By Lim Yann Ling

KRISLITE, a leading lighting company in the Asia Pacific region, aims to be the 'light that outshines'.

Its group managing director, Mr Jimmy Teo (above), notes that the Entrepreneur of the Year Award (EYA) this year is a 'great honour and endorsement of achievement in this challenging business environment'.

'It is a great report card for myself and Krislite after so many years of hard work,' he says.

The EYA seeks out local entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and drive in their fields of business while making social contribution a significant part of their business philosophy.

For Krislite, this means maintaining significant growth. The company achieved 15 per cent yearon- year growth in revenue in 2007 and its projects saw 25 per cent growth this year.

Mr Teo, 51, believes that the mindset of the leaders and employees is critical for a company to succeed in business.

'They must stay focused, committed and possess a never-say-die attitude. A business is like a marathon, the achievement will depend on the amount of effort and sacrifice one is committed to,' he says.

The most significant milestone for the company was the setting up of its wholly owned foreign enterprise (WOFE) in Shanghai, China in 2002.

Says Mr Teo: 'During that time, the construction industry in Singapore was in a downturn and the move to open up our Shanghai office allowed us to diversify our operations.

'Since then, our revenue from overseas offices has increased significantly from 5 per cent to more than 50 per cent in the current year.'

Globally, the group operates brands such as Krisledz, Kristarz, 3e Illumination and Ledzvision. It has a workforce of 75 employees locally and abroad, with 35 employees in Singapore, 15 in China and 25 in Myanmar. The company plans to set up an office in the Middle East in the near future.

The company gives back to the society by allocating 1 per cent of its net profit to support the needy. 'Being brought up from a poor family, I can empathise with the under- privileged. It is possible to make someone happy no matter how little our contribution is,' he says.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on October 22, 2008.