PPB December 2018

Yuh l i ng Lu T hirty years ago, when Yuhling Lu immigrated from Taiwan to the United States, she knew nothing about promotional products. But she knew a lot about biochemistry. After earning her bachelor’s degree in agricultural chemistry and a master’s degree in biochemistry fromNational Taiwan University, Lu began looking for a university where she could earn her Ph.D. She decided she wanted to live in America. “I came to the United States to study and pursue my doctorate in biology and biomedical science,” says Lu, who today is the owner of Saint Louis, Missouri-based supplier Ariel Premium Supply. “After getting accepted to three American colleges, I decided to choose Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, because they offered the best research program. Plus, their full scholarship allowed me to settle in Saint Louis.” Students and Scientists Lu met her husband, Tai Lin, also a Taiwan native, when they were both students working on their doctorate degrees at Washington University. As college students who were just beginning their careers as scientists, Lu and Lin were looking for ways to earn extra money. That’s when they stumbled upon promotional products. “In the beginning, Ariel was a side business to get some extra income to help with our scientist incomes,” Lu says. “We had a friend who was a promo supplier who introduced us to the industry. She was selling mostly stress relievers and candy bottles. She asked us to pick up the stress relievers business. After a while, the business started growing and we decided to make it our full-time work.” Lu chose the company’s name based on her favorite Disney character. When Lu and Lin founded the company in 1993, stress relievers were a big part of their business. Although the popular products remain one of the company’s primary specialties, Ariel has now diversified its product When Yuhling Lu came to the U.S. from Taiwan, she never expected where it would lead. by Brittany Glenn American Success Story “Wework very hard to create strong relationships withour core vendorswho look out for us.” —Yuhling Lu 78 | DECEMBER 2018 | THINK