Career
Du Shuanghua was born in Beijing, China in 1965. From an early age, his passion for entrepreneurialism was clear. Beginning in 1983, he began work as the chief of a welded pipe factory mill in Sanhe County, which is located in the Hebei Province. He continued in this position until 1986. By the following year - at a time when he had just turned 22 years old - he founded his first organization in the form of the Hengshui Jinghua Steel Pipe Company in Hengshui City. Not only would this act as the first of many examples of how far his passion was able to take him, but it also acted as the rock-solid foundation upon which his future career would be built.
He continued to work in the industry for many years, but for Du Shuanghua his success was just never enough. He was never one to rest on his laurels, but he was also never one to follow someone else's path, either. Beginning at the turn of the century, he began to found a number of successful steel pipe manufacturing companies of his own. They were located in areas like Baotou, Guangzhou and Tangshan, to name a few.
By 2003, Du Shuanghua had made the decision to bring all of his various companies together - this is how Rizhao Steel was born. This is also how he became one of the most successful entrepreneurs in China today.
Possibly the most impressive thing about this journey is the fact that Rizhao Steel took only 181 days to come to full operational status. In just a little over six months, Du Shuanghua was able to accomplish something that others hadn't been able to do at all. The organization imports entire ships filled with raw materials like iron ore, PCI coal and others. They also ship out finished steel products in a way that isn't just efficient, but that minimizes costs for all involved as well.
Over the years, Rizhao Steel has been awarded with a wide range of different honors. They were named one of the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises, for example. They've made a name for themselves in the world of manufacturing and private businesses. They earned an A+ rating on the list of the Most Competitive Chinese Steel-Making Enterprises. The list goes on and on.
All of this happened before Du Shuanghua turned 60-years-old. Given the sheer volume that he was able to accomplish up to this point in his career, it's truly exciting to think about what the next few years may have in store.
When he's not hard at work on cementing a successful future for Rizhao Steel, he prides himself on being a passionate philanthropist who wants to make the world a better place for all of us. To date, Rizhao Steel has donated over one billion Yuan to earthquake relief, various educational concerns, efforts to empower medical care, organizations that aim to eliminate poverty and more. To put that into perspective, that's the equivalent of about $156 million USD.