Justin Yuen, 38, is president of FMYI (For My Innovation), a social-collaboration software company with a commitment to sustainability.
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Yuen is president of FMYI and serves on the board of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.// Photo by Sierra Breshears |
BY LINDA BAKER
Justin Yuen, 38, is president of FMYI (For My Innovation), a social-collaboration software company with a commitment to sustainability. Clients have included major corporations such as Nike, Target and Martha Stewart, as well as nonprofits and universities. Before launching the company in 2004, Yuen was a senior manager in corporate sustainable development at Nike. He also worked in the Netherlands as Nike’s head of footwear quality for the Europe/Middle East/Africa region. He serves on the board of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, the Northwest Earth Institute and the Board of Trustees of the National Crittenton Foundation, and is the chair of the Multnomah County Advisory Committee on Sustainability & Innovation. He lives in Northeast Portland with his wife, Katrina, and their two children.
THEY SAY I’M …
“Positive, no matter what the situation; focused on problem solving, always looking for the solution. I always have a smile on my face. People find it funny to learn I’m from New Jersey. I seem very West Coast and don’t have an accent. But I still have strong allegiances to sports teams there. I enjoy eating out. I take pictures of the food and post to Instagram or Facebook. People laugh about that.”
NIKE CONNECTION
“My mother worked in Nike’s Shanghai office in 1982-83. My father was an expat working on a power plant. Back then Nike was doing some marketing in China. They sponsored an Olympic track athlete and were researching manufacturing options. The reason I came to Oregon was a family vacation in college. The folks my mom had worked for in Shanghai took us on a tour of the Nike campus. So my life came full circle.”
CUTTING EDGE
“I am at the center of two trends: online social trends and sustainability. We are a certified B Corporation; we have clients working on environmental issues, and by using our software, people can embrace telecommuting. Ten years from now, I would love to have made a major impact with millions using our digital platform to increase their triple bottom line while working from anywhere.”
TRAVEL BUG
“It’s important for my kids to experience my wife’s culture in the Philippines. In March we are going to China with my parents, my brother and his wife. That will be a great way for the kids to get in touch with my side of the family. It will be one of those package tours. I’m a little leery about how the kids will keep up with that aspect of the program. I’ve been biking more and dabbled in camping, which I didn’t grow up doing.”
ELDERS’ WISDOM
“My parents are my role models, how they balanced their global careers with raising their kids. They worked hard, treated people fairly, and always were striving to improve at work while being dedicated to the well-being and success of their family. I try to incorporate the lessons I learned from them into my career and with my family, and I am grateful that they continue to guide me.”
