Strong job growth in February helped boost stocks. And some of those jobs came from companies making products in America again. Mei Xu and David Wang started making candles 18 years ago in the basement of their Maryland home, molding them in soup cans. Today, they run the Chesapeake Bay Candle company, which brings in nearly $90 million a year, and they have relocated jobs from China back to the U.S.
Legendary Ladies - Five Women Moving Maryland Forward
In keeping with Maryland Life's tradition of honoring women whose contributions- both famous and little-known- have shaped the Free State for the better, this year's list of "legendary ladies" includes entrepreneurs, IT pioneers, a green guru, and Charm City's mayor.
While many would call them trailblazers, these women humbly decline that label. At the core, each woman has chosen her path out of need to follow her passion and a desire to improve her community.
They are leaders, mothers, wives, daughters, neighbors, friends, and above all else, role models. They give of themselves. They make positive ripples in the local ponds of their lives.
Download the PDF from the link below and read the story of Mei Xu... one of Maryland Life's "Legendary Ladies" 2012!
Enterprising Women Magazine Celebrates the Class of 2012
Outstanding woman entrepreneurs from North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa were honored at the 10th Annual Enterprising Women of the Year Award Celebration on March 13 at the Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Mei Xu, founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle, and Melanne Verveer, the first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, were inducted into the Enterprising Women Hall of Fame, the highest level of honor at the awards celebration.
Download the PDF from the link below to read the whole story!
Bringing It Home Mei Xu, owner of the Chesapeake Bay Candle Company and Blissliving Home, is a trailblazer. She has grown from making candle prototypes out of soup cans in her basement to having her work commissioned by the White House.
Last summer, Xu made another radical, creative, and unexpected move: She opened Chesapeake Bay’s first domestic manufacturing facility right here in the Free State.
Xu invested millions to renovate a nearly 120,000-square-foot warehouse space in Glen Burnie and patiently navigated delays and red tape in order to get the facility up and running. At full capacity, the factory produces 16,000 candles per day.
On January 8, MSNBC's Your Business profiled the opening of the Chesapeake
Bay Candle factory in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The report shows how we have
successfully created manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and includes interviews with
Chesapeake Bay Candle creator Mei Xu and our COO Dale Williams.
WGSN HomeBuildLife
12/06/2011
Holiday Edition 2011 By Chesapeake Bay Candle
U.S. scent brand Chesapeake Bay Candle has launched their 2011 holiday collection, made up of three new festive fragrances called Falling Snow, Frosted Evergreen, and Spiced Berry.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the review or go to
Chesapeake Bay Candle answers this burning question by opening a factory in Glen Burnie, MD. By Warren Shoulberg.
Open a candle factory in the United States? You've either got to be crazy... or Mei Xu. Xu and husband David Wang are the co-founders of Chesapeake Bay Candle and earlier this year they did exactly that: build and start a making candles at a factory in Glen Burnie, MD, just outside of Baltimore.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article.
Mei Xu, Founder and CEO, Chesapeake Bay Candle, Rockville
By Gabriele McCormick
Mei Xu considers herself “always ahead of the curve.” Ten years ago, when the founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle—which saw $84 million in sales in 2010—noticed production costs rising at the company’s two manufacturing facilities in China, she established one of the first foreign-owned facilities in Vietnam.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article.
Our Golden Amber and Cinnamon Chai candles from the Chesapeake Bay Candle Home Collection were selected for Good Housekeeping's The Good List as they capture the warm, spicy scents of the season in reusable ceramic jars.
Daniel Ryntjes reports for China Network Television about the recent re-shoring trend in manufacturing as identified by the Boston Consulting Group in a study published in October 2011. Daniel visited the new Chesapeake Bay Candle factory in Glen Burnie, MD and spoke with Mei Xu about the many reasons behind the decision to relocate part of our production from Asia to the U.S.
Chesapeake Home + Living
10/08/2011
Great Finds: Chesapeake Bay Candle
More than just a scent, fragrance provides instant ambiance to any home. It is an easy, inexpensive way to express your personality and set the mood. Mei Xu, co-founder and president of Chesapeake Bay Candle, based in Rockville, Maryland, understands the importance of fragrance.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article.
Enterprising Women: Mei Xu, Owner of Chesapeake Bay Candle Passion Sparks Candlemaker's Innvovation By Scott Dance
Background: Xu was raised in China before moving to the U.S. and founding Chesapeake Bay Candle. Xu says she saw a demand for contemporary home goods, and the company has grown to be a major supplier for retailers like Target and Kohl's. Recentlt, it strengthened its presence in Maryland by opening its U.S. factory in Glen Burnie.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article.
Burning Passion - How Mei Xu Built a $70 Million Candle Empire By Christianna McCausland
As a young woman living in post-Richard Nixon era China, Mei Xu did not intend to become the head of a privately held American candle empire worth roughly $70 million. Yet today she is the president of Chesapeake Bay Candle, one of the most popular candle brands in the country, and her wares fill the shelves of mega retailers like Target, Kohl's, and Bed Bath & Beyond. She even worked with First Lady Michelle Obama to design a candle for The White House in 2009.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article.
ABC World News with Diane Sawyer: Chesapeake Bay Candle - Made in America
06/29/2011
Baltimore Sun
06/28/2011
Chesapeake Bay Candle opens first U.S. plant in Glen Burnie
By Hanah Cho, The Baltimore Sun
It's called Chesapeake Bay Candle. But for 17 years, all the products in the signature line of Annapolis-born and Rockville-based Pacific Trade International were made by cheaper labor in Asia.
On Tuesday, the brand celebrates a sort of homecoming: the official opening of a new plant in Glen Burnie, where a workforce projected to grow to 100 will make the candles the company sells at Target, Kohl's and other retailers.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article and to read the full story.
Candle factory brings manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
By Danielle Douglas
Conveyor belts are raring to go at the Glen Burnie factory of Pacific Trade International, the Rockville company behind Chesapeake Bay Candle. Opening this Tuesday, the 117,200-square-foot plant is the company’s first in the United States, after 16 years of manufacturing all of its products in Asia.
The move toward domestic production comes as the cost advantages of manufacturing in Asia are waning, and Chesapeake Bay Candle’s distribution channels in the United States continue to grow.
The line of brilliantly colored, scented candles can be found on the shelves at some of the largest stores, including Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s. Sales topped $84 million in 2010 and new orders are flowing. The Glen Burnie factory is designed to help shorten turnaround on those orders.
Getting the plant up and running, however, has been a test of will for the company’s founders, David Wang and Mei Xu. The husband-and-wife team faced regulatory roadblocks at every turn, making them question the government’s commitment to revitalizing manufacturing.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article.
Fox 5 Morning News at the Chesapeake Bay Candle Factory in Glen Burnie, Maryland
06/22/2011
Washington Post Magazine
05/29/2011
Better With Age
Four successful women, ages 33 to 65, reveal their thoughts on aging.
Mei Xu, 43, President of Chesapeake Bay Candle and CEO of Blissliving Home
"I was born in 1967 at the start of the Cultural Revolution, when men and women dressed in Mao-style coats. Since my school had access to foreign magazines and books, I had some exposure to fashion in the West, which helped me develop my own sense of style. I had no real-life models. Today, I'm partial to menswear fabrics and am a believer in having a really good tailor. (...)"
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article and to read the Mei's story.
Chesapeake Bay Candle Sparks State's Ailing Manufacturing Sector
There were delays. There were frustrations. But Mei Xu kept pushing.
Anne Arundel County stands to benefit greatly from Xu's determination. The owner of Rockville-based Chesapeake Bay Candle is shifting some manufacturing operations from Vietnam to a former liquor warehouse in Glenburnie.
Visit the link below to download a PDF of the article and to read thef full article.
What makes a best seller? Price, for one. When something is priced just right, people will be instinctly drawn to it. Style is the other important factor. It has to be attractive, whether it's on trend, a classic that will be held onto for a long time, or just so cute and fun shoppers just can't resist.
You may have sensed, pardon the pun, that there are hundreds of new home fragrance products in stores. The industry has sniffed out a new trend: We're spending more time at home, and we want our rooms to smell good.
(...) "Over the past couple of years, in a colder economic climate, gourmand fragrances — like vanilla and pumpkin — have become very popular," says Mei Xu, founder of Chesapeake Bay Candles. "Generally speaking, these scents help bring back happy memories. They make you feel safe and warm, and in these times people are longing for a sense of security."
Xu, co-founder of Chesapeake Bay Candle, discusses how she got started
By Hanah Cho, The Baltimore Sun
Mei Xu took several detours to become a founder of a multimillion-dollar candle and home decor company in Maryland.
Xu grew up in China and was swept up with other college students in the government's push to "re-educate" them after the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989, the year she graduated with a degree in American studies. She was sent to work in a metal and mineral warehouse despite having been trained to become a diplomat since age 12. She quit after a month.
"Room spritzers zap bad smells," says the Houston Chronicle. Featuring the Target line of RefreshAir, this newspaper calls our line "antiperspirant for the home."
Few things are as soothing after a busy day as the flickering glow of a fragrant candle. This votive set offers unusual mixes including Cedarwood Sweet Tobacco and Green Bamboo Jasmine.
My story: I'm not exactly what you'd call spontaneous. Passionate, yes, but anything unplanned, ad-libbed or off-the-cuff isn't for me. I plan. I research. And then I plan some more.
To download the complete article please click the link below.
Mei Xu, owner and creator of Chesapeake Bay Candle, says she is launching the Signature collection as a way of thanking the ever-expanding circle of the brand. The single most important source of inspiration for the creation of the fragrances and designs of the Signature line is nature. (...)
To download the full article please click the link below.
Crafted of cream-colored soy wax, the Amber Vanilla Hazelnut filled candle uses cheerful plum and creamy hazelnut essences blended with velvety touches of vanilla and amber from Chesapeake Bay Candle. The packaging spotlights a silk-screened overlapping tree motif.
Mei Xu, owner of two trendy companies, describes how Washington, D.C. inspires her.
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in journalism, Mei Xu used her communication skills and ability to detect the latest trends in culture and fashion to create her first business, Chesapeake Bay Candle, which she started in her Annapolis basement with her husband, David. With a second company, Blissliving Home, now well under way, Xu shares some of her business savvy.
Shorter days and cooler nights - fall is in full swing. It's time to stash away your summer polos, and haul out your fall and winter threads. Because your grooming regimen should compliment your wardrobe, Joe's Metro sought out these new fall products to help you get in step with the season, from new body washes and smoothing scrubs to romantic scented candles to woo your lady.
Masking Odor is a distant memory. Today's environmental fragrance products eliminate pesky scents, transport people to exotic locations and look right at home doing so.
Please click the link below to download the comlete article.
Looking for a good read? Check out this feature to learn what Chesapeake Bay Candle owner and creator Mei Xu is reading. Just click the link below to read the full story.
Chesapeake Bay Candle is one of the featured companies showcasing their growth strategies for 2008. "Predicting the future is no small feat, but that's what business owners have to do when they sit down to figure out their sales forecasts for the coming year. And that one number can have a profound effect on a company." Click the link below to read the full article.
Please let us introduce the capital's Tastemaker - Mei Xu, owner and creator of Chesapeake Bay Candle. Paying tribute to Mei's very glamorous, global-chic style, the Washington Post once again profiles the creative mind behind Chesapeake Bay Candle. Discover Mei's fragrance, food, music and more.
Mei Xu, the creative mind behind Chesapeake Bay Candle, is profiled in DC Magazine's 2007 Home & Design issue. Find out what inspired Mei to launch her new enterprise Blissliving Home, the destination interior lifestyle brand for the stylish consumer seeking modern design with a global touch.
Terp Magazine, the magazine of the University of Maryland, profiled Mei Xu, UMD alumni and owner and creator of Chesapeake Bay Candle, in its Spring 07 issue. Here you can read the entire story; of Mei Xu's upbringing in China, and how Chesapeake Bay Candle became an immediate success after its establishment in 1994.
It's hard to imagine a more optimistic group than entrepreneurs. Ask anyone who's recently started a business where they plan to be in a year, and the answer will invariably include some pretty lofty predictions.
It seems so quaint now, the way Mei Xu undersold her achievements in an interview a year and a half ago. She and her husband, David Wang, young immigrants from China, had built a $20-million-a-year, profitable business designing elegant, aromatic candles and having them made in China.
The question dogs Mei Xu and David Wang. Four years ago, Xu and Wang began importing candles from China, just as they exploded in popularity among Americans, and from nothing, they have built a $25 million business selling candles to corner shops and large stores. The couple's new, barely furnished offices in Rockville say it all: They have put everything into growing as fast as possible, rushing from the start to keep up with a trend.
.jpg)
