Stan Shih

Just as chip giant Intel Corp. has succeeded by making the Intel microprocessor the brains of nearly every PC, Acer has thrived by pumping out with machinelike precision not only its own PCs, but a wide range of PC components. "I am looking for Acer to be inside [every PC] just like Intel," said Shih. "Whether it's a CD-ROM, memory module or LCD panel, we'd like to see all computers, no matter what the brand name, have some Acer parts inside."

Shih, who started Acer at the dawn of the microprocessor era and has headed up the company for an amazing 23 years, has been a driving force behind transforming the small island of Taiwan from a country at one time ridiculed in America as a manufacturer of cheap plastic toys into a highly respected center of computer manufacturing for the global market. Shih is one of the founding fathers of the PC business in Taiwan. His vision of the microprocessor as the engine of a new industrial revolution has brought Taiwan into the nation of modern industrial economies.

Like the character of the country where he was born and raised, a country that refused to chafe in the shadow of communist China, Shih has succeeded by going his own way. In his autobiography, titled "Me Too Is Not My Style," Shih writes: "Life's Causes: The first cause is I am not a me-too person." Shih has used that credo as a foundation for a philosophy that he calls "reverse thinking" to "challenge difficulties, break through bottlenecks and create value."

Create value indeed. The unassuming Shih was shy, not good at social interaction and exhibited little ambition when he was in school, according to his wife. But Shih has since built Acer into one of the workhorses of the Information Age. The company's influence runs deeper than just the Acer brand name. Acer is one of the manufacturing powerhouses of the computer business. The company builds PCs and delivers components to all of the top computer companies, including IBM Corp. Chances are good that the PCs recommended and sold by the channel were either built by Acer or contain parts manufactured by the company. Not many people know it, but Acer is the third largest computer manufacturer in the world.

Helping his mother transact business was a big influence, said Shih. "My mother worked very hard to bring me up. She built her own small business. We shared a lot."

Shih also learned from his mother the importance of education, family and the philosophy that "human nature is basically good." Those principles are the pillars upon which he built Acer. "I try to run the company like a family. My children do not work for Acer. You don't need to be my relative or classmate to work at Acer. I treat all employees like a family member. They are a partner of the company. We are all partners together," Shih said.

Shih's partnership with his Acer employees began 23 years ago when he was bitten by the microprocessor bug. Shih, who at one time dreamed of being a college professor, was convinced that the microprocessor would be in machines that were used by people everywhere. He, his wife, Carolyn, and three other co-founders set out to make Acer one of the top PC companies in the world.

Carolyn, who studied financial management, oversaw all of the company's financial operations. That left Shih to concentrate on the technology side of the business.

Carolyn said her husband never imagined that he would start his own business.

She said it was his love of family and generous nature that attracted her to him. "He is always thinking of others. He always puts the interest of others above his own. To do well in business is very simple: You must be very honest and care about your customers. Those were two important things Stan's mother taught him," Carolyn said.

Besides building Acer, Shih and his wife, who were married 28 years ago on Sept. 28, 1971, which is Confucius' birthday, a national holiday in Taiwan, have raised three children who have the same fire and independent spirit that has fueled their parents.

Each of the children is pursuing graduate degrees and has their own dreams and aspirations.

Shih, who lives an ascetic life eschewing fancy food and expensive suits, said he is still learning lessons from his 76-year-old mother, who lives with him and his wife.

"She still tries to help me," said Shih, chuckling as he marvels at the strength of his mother, who was recently popularized in a one-hour television program in Taiwan. "She still reminds me of this and that. And she helps with the family."

Even heart trouble has not slowed down the 55-year-old Shih. Last year several weeks before Comdex, he underwent an angioplasty procedure,and still made it to the trade show. Shih continues to work long hours and devotes most of his time and effort to Acer. In fact, Shih is now working hard to remake Acer as not only a computer manufacturing giant, but as one of the leaders in the software market of the future and a big contributor to the Internet. "Our vision is to bring fresh technology to market and Internet service enjoyed by everyone, everywhere," said Shih.

As part of that effort to make Taiwan a center for software and technology innovation, Shih and his wife have been working for the past decade to build a community of imagination called Aspire Park where a new generation of citizens can dream of the technology of the future and then make those dreams a reality. "It's not only about making money," said Shih. "We are trying to do something different. I have strived to create a lot of hope for other people."

Aspire Park is a community containing manufacturing, single-family homes and apartments, educational, recreational and conference facilities built on 425 acres of lush land on the outskirts of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. The latest addition to the park came on Oct. 18 when Shih presided over the opening of Aspire Academy, an educational institution set up to help managers heading Asian firms and multinational Asia branches improve their leadership skills in a global market.

In the end, Aspire Park is more than just another example of Shih's "Me Too Is Not My Style." It is his way of helping others realize their own dreams and taking Taiwan's contribution to the high-tech world to another level. "Of course, people want to make money," he said. "But we also have a mission: We want to contribute more to our country."

Shih's contributions to his country and the global computer market are great and, if history is any indication, there is a lot more to come.