MARGARET SHAIA 

Margaret Shaia trained as an accountant, but says she had zero interest in being “a bean counter who sits in an office all day. I wanted to know what the numbers were saying.”  

That curiosity led her to a series of jobs at Virginia manufacturing companies, where she became involved not just in financial oversight but got onto the floor to see how to better manage and improve operations. In her 16-year tenure at Richmond’s AMF Bakery Systems, for example, Shaia helped double revenues and transform the company into a global leader in industrial baking equipment. 

Since 2019, Shaia has been CEO and co-owner of ASC, where, she says, she has put to use “everything I’ve done, times 500.”

Under her leadership, ASC, which builds enclosures for power generation equipment for facilities such as data centers, has undergone exponential growth. Revenues have expanded sixfold, she says, and ASC has added 235,000 square feet of manufacturing space. 

Shaia is proud ASC has been able to provide a career track for its employees, many of whom
are immigrants from the Philippines. These workers have been able to develop skills that lead
to higher wages, and that increased earning power has allowed many of them to buy houses and bring their families to this country. 

“I work long hours,” Shaia says, “but, end of the day, I am helping the community by giving people the opportunity to improve their lives.” 

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