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Sunrider International company history timeline

1982

Sunrider International, the outfit the Chiayi, Taiwan native founded in 1982, has joined the bandwagon to take a bricks-and-mortar bypass of Chinese government barriers to door-to-door sales.

Tei-Fu and Oi-Lin Chen, started the company in Utah in 1982, their journey begins decades earlier in Tei-Fu’s homeland, Taiwan.

1984

With Black's departure as president in 1984, Tei Fu Chen became both chairman and president.

1987

With initial financial help from her clan, not his, the company was quickly profitable and moved to southern California in 1987 as a better base for world commerce.

In 1987 the Chens decided to expand in the Los Angeles area.

1988

Sunrider responded by recalling all Nutrien products on February 5, 1988, and offering to reimburse customers for the recalled products.

A new plant with new equipment was opened in Orem in late February 1988, after state regulators gave their approval.

Reporter Con Psarras began the series called "Herbal Medicine: Miracle or Mirage" as part of the Sunday evening news on February 7, 1988.

The KSL-TV programs, along with the numerous newspaper articles on the government investigations of Sunrider, generated a lot of controversy in Utah in 1988.

Doctor Jau-Fei Chen in 1988 earned her Ph.D. in microbiology at Brigham Young University.

1989

In 1989, Doctor Jau-Fei Chen, Tei Fu Chen's sister, started a rival herbal firm called E-Excel International, Inc. in Provo, Utah.

1990

By 1990 Sunrider's sales had reached more than $200 million based on operations in the United States, Canada, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand, and New Zealand.

In 1990 Tei Fu Chen received an honorary doctorate of agriculture from the Chinese Culture University in Taipei, the largest university in Taiwan, the Republic of China.

1992

Sunrider entered the Latin American market in 1992 when it began operations in Mexico City.

1993

The 1993 christening of a $45 million headquarters in Torrance, California (the company also maintains offices in Guangzhou, China) was celebrated in real estate circles there, even if Sunrider remained a mostly word-of-mouth sales operation with little reason to trumpet its corporate milestones.

1995

In 1995 the Sunrider Corporation, Tei Fu Chen, and Oi-Lin Chen were charged with tax evasion, conspiracy, filing false company tax returns, and smuggling.

1996

Sunrider International was presented with the New York City National Community Kosher Award by the National Council of Young Israel in 1996

1997

The company's strong Asian business expanded with the 1997 creation of Sunrider Philippines, headquartered in Pasig City near Manila.

In 1997 the company opened Sunrider Hungary's new office to accommodate the growing number of individuals interested in starting their own business after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of communist state-controlled economies.

1998

Barrett in 1998 reported that Sunrider was among the 100-plus companies using multilevel marketing to sell health products.

Sunrider's Chinese operations had begun three years earlier, and by 1998 the firm operated manufacturing plants in the cities of Tianjin and Huang Pu.

In 1998 Sunrider continued to develop new products, and held annual conventions in California, where distributors from around the world could see the company's manufacturing facilities and also its 300,000-square-foot headquarters on nine acres of land in Torrance.

In spite of its serious legal problems, in 1998 Sunrider continued to expand, especially in international markets.

2005

In 2005 direct selling was permitted again in China under 21 licenses that Sunrider and some others have chosen so far to forgo.

2006

In 2006 Sunrider acquired two hotels in Beijing and one in Taipei, for some $340 million, as gathering points for its sales network.

2007

The Professional Enterprise Award was launched in 2007 by the Asian Management Association (AMA) and Certified Consultant Academy (CCA) of Singapore and recognizes enterprises that display excellence in key areas of organizational development, namely:

2010

Doctor Chen was chosen as the recipient of the 2010 Overall Winner of the Asian Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

2014

DoctorTei-Fu Chen was among the prominent figures honored by the Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KLSCCCI), July 14, 2014, for exceptional achievements in the corporate world.

2016

DoctorTei-Fu Chen was presented with this Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles, on September 16, 2016.

2017

Doctor Oi-Lin Chen is featured in the cover story of a December 2017 special issue “dedicated to celebrating the 20 most influential women executives of the direct selling segment.”

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Founded
1982
Company founded
Headquarters
Torrance, CA
Company headquarter
Founders
Dr. Tei-Fu Chen,Jack Tramiel
Company founders
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