroes of philanthropy by forbes asia .

reader 's digest also honors her as the winner of 2010 asian of the year .

in 2012 , she also was selected as one of the ramon magsaysay award winners

chen shu - chu

chen shu - chu <EOT> “chen , shu - chu - extraordinary generosity” , is ms . chen’s biography by author yung - yi liu . liu spent about half year interviewing shu - chu closely . she donates all royalties from the book to charities .

chen shu - chu waves to the press at taiwan taoyuan international airport on sunday as she departs for manila .

during their meeting on monday , the red cross society president asked chen shu - chu whether she was happy selling vegetables .

chen shu - chu chose to work with the red cross society after meeting c . v . chen for the first time at a recent charity event .

shu - chu chen is an actor , known for sha shou tian shi ( 1989 ) , ninja supremo ( 1979 ) and dan xin ling ( 1969 ) .

philanthropist vegetable vendor chen shu - chu ( 陳樹菊 ) departed for manila on sunday to receive the ramon magsaysay award , known as asia’s equivalent of the nobel prize .

the other awardees are chen shu - chu from taiwan , romulo davide , philippines , syeda rizwana hasan , bangladesh , yang saing koma , cambodia and ambrosius ruwindrijarto , indonesia .

chen shu - chu is a vegetable seller at a market in southern taiwan who has donated more than $ 320 , 000 to various charitable causes in her country . read more at urltoken

manila , philippines - uneducated , unassuming and unbelievably generous , taiwanese vegetable vendor chen shu - chu lives a simple life and only wants to keep on working until she drops so she can continue giving to others .

of the money , nt $ 800 , 000 was from royalties on sales of her biography and the rest came from savings from vegetable sales , according to chu ya - chun ( 朱亞君 ) , head of aquarius publishing co ( 寶瓶文化 ) , which published chen shu - chu’s biography last year .

“she told me she felt chen is a reliable person and decided to have his organization help deal with her donation , ” chu said .

wearing a thick support belt and hunched over thanks to back and leg problems , 63 - year - old chen shu - chu puts peppers , taro and mushrooms into bags for customers at her vegetable stand in eastern taiwan .

since 1963 , chen shu - chu has sold vegetables out of a stall in taitung county’s central market in taiwan . she has managed to donate nearly nt $ 10 million ( $ 320 , 000 ) to various charities and causes .

taibei : he luo du shu chu ban she , minguo 67 [ 1978 ] 臺北 : 河洛圖書出版社 , 民國67 [ 1978 ] 2 , 3 , 188 p . ; 22 cm .

chen’s achievements are legendary all around asia and the power of her example is simply amazing . there has been an increasing number of stories about people and children who have quietly been donating what they could to help the poor and many of them have sad they have been inspired by chen shu - chu’s story .

vegetable vendor and philanthropist chen shu - chu , wearing an apron bearing a caricature of herself , joins people of various ethnic groups in singing the republic of china national anthem during double ten national day celebrations outside the the presidential office in taipei on monday .

the manila - based ramon magsaysay award foundation named chen shu - chu as one of six winners , citing her for “personal giving , which reflects a deep , consistent , quiet compassion , and has transformed the lives of the numerous taiwanese she has helped” .

a taiwanese vegetable stand vendor was among six people named winners of this year ' s ramon magsaysay awards . it is the latest in a string of honors conferred on chen shu - chu for her charity work . taitung vegetable stall owner chen shu - chu shot to prominence when time magazine named her one of its 100 most influential people of 2010 . her altruism has led to many honors , the latest being a ramon magsaysay award . chen didn ' t seem aware of it . the philippine awards are handed out each year to outstanding asian individuals or organizations . they are known as asia ' s nobel prize . since the awards were founded in 1957 , taiwan has had 10 laureates . when chen shu - chu was named the latest winner , few were surprised . neighboring stall ownershe ' s already won so many awards . what difference does it make i

as focustaiwan reports , “the 61 - year - old chen shu - chu said during the citation dinner at time warner center that the honor recognized not only her but also the whole of taiwan because ‘it has many people like me , quietly doing good . ' ”

the manila - based ramon magsaysay award foundation named chen shu - chu as one of six winners , citing her for " personal giving , which reflects a deep , consistent , quiet compassion , and has transformed the lives of the numerous taiwanese she has helped " .

let’s hope some of chen shu - chu’s humility rubs off on the nation’s officials and bureaucrats , who turned her outing to new york city to receive the time magazine honor two years ago into an unseemly scramble to have some of the luminosity rub off on president ma ying - jeou ( 馬英九 ) and the ministry of foreign affairs . the publicity - seeking turned into an embarrassment when a ministry official was caught on tape coaching chen shu - chu on whom to thank . hopefully , next month’s magsaysay award trip won’t be handled so crassly .

over her lifetime , chen shu - chu , a taiwanese woman who makes a modest living selling vegetables , has donated over nt $ 10 million to charity ( the equivalent of over $ 300 , 000 in u . s . currency ) . chen accumulated the money working long 18 - hour days at a local market and living frugally .

taitung vegetable vendor chen shu - chu ( 陳樹菊 ) is joining a very select club as she becomes the 11th person from taiwan to receive a ramon magsaysay award . she is being honored for transforming young lives through a life of giving , the award foundation said this week .

chen shu - chu has donated more than nt $ 10 million to charity programs , including building a library for her alma mater and helping orphaned children and disadvantaged families . she had originally planned to set up a foundation to pool resources to help more - people , but changed her mind .

chen shu - chu ( 陳樹菊 ) , the vegetable vendor who made last year’s time magazine list of the world’s 100 most influential people for her acts of philanthropy , donated nt $ 1 million ( us $ 33 , 000 ) to the red cross society on monday to help families in emergencies .

you’ve probably never heard of her , but taiwanese vegetable seller chen shu - chu has done more for the needy than many of the world’s rich and famous . earning a modest living selling vegetables at the market , the asian hero has so far managed to donate over $ 322 , 000 to various charities .

reuters singled out chen’s generous soul as “the most striking” story among all the honorees .

philippine president benigno aquino ( c ) presents the ramon magsaysay award to chen shu - jiu ( r ) from taiwan during the ramon magsaysay awarding ceremony at the philippine international convention center ( picc ) in manila on august 31 , 2012 . a taiwanese vegetable vendor who gave away huge sums to charity and environmental activists from indonesia and bangladesh have won asia ' s magsaysay award this year , organisers said thursday . chen shu - chu , ambrosius ruwindrijarto , syeda rizwana hasan and three others were cited by the philippines - based foundation for their work in helping ease asian poverty and empowering ordinary people . afp

chen shu - chu’s donations have made many ask themselves how a mere vegetable seller who makes marginal profits can donate so much money ? “spend only what you need , and you’ll be able to save up a lot of money ! ” chen says . she lives a very modest life , without any luxuries . she doesn’t have any desire for material gain and says work is her only form of enjoyment . she says all she needs is work and a place to sleep , everything else is a luxury .

over the past two decades , ms . chen shu - chu has donated over 10 million taiwanese dollars ( $ 350 , 000 ; £210 , 000 ) to building of a school library , a hospital wing , to a local buddhist organization and orphanages . ms . chen does this by selling vegetables in the dark and damp taitung central market in eastern taiwan , 18 hours a day , six days a week . wearing a thick support belt and hunched over thanks to back and leg problems , 63 - year - old ms . chen says , “ she hopes she can do this forever ” . ( 1 )

chen shu - chu is a seller of vegetables in a stall in taitung county ' s central market , in eastern taiwan . out of her modest living , chen , 59 , has managed to donate nearly nt $ 10 million ( that ' s $ 320 , 000 ) to various causes , including $ 32 , 000 for a children ' s fund , $ 144 , 000 to help build a library at a school she attended and another $ 32 , 000 for the local orphanage , where she also gives financial support to three children .

chen shu - chu deserves acclaim , not just for her own work , but also for inspiring countless others from all walks of life to think about what they can do to help those in need . in recent years , there have been numerous stories of retirees , children and others who have quietly been donating what they can to those less fortunate , and several said they were directly inspired to do so after hearing or reading about her .

chen has been asked many times why she gives away all her money , and she always has the same answer .

taiwan can be proud that chen shu - chu represents the nation in this year’s magsaysay awards , but the honor is hers alone , just as the five other winners — romulo davide of the philippines , kuladie francis of india , syeda rizwana hasan of bangladesh , yang saing koma of cambodia and ambrosius ruwindrijarto of indonesia — most of whom have pursued their goals in the face of opposition from their governments and establishment interests , should be honored for their own good deeds .

“money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it , ” chen shu - chu once told a newspaper , and throughout the years , the dedicated philanthropist made sure her hard earned cash was indeed used for the right causes . inspired by her own difficult and impoverished childhood , chen decided to dedicate her life to helping those less fortunate than her . even though she earned a modest income selling vegetables in taitung county’s central market , in eastern taiwan , the 61 - year - old led a frugal life and donated almost all of her money to charities . you’d think there wouldn’t be much to give away , but chen shu - chu has so far made substantial donations , including $ 32 , 000 for a children’s fund , $ 144 , 000 to build a library at a school she attended and $ 32 , 000 to a local orphanage where she also offers financial support to three children . in total , the world’s most generous vegatable seller has so far donated over $ 300 , 000 , and she’s not planning on stopping .

“she decided to donate all the royalties to charitable causes and asked me to help her contact the red cross society , ” chu was quoted as saying in a udn report yesterday .

as an ordinary vegetable vender at taitung county’s central market in eastern taiwan for forty - eight years , chen shu - chu ekes out a meager living , but she has still managed to accomplish an extraordinary feat . over the past thirty years , she has donated nearly nt $ 10 million ( us $ 320 , 000 ) to various worthy causes . her generosity has been praised by forbes asia , which listed her as one of the “48 heroes of philanthropy” in the asia - pacific region in 2010 .

born in 1950 , ms chen has struggled with poverty for most of her youth but credits it as a source of motivation .

the modest chen initially did not want to attend friday’s award ceremony after hearing late last month that she had won the award .

philippine president benigno aquino iii hands a medallion to taiwan ' s chen shu - jiu , one of the six recipients of this year ' s ramon magsaysay awards during ceremony friday aug . 31 , 2012 in manila , philippines . the magsaysay awards is asia ' s most prestigious awards and is the equivalent of the nobel prize . ap

for her amazing contributions , to local libraries and orphanages , time magazine named chen one of the most influential people of 2010 . now , the afp reports chen ' s generous giving has set off a nationwide trend , encouraging others of small means to donate to charity .

to help make ends meet , ms chen quit school and began working at the family ' s vegetable stand in the taitung central market .

her spirit and kindness is what we hope that all taiwanese folks should aspire to . congrats ms . chen ! you make us proud !

born in 1950 , chen shu - chu lost her mother shortly after completing her primary school education . the older of her brothers she had to grow up before her time and help her father , at the vegetable stall , take care of the family . when she was 18 , her brother got sick and the illness dragged on for several years , slowly depleting the family savings . ( 2 ) he died from the flu as the family was unable to raise enough money to pay for advanced medical care in taipei , taiwan’s capital city . ( 1 )

to some people , it might seem like madness to give away most of your wealth . but ms chen insists it ' s not that difficult .

despite the hard work and her own health problems , ms chen has no plans to retire , saying she hopes to " do this forever " .

chen , a native of taitung county , took advantage of her trip to taipei to attend the double ten national day celebrations to present the donation to c . v . chen ( 陳長文 ) , president of the red cross society of the republic of china , the charity said in a statement .

chen was named in 2010 one of time magazine’s 100 most influential individuals in the world and one of the 48 heroes of philanthropy by forbes asia .

but it’s not really the amount of money she has given away that makes chen shu - chu a great human being , but her quiet , unassuming style that stands in contrast with many of the world’s publicity - seeking rich and powerful who only make donations when cameras or reporters are around . the modest vegetable seller doesn’t bask in her celebrity , saying “there isn’t much to talk about , because i did not enter any competition” . it’s this kind of attitude that made time magazine include her in the top 100 most influential people of 2010 , and won her the title of hero of philanthropy by forbes asia .

ms chen , who has never married , also never forgot the kindness of her brother’s teacher and classmates , who had tried to raise funds for him .

two years ago , ms chen was also named one of six ramon magsaysay award winners for helping the poor and given a $ 50 , 000 cash prize .

however , ms chen dreads the media attention her fame has brought , and only agrees to be interviewed if she thinks the reports will motivate people to donate .

she wakes up at three in the morning and makes her way to the market where she remains until seven or eight in the evening . she is the first one to arrive and last one to leave , which convinced other stall owners to give her the title of “market manager” . chen shu - chu’s donations have made many ask themselves how a mere vegetable seller who makes marginal profits can donate so much money ? “ spend only what you need , and you’ll be able to save up a lot of money ! ” chen says . she lives a very modest life , without any luxuries . she doesn’t have any desire for material gain and says work is her only form of enjoyment . she says all she needs is work and a place to sleep , everything else is a luxury . ( 2 )

chu told the chinese - language united daily news ( udn ) that the vegetable vendor’s biography had sold well , with a combined 30 , 000 copies of the thai version and traditional and simplified - character chinese versions having been sold to date .

ms chen , who has never married , also never forgot the kindness of her brother ' s teacher and classmates , who had tried to raise funds for him .

subscribe to bbc news urltoken meet chen shu - chu , the 63 - year - old vegetable vendor who has quietly donated over 10 million taiwanese dollars ( $ 350 , 000 ) to her hometown . no matter how much money she makes , she spends no more than a few dollars a day on herself so that she can give away the rest . her generosity has made many people wonder how someone who earns such a modest living selling vegetables , could give away so much . the bbc ' s cindy sui went to taitung find out . subscribe to bbc news here urltoken check out our website : urltoken facebook : urltoken twitter : urltoken instagram : urltoken

what has helped ms chen , a buddhist , save so much is her austere lifestyle . she is a strict vegetarian and eats simple meals of cured tofu and rice .

" chen is like a seed , " said phyllis weng , a senior social worker of the taiwan fund for children and families in the central taiwan city of taichung .

ms chen ' s good deeds quickly gained attention , with local authorities dubbing her the " model of philanthropy " . globally , the accolades started to come in as well .

although she has reached an age when many are already thinking of retirement , chen can ' t seem to envision any other life than running her little vegetable stall in the market .

praising her as the first glow of sunrise on the republic of china’s centennial , c . v . chen said he hoped all red cross society volunteers would share her sense of giving .

“this is my first trip to the philippines and i’m very happy to travel to manila for the nation’s honor , ” chen said , adding that she did not feel anxious about the trip .

chen shu - chu is more like her fellow recipients of the ramon magsaysay award , both here in taiwan and around asia , who are content to do their work and leave the publicity - seeking to others . while six of taiwan’s honorees have passed away , the other four continue to work : dharma master cheng yen ( 證嚴法師 ) , honored in 1991 as founder of the buddhist compassionate relief tzu chi foundation ; su nan - cheng ( 蘇南成 ) , who was honored in 1983 for his work as tainan mayor ; diane ying ( 殷允芃 ) , honored in 1987 for founding common wealth magazine ; and cloud gate dance theatre ( 雲門舞集 ) founder and artistic director lin hwai - min ( 林懷民 ) , who was honored in 1991 for his contribution to modern dance .

over the past two decades , ms chen has donated over 10 million taiwanese dollars ( $ 350 , 000 ; £210 , 000 ) to the building of a school library and a hospital wing .

" some people say i ' m crazy , but i just do what i like , what feels right , " said chen , distinguished with a ramon magsaysay award in 2012 for her extreme generosity .

chen arrived at taiwan taoyuan international airport accompanied by officials from the taitung county government and the ministry of foreign affairs . many passengers cheered her and asked her to take photographs with them before her departure .

recipients of this year ' s ramon magsaysay awards pose with philippine president benigno aquino iii , center , following awards ceremony friday aug . 31 , 2012 in manila , philippines . they are , from left , ambrosius ruwindrijarto from indonesia , yang saing koma from cambodia , syeda rizwana hasan from bangladesh , president aquino iii , kulandei francis from india , romulo davide from the philippines and chen shu - jiu from taiwan . the magsaysay awards is asia ' s most prestigious awards and is the equivalent of the nobel prize . ap

after spending a few days in manila , chen had time to appreciate filipinos for being " so warm and welcoming " but admitted she has barely tried the local food because she is a strict vegetarian . - urltoken

born in 1950 , chen shu - chu lost her mother shortly after completing her primary school education . the older of her brothers she had to grow up before her time and help her father take care of the family . when she was 18 , her brother got sick and the illness dragged on for several years , slowly depleting the family savings . although they received donations from locals , her brother could not be saved , but the kindness bestowed upon her family by others inspired her to help the poor as soon as she was able . after her father past away , leaving chen their only source of income , a vegetable stand at the central market , the taiwanese philanthropist adopted a frugal lifestyle and began donating all her profits to worthy causes . her vegetable stand is everything to her . she wakes up at three in the morning and makes her way to the market where she remains until seven or eight in the evening . she is the first one to arrive and last one to leave , which convinced other stall owners to give her the title of “market manager” .

daniel lu , director of kids alive international , a non - profit organisation that received a donation from ms chen , says she challenges the common belief that you have to be rich to help others in a big way .

the ramon magsaysay foundation recognized chen for “the pure altruism of her personal giving , which reflects a deep , consistent , quiet compassion , and has transformed the lives of the numerous taiwanese she has helped . ” photo by carlos santamaria

chen , one of the six winners of this year’s magsaysay award , told reporters prior to her departure that she felt honored and gratified to win the award , given to individuals in asia in recognition of their work and contributions to society .

chen gave away a lot : $ 32 , 000 for a children ' s fund , another $ 32 , 000 to the local orphanage , and $ 144 , 000 to help build a library at the school she attended as a child .

from her daily earnings as a vegetable vendor , chen , who reached only the sixth grade and sleeps on the floor , was able to help build library and feed and shelter children - at - risk as well as families displaced by disasters .

though living a simple , frugal life , chen has given away more than nt $ 10 million ( us $ 332 , 200 ) over the years to charities for the care and education of poor children , inspired by her own difficult and impoverished childhood .

what ' s so wonderful about chen ' s achievement is not its extraordinariness but that it is so simple and matter of fact in its generosity . " money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it , " she told a newspaper .

" the point of chen ' s story is that all of sudden many people found that even though they may not be rich , their tiny but persistent small donations may come as a great help to some people , " said hu yu - fang of united way .

learning that she was included in the honors list , chen’s first response was , “i do not know what kind of prize it is . there isn ' t much to talk about because i did not enter any competition . ooh , i haven’t really made any huge donations . ”

earning a modest living selling vegetables , chen has managed to donate more than nt $ 10 million ( us $ 332 , 000 ) over the years to help launch a children’s fund , build a school library and an orphanage , and give regular financial support to three children and other charities .

according to afp , former soldier hu shou - hung , inspired by chen , has given away his life ' s savings of $ 30 , 000 to a charity that supports orphan children of soldiers killed in action . hu is 88 years old , explaining to reporters that he no longer needs the money .

what’s so wonderful about chen’s achievement is not its extraordinariness but that it is so simple and matter of fact in its generosity . “ my wish is that i work till the day i collapse . money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it , ” she told a newspaper . ( 3 )

and rather than bask in her celebrity , chen seems to dismiss the whole thing with a wave of her hand , perhaps even with a hint of irritation . " there isn ' t much to talk about , because i did not enter any competition , " she says . " i haven ' t really made any huge donations . "

named among the 2010 time 100 most influential people in the world in the “heroes” category , at first ms . chen did not want to participate in the banquet in the us hosted by the magazine . she said she was encouraged by taiwan’s president ma ying - jeou and minister of foreign affairs to travel to new york and attend the gala . ( 1 ) ms chen dreads the media attention her fame has brought , and only agrees to be interviewed if she thinks the reports will motivate people to donate . she challenges the common belief that you have to be rich to help others in a big way . ( 4 ) “ life is very short ; you never know when it will end . therefore , i believe we should accumulate virtue , rather than wealth . ” ( 1 )

her quiet , unassuming style stands in stark contrast to that of those much wealthier than her who seek as much publicity as possible for their donations , like chinese tycoon chen guangbiao ( 陳光標 ) , who visited taiwan last year to hand out hundreds of millions of nt dollars to some of the nation’s poorest families — as long as there were plenty of cameras around to watch him doling out the red envelopes .

the same year , reader’s digest named her ‘asian of the year’ and forbes asia selected her as one of their 48 heroes of philanthropy . in 2012 , ms chen was also named one of six ramon magsaysay award winners for helping the poor and given a $ 50 , 000 cash prize . the president of philippine , noynoy aquino honored the awards to all the nominees at the philippine international convention center in manila . ( 4 )

from her daily earnings as a vegetable vendor , ms chen , who reached only the equivalent of sixth class in school and sleeps on the floor , was able to help build a library and feed and shelter children at risk , as well as families displaced by disasters . “money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it , ” she said . “i feel happy whenever i could help other people . ”

ms . chen has tried to save every penny from selling vegetables . apart from her adoption of three children at the christian charity kidsalive international , she has donated nt $ 1 million ( us $ 32 , 000 ) each to buddhist fo guang shan college and , jen - ai elementary school , her alma mater , over the past ten years . she also donated money to help build a library at jen - ai . furthermore , she has donated various amounts to other charities , such as the buddhist tzu chi foundation . she told her friends last year that she planned to set up a foundation with a fund of nt $ 10 million this year to provide scholarships for students from humble backgrounds and help the poor to receive education and health care . she said , “i am alone . whom should i leave my money to ? ”

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since 2006 has donated more than $ 20 million to animal welfare groups , a hospital and child care center in tasmania ( where she lives ) , research into the cancer that ' s killing tasmanian devils and other causes . she donates the roughly $ 9 million annual profit of her chickenfeed chain in tasmania to charity .

a leading supporter of cultural , social , medical and children ' s causes for more than 75 years , including the murdoch childrens research institute , the royal children ' s hospital , the national gallery of victoria and the australian ballet . supports more than 100 charities each year . in 2008 was one of 5 philanthropists honored in the " australian legends " series of postage stamps .

in 2008 pledged $ 100 million to medical research and care in western australia , with the focus on indigenous people . the pledge is being funded by royalties from his iron ore projects in the pilbara region , and the money starts going into health care projects by next year .

in a year of tension and violence in western china made donations to promote stability , including $ 73 , 000 to tibet university for scholarships and activities , and $ 30 , 000 to tibet ' s tashihunpo monastery . works to advance chinese culture abroad , giving $ 100 , 000 to the east asia library at ucla . in january gave $ 75 , 000 to his alma mater , peking university .

topped forbes china ' s list of philanthropists last year with $ 40 million in cash donations ; over his career has donated some $ 311 million , according to his company . largest targets of his generosity : housing for the elderly in economically backward yunnan province , where he also is investing in property . in his home province of fujian he ' s funded new buildings worth $ 34 million for the fujian jiangxia institute .

aims to help farmers increase crop yields , introduce education reforms and other causes . last year spearheaded a $ 5 million alibaba donation to launch grameen china and provide microcredit loans in mongolia and the sichuan earthquake zone .

supports an international cause that ' s not as popular in china as his play on the court : ending the consumption of shark ' s fin soup ; he was featured in an ad last year for wildaid . meantime he ' s set up the yao ming fund , which helped the sichuan earthquake victims .

a tireless charity worker , and not just for his jackie chan charitable foundation and dragon ' s heart foundation . after singing on " bring you home , " dedicated to the 8 chinese peacekeepers who died in the earthquake in haiti , he donated $ 730 , 000 to their families and the un . this follows $ 1 . 5 million he gave after the sichuan earthquake . charity will get half his assets after he dies .

focuses on education in hong kong , china and north america . he and his family have more than a dozen foundations , school buildings and museums in their names at nanjing and fudan universities and elsewhere . gave $ 5 million to establish the u . s . - china center for research on educational excellence at michigan state university . also awards scholarships to vietnamese to attend colleges in china .

funded 2 buildings at the chinese university of hong kong . still turning up for work regularly , he hears reports from his newspaper - scanning staff about families facing emergency needs and approves offers of support . recently he gave $ 30 , 000 to rebuild a health center in inner mongolia and $ 15 , 000 to a village in guangxi .

concentrates on addressing india ' s " educational inequity . " in 2008 she cofounded teach for india , which recruits graduates and professionals under age 35 to teach for 2 years in low - income schools . thermax donates 1 % of its net profits to charity each year ; aga and her family hold a 62 % stake .

contributed $ 10 million to establish the 1 , 400 - bed mazumdar - shaw cancer centre in bangalore . due to open this year , it will provide free care to poor patients in the evening . she also donates $ 2 million a year to her biocon foundation , which runs a micro health insurance scheme that covers 100 , 000 villagers . has also committed $ 3 million to the indian school of business in hyderabad .

a collector of contemporary indian art , she recently opened the kiran nadar museum of art on the outskirts of new delhi . it houses 47 paintings and sculptures from her collection and is funded by the shiv nadar foundation . " indians don ' t have much of a museum habit , " she says . " i ' m hoping to inculcate it . " she aims to open a bigger venue that ' s planned for next to the hcl campus .

through family ' s yayasan yusuf panigoro foundation pays the tuition of 335 underprivileged children and provides them with living expenses and an islamic faith study group for them and their mothers . frequently donates to himmata , which looks after jakarta ' s street children and teaches them to be entrepreneurs or organic vegetable farmers . runs medco foundation , which sponsors youth sporting events and offers microfinancing services .

started the sampoerna foundation in 2001 and pledged $ 150 million to it . in the past decade it has awarded more than 33 , 000 scholarships and trained more than 10 , 000 teachers . with iowa state university in the u . s . , it opened a university in jakarta last year to train teachers ; it provides scholarships to most of the students .

the family ' s martha tilaar foundation teaches farmers organic farming techniques and advocates the use of natural dyes in the country ' s signature batik prints . she ' s been a foster parent for numerous traditional medicinal herbal drink ( jamu ) vendors for the past 19 years , helping them to introduce new methods and ingredients .

his eka tjipta foundation boosts education and environmental conservation in indonesia . this year it provided 1 million saplings to the government ' s billion tree campaign . its sumatera quake schools rehabilitation program rebuilds schools in parts of jambi province . it also helped set up economics for life , an entrepreneurship program for students in 25 high schools .

owner of benesse , leading cram - school operator and correspondence - course seller .

established the chichu art museum on naoshima island in 2004 ; costs are covered by dividends from a 2 % stake in benesse . set up an education foundation in 2007 with 2 . 3 % of his company ' s stock . it promotes education in his home region of okayama , offering awards and grants worth $ 1 . 4 million a year . he also donates $ 1 million annually to communities affected by depopulation and a weak local economy .

established the funai foundation for information technology in 2001 , donating 4 . 3 % of his company ' s stock . funding research scientists in japan , it makes annual awards of up to $ 33 , 000 in electronics , robotics and computer science . it also paid for a 500 - seat auditorium at kyoto university .

helps the bankrupt city of yubari in his native hokkaido pay for thousands of cherry and maple trees to attract more tourists . runs an annual $ 650 , 000 scholarship fund that places chinese and other asian students in japanese universities . has given money to survivors of the 2004 niigata earthquake in japan , victims of the 2005 sumatra earthquake in indonesia and the 2008 temblor in china ' s sichuan province .

son of politician ryoichi sasakawa , whom the u . s . arrested ( but did not indict ) as a suspected war criminal .

runs the nippon foundation , japan ' s biggest charity , which his father established in 1962 with profits from motorboat racing . it focuses on fighting leprosy but also donates prosthetic limbs to vietnam and trains farmers in africa . at home it refurbishes vacant buildings in depressed regions and donates cars and buses to disabled and elder - care groups .

donated $ 400 , 000 to the kechara soup kitchen , which she helps run . delivers 830 packets of vegetarian food a week to urban poor in kuala lumpur ; also assisting with job placement and other services . she started the kitchen in 2006 with 5 friends .

his sp setia foundation , which he began in 2000 , pays the school fees and basic essentials for 2 , 300 children a year . it also provides medical aid to the disabled and poor as well as community enrichment programs . liew ' s charitable contributions totaled $ 100 , 000 last year .

honored by queen elizabeth ii with a commander of the most excellent order of the british empire for his philanthropic work . doesn ' t disclose how much he donates to charity each year . one recipient he favors is the pride foundation , which promotes awareness of breast cancer and provides support to victims ; his wife died of breast cancer .

helped start tabang mindanaw , which does humanitarian work and community building in war - torn mindanao , and volunteer alliance hands on manila . a cofounder and active director of the gifts & graces fair trade foundation : advises marginalized groups on selling their crafts , products . also started a newsboy scholarship foundation .

built hair salon empire , a beauty products factory , spa resort and four ricky reyes learning institutes .

hair stylist to celebrities has donated $ 20 million toward health care and job training for the poor over the past decade . covers costs of child haus , a 220 - bed home for poor children and their families who come to manila for cancer treatment . after typhoon ondoy organized a soup kitchen to help feed 50 , 000 people over 14 days .

after decades supporting higher education and training , now focuses on basic public education through the synergeia foundation , which took over many former ford foundation school programs in 2003 . has donated $ 240 , 000 to synergeia and enlisted friends to sponsor reading programs . donated $ 20 , 000 to rebuild typhoon - damaged schools in naga city .

to mark sons ' weddings in the 1990s , gave a total of $ 30 million to the metrobank foundation , which promotes education , visual arts and health care . donated $ 350 , 000 last year to typhoon relief . recently donated prime manila property , where the foundation will build a 1 , 000 - bed nonprofit hospital .

owns the clothing and accessories chain with older sister , sulim . a fifth of profits go to their church , city harvest and other charities . elim devotes most of her time to philanthropy . her focus : youth and community development . 77th street has " adopted " 25 children through world vision ' s feed the hungry program and sponsors cleft - palate surgeries for needy kids . helped set up the country ' s first arts market where needy or physically impaired individuals can sell products .

set up a foundation , called the binjai tree , in late 2008 with a donation of $ 3 . 4 million . keeps his charity quiet but is believed to have begun giving to health care causes and the arts in singapore . after local charities were in the news for mismanaging funds in recent years , he started an organization to raise the standard of charitable governance and professionalism .

oversees the foundation started in 1952 by his father , lee kong chian , who built a rubber business fortune . it ' s handed out $ 250 million over the years , mostly to education , the underprivileged and the arts . most of the education money goes to college scholarships , libraries and new research centers . in recent years it donated $ 35 million to the singapore management university and $ 20 million to the national university of singapore . last year it gave large amounts to the national cancer centre .

took the reins from his step - grandmother , margaret lien , last year after serving on the board since 2002 . his grandfather , banker and hotelier lien ying chow , started the foundation in 1980 . he ' s helped professionalize the operations , making it one of the most well - run and transparent foundations in singapore . it ' s distributed more than $ 35 million to education , elder care and environmental causes over the past 4 years .

donates $ 40 , 000 each year to a young people ' s science camp , where children learn about energy and the environment . also gives $ 70 , 000 to the annual " concert of love , " which brings together disabled and underprivileged youngsters . last year he also contributed $ 700 , 000 to the grand bell film award and to korean athletics , with the goal of boosting the country ' s image abroad .

grew up in bitter poverty and started his career working in a traditional market before eventually founding his group . since 1997 he ' s donated $ 220 , 000 , largely to the nation ' s biggest charity , community chest of korea . in 2006 he set an example by giving away the $ 100 , 000 he received as gifts from guests at his daughter ' s wedding . he ' s also helped iraqi refugees , the red cross and food for the hungry international .

focused on helping the less fortunate after recovering from symptoms related to overwork - - arthritis and eye disorders . has collected donations before each of the 23 marathons he ' s run over the last decade , with sk energy matching the funds raised . the total of $ 1 million over the years has been used to help the disadvantaged , including north korean defectors , and for reforestation projects in china .

a leading patron of traditional korean music . sponsors rageum , a traditional orchestra that performs each year at the daeborum ( first day of the new moon ) festival , and funds music teachers . he ' s also opened an art gallery and music hall at the crown - haitai headquarters in seoul .

a vegetable vendor in the central market in taitung in eastern taiwan since 1963 .

dropped out of school after her mother died and began selling vegetables to help support the family of 7 . works virtually every day . donated $ 32 , 000 for a children ' s fund in 2004 and another $ 144 , 000 the next year to help build a library at a school she attended . gave $ 31 , 000 in 2006 to the city ' s kids alive international orphanage and has spent $ 11 , 000 to support 3 orphans there . plans to set up a $ 313 , 000 fund this year to help the poor with education and health care .

chairman of sunlight electronics laboratory and a professor at national taipei university of technology .

vowed in college to put his yet to be earned fortune into something meaningful . donated his first $ 50 in the mid - 1970s . later the mysterious ailment of his then 5 - year - old daughter and her quick and seemingly miraculous recovery spurred him to give away $ 15 , 000 . since then his donations have totaled $ 8 million , including $ 400 , 000 delivered to the taiwan fund for children & families in 2006 , for which he dressed up as santa claus . plans to give $ 1 . 9 million each year .

last march donated $ 3 million to his alma mater , national chengchi university in taipei , where he majored in journalism and met his chinese literature major wife . the gift , the largest the university has ever received , will fund journalism and chinese literature lectures in the name of his mother . he ' s also pledged $ 6 million to help it build a mass communications building . he ' s vowed to make $ 300 million in charitable contributions over his lifetime .

quickly stepped up to donate $ 3 million to the relief efforts after typhoon morakot battered the country . chang yung - fa of evergreen group , terry gou of hon hai precision industry and bruce cheng of delta electronics , who we ' ve honored as heroes of philanthropy in the past , also each donated $ 3 million and had their companies make contributions . in 2003 tsai gave $ 7 . 8 million to the college of law at national taiwan university . the money was earmarked for 2 energy - efficient complexes containing a library and classrooms , which opened last june .

over the last 15 years has contributed more than $ 500 , 000 a year to various education , child welfare and buddhist causes . family ' s buddharaksa foundation assists orphans and other underprivileged children and is run by daughters varnnee and tipaporn . it ' s created a program that helps schools become self - sufficient - - it ' s built 4 chicken farms to supply schools with eggs ; the surplus is sold and profits used to fund school programs . he ' s also built or restored more than a dozen buddhist temples in thailand .

his roy e . heinecke scholarship fund , named for his father , sends hundreds of children to school annually . celebrates his june 4 birthday by giving 20 , 000 workers the day off to do charity work . they paint schools and repair orphanages . " each project is decided by local staff , " says heinecke , who pitches in . " it ' s not about how much money you give , but what you accomplish . "

after pledging to bequeath his assets to the amata foundation - - which he founded to promote education , arts , culture and environmental causes - - he ' s spending less time running his business and more on philanthropy . recently donated 400 acres to thailand ' s ministry of science & technology for construction of a science education and research center .

with wife , wanna , supports education and buddhist causes , as well as efforts to reintroduce elephants into the wild . funds free medical care to needy patients . joined with other donors and the government to finance a $ 30 million kidney research center and medical education center . through the sal chalermkrung foundation he ' s helping to preserve classical thai masked dancing .

her charitable endeavors first came to public attention in 2005 and she has been honored before for her selfless giving — in 2010 , she was selected by forbes asia as one of its 48 heroes of philanthropy , time magazine ranked her as one of the top 100 influential individuals in the world and reader’s digest named her the fourth recipient of the reader’s digest asian of the year award . she received an award from the ministry of education and in january it was announced that a new bridge in taitung city would be named after her .

since receiving those accolades , she has continued to give , donating nt $ 1 million to the red cross society on double ten national day in october last year .

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she ' s planning to establish a fund to help the poor with education , food and health care . amazing , but of all she has given away , her greatest gift is her example .

correction appended : may 6 , 2010 . the original version of this article misidentified the location of the market as southern taiwan . the market is located in eastern taiwan .

she does this for up to 18 hours a day , six days a week . but no matter how much money she makes , she spends no more than a few dollars a day on herself so that she can give away the rest .

the donations included money inherited from her father , royalties from a book written about her and cash prizes for her work .

" everyone can do it . it ' s not just me . it ' s not how much money you make that matters , but how you use your money , " she says .