Our Team
Henry Zhao
Founder
Henry is a determined and resourceful businessman who has an extremely warm heart towards people and animals. Henry and Benjamin, the founders of XPI, met in the early 2000s when Henry was establishing a business to outsource injection molding to US companies and Benjamin was working as Vice President of Operations for a multimillion-dollar corporation in the USA. After working together for about two years in the capacity of customer/supplier, they decided it was time to form a long-lasting partnership and branch out on their own. So in 2004, XPI was born.
Henry is originally from Shanghai, China. He is an only child, and his parents migrated to New York City when he was in his teens. The plan was for Henry to become a doctor, just like his father. Therefore, Henry started his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Brooklyn College and even got accepted into medical school when he was 22 years old. But something didn’t feel right about going in that direction. Henry was quite fascinated by the opportunities he saw arising as a result of the tech boom that was happening at the time. So much so that he decided to get on a fast-track path to success by going a different route — he pursued an MBA in Finance and Informational Management from NYU instead of attending medical school. A bold move that certainly didn’t sit well with his parents.
After graduating from NYU, Henry worked in many major corporations, such as AT&T and JP Morgan Chase, catering to the technology needs of their business customers. While working in the fiber optics industry, he saw a tremendous opportunity to lower production costs by importing injection molds and parts from China. He immediately had a vision of success, as he could pair his cultural background, language skills and knowledge with the opportunity to do business in China. What a competitive advantage at just the right time! A time when technology could easily allow him to do extensive research and forge key relationships with the manufacturing market in China from the comfort of his home in NYC.
After Henry and Benjamin met and decided to go into business together, they both agreed that Henry should move back to China to spearhead operations there with a hands-on approach. Although he had roots in Shanghai, moving back with his wife to a nearby city, Ningbo, to start the factory was not a small feat. New York had been his home for the previous 17 years! However, the transition went smoother than he anticipated and, in no time, the whole family (wife, dog named Speedo, and a cat named Marco) were all happily settled in the vibrant city of Ningbo.
Henry is proud of his accomplishments as an entrepreneur — he and Benjamin started with one customer and today they have a solid portfolio of global customers from various industries. However, what he is most proud of is that although Chinese facilities typically experience large employee turnover, at XPI they have built a family-like business where employees are engaged and happy with their jobs! The workforce just keeps getting better and better year after year. To Henry (and Benjamin) this level of success supersedes any other, as they believe that when you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers.
Henry keeps close ties to the USA traveling there two to three times per year as his parents and other relatives still live in New York and the company’s USA headquarters is located in Florida. As a hobby, Henry truly loves cars. He enjoys attending car shows and fan club events and even occasionally racing cars himself. He also enjoys running, keeping an average of 100 kilometers per month, in order to stay healthy.
Benjamin Masters
Founder
Benjamin comes from a family of high achievers and adventure seekers. His father spent his career as a naval officer. As a result, his family moved around quite often — usually every two years. Some of the moves included foreign and exciting destinations. Having to repeatedly uproot and start a new life in a different place created in him a deep appreciation for traveling and learning new cultures.
This constant flow created a certain type of adult out of him, one that is always eager to discover new adventures, to question conventional ways of doing things, to explore uncharted waters and, most importantly, to feel comfortable and find confidence within himself in uncertain and unfamiliar situations. Some people have a hard time thinking outside of the box, Benjamin has a difficult time seeing the box to begin with. His creativity, problem-solving ability and willingness to help customers find innovative ways of bringing their new inventions to life has no bounds.
Benjamin went to the University of Florida to study Industrial Engineering. While there, he was admitted into a rare dual program that awarded him with both a Bachelors in Industrial Engineering and a Masters in Business upon graduation. During his time in university, he also sought out the most competitive internships, including Rockwell Collins Avionics and Disney Engineering, to leverage both his business and engineering skills, which gave him a competitive edge upon graduation.
After he graduated, he took off to NYC to start his professional career as a Project Manager for a prominent consulting firm. This position allowed him to continue with his passion for traveling and seeking new challenges. As he moved from one project/client to the next in various cities and diverse industries, he encountered new problems and created solutions. After doing consulting for a couple of years, Benjamin came across a promising opportunity to work for a multinational corporation in upstate New York, which he took, and quickly climbed his way up to VP of Operations. That’s when he met Henry, his business partner.
Henry was working as one of his suppliers. The fear of doing business abroad was simply non-existent for this duo. After working together for about two years under the company/supplier capacity, Benjamin decided to leave corporate America and lock hands with Henry to embark on the adventure of founding XPI.
For the first 15 years of business, they focused on building a solid corporate foundation, including a strong client and employee base. Upon reaching their 15th anniversary, Henry and Benjamin felt it was time to ask themselves some new questions, including “How do we give back to the world?” and “How do we reduce the impact of plastic on the planet and in manufacturing?”
Since they now had the resources to build anything they wanted, the question became: “What should we build that would allow us to make the most impact?”
Benjamin’s vision for XPI’s future is to seek clients and partners that are passionate about their environmental footprint, that have a desire to make a difference and are looking to manufacture innovative solutions to important problems. XPI has already made some progress along these lines. XPI’s strategic collaborations include agricultural products that increase farming productivity, water purification technology, rehabilitation products and child-safe packaging solutions.
Benjamin, along with his partner Henry, look forward to leveraging their capabilities to support not only their own vision but the vision of their clients. They believe that the best innovation comes from collaboration and are excited for the next 15 years of partnership and progress with new and existing clients.
Sam Xing
Director of Manufacturing
Sam brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the XPI family. With over two decades in the manufacturing industry under his belt, he made a significant impact when joining XPI in 2009. As if his experience and expertise were not enough, Sam also brought in an abundance of enthusiasm and team spirit to this fast-growing organization. He knows how to harvest the best from each team member in order to obtain synergy from the whole group.
In his role as Director of Manufacturing, he is responsible for ensuring efficiency through resource integration and process reengineering. Sam has a thirst for process improvement and quality control — always looking for better ways to achieve greater heights when it comes to XPI’s operations. Profitability starts on the manufacturing floor — by preventing errors, eliminating waste and securing the highest quality standards, XPI can continue to remain competitive and thrive in the global manufacturing arena.
Sam obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Henan University of Science and Technology in 1999. Prior to joining XPI, Sam successfully built up his career from technical engineer to Director, overseeing small and large teams while orchestrating smooth production lines in various industries.
When not busy at work, Sam enjoys mountain climbing and trail running. Being surrounded by nature helps him relax and recharge.
Justin Stevens
Director of Sales
- jstevens@2020.xpicorp.com
- 315-292-1222 ext 102
Justin Stevens is one of the founding employees at XPI. He has been with the company since 2004, when the business was just getting established, and his footprint is present throughout all areas of operations at XPI.
His background of 16 years in engineering design, 20 years of experience in sales, coupled with half a decade of trust and friendship acquired through a previous work relationship with one of the founders of XPI, made Justin the perfect fit to lead sales and operations in North America for the company.
Justin’s passion for his work is evident in the way he conducts his business. He is available for his clients 24/7, loves being a valuable resource to review design plans – making sure that parts are cost-effective and functional – and he truly enjoys being the liaison between customers and the manufacturing team in China. As a matter of fact, besides bringing customers’ vision into reality and forging long-lasting relationships with his clients, he deeply values the opportunity to travel to China often. Experiencing China’s vibrant culture, making life-long friends at work, broadening his knowledge and skills while learning a new culture, are all aspects of his job that contribute to his fulfillment.
Working at XPI affords Justin the flexibility to make quick business decisions, as the company places a strong emphasis on trust. Everyone is reliable and operations run smoothly in a family-friendly environment where each associate is valued and their individual contributions are appreciated.
Justin grew up in Bozeman, a city in southern Montana, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. When not busy supporting clients, he loves to spend time with his high school sweetheart and wife of 20 years and being active outdoors – skiing, scuba diving, golfing, spearfishing or simply enjoying the beach in Fort Lauderdale, FL , where they both live, work and play today.
Bonnie Shen
Director of Project Management
Bonnie started working with XPI in 2010. Before joining XPI, Bonnie dabbled with Business Development; however, she discovered a passion for Project Management while working with a high performing and dynamic team.
Managing projects that start from zero and turning them into fully finished products became her new career as a Director of Project Management at XPI. Bonnie attributes her success in handling complex projects to her ability to coordinate multiple tasks combined with her sharp analytical skills and devotion to solving client issues.
She graduated from Zhejiang University of Science and Technology majoring in Foreign Trade English.
Her daily work requires her to be quick on her feet and to guide her team of Project Managers to think of creative solutions to unforeseen problems. She is a master at mitigating risks in order to ensure that projects are completed effectively in a timely manner.
Bonnie loves all aspects of her job at XPI, but she particularly values the team spirit, division of labor and accountability that all of her team members demonstrate day in and day out. Teamwork is a pervasive characteristic of employees at XPI, and she really appreciates working with such a stellar group of people.
Since her job can be stressful at times, Bonnie enjoys yoga to decompress and re-energize. Having a healthy stress reliever such as yoga is a great way to remain sharp and focused.
Helen Yang
Quality Control Director
Helen has been with XPI since 2006. She has worked her way up to Quality Control Director and, as such, she truly takes great pride in ensuring that XPI’s products and services meet all necessary requirements before they reach their customer’s hands.
In her role, Helen uses her eye for detail and ability to fully understand customers’ needs to develop custom control systems and processes that result in not merely compliance, but more importantly, complete customer satisfaction.
Shortly after Helen joined the company, she was pleased to notice that XPI’s corporate culture felt more like a family. It was evident that the company had managed to hire and retain an incredible team that worked phenomenally well together. The job, the people and even the location of the factory, were the perfect fit for her.
One of the most positive aspects of working at XPI for Helen is the fact that they have invested in her professional development. With the additional training that she received while working at XPI, she was able to acquire new skills that have equipped her to climb up the ladder to her current Director of Quality Control role.
Helen does not shy away from new challenges. She sees new products (requiring new measurement techniques, new processes, new resources) as a way to keep improving herself, to expand the company’s portfolio of clients and to push her skills and expertise to the next level.
On the personal side, it is no coincidence that Helen pushes herself to grow at home as well by trying new recipes in the kitchen. She enjoys cooking for her friends and family every week.
She also enjoys taking a walk every evening after dinner to unwind and relax before bed.
Carrie Xu
Logistics Manager
Carrie Xu has been working at XPI since 2012. She loves the fact that the company is a foreign enterprise, as she really identifies with the American culture. She also values that XPI’s corporate culture encompasses a positive work atmosphere and strong team spirit. She feels that the company values employees and their individual contributions, and she appreciates the opportunities offered for self-improvement.
Carrie graduated from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University where she studied international economics and trade. Today, in her role as a Logistics Manager, she is responsible for the team that oversees the movement of goods to and from XPI’s manufacturing facility in China to the client.
Her team oversees management of shipping carriers, provides valuable consulting to XPI’s customers on best import/export practices, and assists with any other transportation issues that arise.
When not busy planning logistics at work, she is busy planning her vacations — Carrie enjoys traveling to places where she can experience nature and picturesque towns.
Sue Yuan
Director of Accounting and Finance
Sue has been at XPI since 2004. She oversees all financial aspects of the business – accounts payables, receivables, financial planning, payment arrangements, internal audits and all the typical day-to-day accounting and finance activities required to keep the company running. However, Sue’s biggest contribution might just be the energy and enthusiasm that she brings to the team. Sure she is responsible for the company’s long-term profitability and success, but her lively personality is also equally important to the organization, as it has become part of the fabric of this company.
She graduated from Guizhou Institute of Chemical Technology in 1984 with a major in Chemical Technology and also from China Central Television University in 1996 with a major in Accounting. She is also a CPA since 1997.
Aside from taking care of XPI’s numbers, she enjoys Real Estate Investment and keeping physically active. Speaking of numbers, people might want to think twice before they challenge Sue to a jumping ropes match to achieve the highest number of jumps – she can jump countless times without even breaking a sweat.