Latest news with #JMEagle
Los Angeles Times
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
CEOs Giving Back to Los Angeles While Taking the LPGA Tour to New Heights
Shirley and Walter Wang imagined transforming the LPGA using a simple-yet-radical idea – to use their backing of the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro as a vehicle to improve the lives of the women who compete. So, how did the women of the LPGA respond when the Wangs doubled the tournament's purse, gave them more than $100,000 in prizes to aid in their travel, and also provided them with complimentary accommodations? They selected the trailblazing tour stop as the 2024 LPGA Tournament of the Year. With those tournament perks in place for the championship's return in April, Walter and Shirley foresee the event growing deeper in its purpose. It won't just be a change agent for the athletes who compete, but also an outlet for the community that has been forever changed by the catastrophic wildfires which have ravaged Los Angeles. 'We need to bring some joy, happiness in the midst of all these tragedies,' Walter said about helping his community. 'With the LPGA tournament, it can encourage people to come and find some joy in seeing the passion and energy of the players in the sport and people coming together.' The Wangs call the Los Angeles area home and luckily have been spared of any damage to their personal residence and their businesses. Walter, the CEO of JM Eagle, and Shirley, the CEO of Plastpro, say that all of their employees have been fortunate to keep their homes. But 'everyone knows somebody that lost their home,' Walter adds. And Walter and Shirley are no different. Their friend returned from vacation to find that his home had been destroyed, his father's priceless World War II relics turned to ash. The Wangs needed just a single word to describe the impact the wildfires have had on them personally. 'Devastating,' they each said, echoing the pain suffered by their community. Sandwiched between the Palisades and Eaton Fires sits El Caballero Country Club in the San Fernando Valley, which in April, will host the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. The course was designed in 1957 by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and was unscathed by the fires. El Cab, as it's affectionately known, will host the LPGA this season while Wilshire Country Club, the tournament's prior home, is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. Walter and his wife, Shirley, hope local residents can look forward to attending their tournament and will see it as an escape from the trauma they've endured over the past couple of months. On behalf of JM Eagle, those affected by the Eaton and Palisades Fires will have the opportunity to receive complimentary grounds tickets during tournament competition rounds, April 17-20 (up to four tickets per family). All first responders and military members and their families will receive complimentary admission as well as receiving exclusive access to hospitality at the SERVPRO Hero Outpost. 'God doesn't want you to just freeze. He wants to keep on going on and continue on with life,' Shirley said about providing a mental escape for first responders at the tournament. 'The LPGA and all these events, they're something to bring joy to people, a reprieve from this.' In addition, juniors under the age of 17 will also enjoy free entry to the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. In 2024, nearly 1,000 children from organizations across the Los Angeles area were provided transportation to the tournament to attend a clinic led by the LPGA's Maria Fassi and Emma Talley. Again this year, Saturday of the tournament week will be designated as Junior Golf Day. It's one of the ways that the Wangs are trying to grow the LPGA's fan base. 'It's like planting a seed, right? It will grow and prosper if you take care of it, you make sure you water it, you fertilize it the right way,' Walter says about exposing children to the game of golf. 'Give kids the incentive and motivation.' It's the same way Walter and Shirley have nurtured the growth of their golf tournament - by doubling the purse to $3.75 million they were able to watch their event blossom, which resulted in more than 100 grateful athletes turning out for their pro-am party in 2024. Then, they observed how their strategy pollinated across the LPGA's schedule. Since Walter and Shirley initially doubled the purse of the JM LA Championship presented by Plastpro to $3 million for the 2023 event, they've seen 11 tournament sponsors follow suit and increase their purses, too. 'We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish and that is to lead by example,' Walter said of his goal of transforming the LPGA. 'It worked. And I think we'll continue to grow.' So, how can the tournament that's considered the best on Tour get even better? Walter and Shirley say their priority is to further grow the LPGA's fan base, to get more residents to attend their tournament, and to utilize influencers to grow their social media presence. They're hopeful that the tournament's relocation to El Caballero Country Club in 2025 will create an opportunity to expose a whole new demographic within Los Angeles to the LPGA Tour. El Cab is about an hour drive northwest of where Wilshire Country Club is being renovated and where Walter's company, JM Eagle, has donated all the irrigation, drainage, and water pipes for the project in addition to the electrical conduit. Just as Walter and Shirely have led by example in transforming the LPGA, they're doing the same within their community in its dire time of need. Walter and JM Eagle have pledged to donate a total of $6.5 mil to fire relief and recovery efforts, with individual donations going to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, and the Los Angeles Police Fund. 'We feel we need to be a responsible citizen in our own community, take care of your own community first,' Walter said about giving back. 'Then, you have the strength to go outside of your community and do things for others.'
USA Today
24-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nelly Korda, amateur star Rianne Malixi among those competing in JM Eagle LA Championship
Nelly Korda, amateur star Rianne Malixi among those competing in JM Eagle LA Championship World No. 1 Nelly Korda headlines the list of early commitments for the 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship, which takes place this year at El Caballero Country Club in Los Angeles as the tournament's usual host, Wilshire Country Club, undergoes renovations. Korda is one of seven top-10 players in the world who have signed up for the April 17-20 event. She's joined by two-time defending champion Hannah Green (No. 5) as well as Jeeno Thitikul (2), Fountain Valley, California's Lilia Vu (6), Ayaka Furue (7), Jin Young Ko (8) and Haeran Ryu (9). In addition, Rianne Malixi, who won the U.S. Girls' Junior at El Caballero Country Club last summer, will compete on a sponsor exemption. Malixi also won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2025. The incoming Duke freshman will compete next week at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. In January, JM Eagle donated $1.5 million to support wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles and has pledged to donate an additional $5 million. The tournament will provide complimentary grounds tickets to those impacted by the Eaton and Palisades Fires.
NBC Sports
20-03-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Walter and Shirley Wang giving back to LA and taking LPGA to new heights
Walter and Shirley Wang planted seeds of possibility when they took over the title sponsorship of the LPGA's annual tour stop in Los Angeles three years ago. The couple imagined transforming the LPGA with a simple, yet radical idea – to use their backing of the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro as a vehicle to improve the lives of the women who compete. So, how did the women of the LPGA respond when the Wangs doubled the tournament's purse, gave them more than $100,000 in prizes to aid in their travel and also provided them with complimentary accommodations? They selected the trailblazing tour stop as the 2024 LPGA Tournament of the Year. With those tournament perks in place for the championship's return in April, Walter and Shirley foresee the event growing deeper in its purpose. It won't just be a change agent for the athletes who compete but also an outlet for the community that has been forever changed by the catastrophic wildfires, which have ravaged Los Angeles. 'We need to bring some joy, happiness in the midst of all these tragedies,' Walter said about helping his community. 'With the LPGA tournament, it can encourage people to come and find some joy in seeing the passion and energy of the players in the sport and people coming together.' The Wangs call the Los Angeles area home and luckily have been spared of any damage to their personal residence and their businesses. Walter, the CEO of JM Eagle, and Shirley, the CEO of Plastpro, say that all of their employees have been fortunate to keep their homes. But 'everyone knows somebody that lost their home,' Walter adds. And Walter and Shirley are no different. Their friend returned from vacation to find that his home had been destroyed, his father's priceless World War II relics turned to ash. The Wangs needed just a single word to describe the impact the wildfires have had on them personally. 'Devastating,' they each said, echoing the pain suffered by their community. Sandwiched between the Palisades and Eaton Fires sits El Caballero Country Club in the San Fernando Valley, which in April, will host the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. The course was designed in 1957 by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and was unscathed by the fires. El Cab, as it's affectionately known, will host the LPGA this season while Wilshire Country Club, the tournament's prior home, is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. Walter and his wife, Shirley, hope local residents can look forward to attending their tournament and will see it as an escape from the trauma they've endured over the past couple of months. Golf Channel Staff, On behalf of JM Eagle, those affected by the Eaton and Palisades Fires will have the opportunity to receive complimentary grounds tickets during tournament competition rounds, April 17-20 (up to four tickets per family). All first responders and military members and their families will receive complimentary admission as well as receiving exclusive access to hospitality at the SERVPRO Hero Outpost. 'God doesn't want you to just freeze. He wants to keep on going on and continue on with life,' Shirley said about providing a mental escape for first responders at the tournament. 'The LPGA and all these events, they're something to bring joy to people, a reprieve from this.' In addition, juniors under the age of 17 will also enjoy free entry to the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. In 2024, nearly 1,000 children from organizations across the Los Angeles area were provided transportation to the tournament to attend a clinic led by the LPGA's Maria Fassi and Emma Talley. Again this year, Saturday of the tournament week will be designated as Junior Golf Day. It's one of the ways that the Wangs are trying to grow the LPGA's fan base. 'It's like planting a seed, right? It will grow and prosper if you take care of it, you make sure you water it, you fertilize it the right way,' Walter says about exposing children to the game of golf. 'Give kids the incentive and motivation.' It's the same way Walter and Shirley have nurtured the growth of their golf tournament. By doubling the purse to $3.75 million, they were able to watch their event blossom, which resulted in more than 100 grateful athletes turning out for their pro-am party in 2024. Then, they observed how their strategy pollinated across the LPGA's schedule. Since Walter and Shirley initially doubled the purse of the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro to $3 million for the 2023 event, they've seen 11 tournament sponsors follow suit and increase their purses, too. 'We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish and that is to lead by example,' Walter said of his goal of transforming the LPGA. 'It worked. And I think we'll continue to grow.' So, how can the tournament that's considered the best on Tour get even better? Walter and Shirley say their priority is to further grow the LPGA's fan base, to get more residents to attend their tournament and to utilize influencers to grow their social media presence. They're hopeful that the tournament's relocation to El Caballero Country Club in 2025 will create an opportunity to expose a whole new demographic within Los Angeles to the LPGA Tour. El Cab is about an hour's drive northwest of where Wilshire Country Club is being renovated and where Walter's company, JM Eagle, has donated all the irrigation, drainage and water pipes for the project in addition to the electrical conduit. Just as Walter and Shirley have led by example in transforming the LPGA, they're doing the same within their community in its dire time of need. Walter and JM Eagle have pledged to donate a total of $6.5 million to fire relief and recovery efforts, with individual donations going to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and the Los Angeles Police Fund. 'We feel we need to be a responsible citizen in our own community, take care of your own community first,' Walter said about giving back. 'Then, you have the strength to go outside of your community and do things for others.'
Reuters
19-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US asbestos law firm defeats racketeering lawsuit by PVC pipe maker JM Eagle
March 19 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Chicago has dismissed a lawsuit by plastic pipe maker JM Eagle against a U.S. law firm that filed hundreds of asbestos personal injury cases against it. JM Eagle failed to show that law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy and the asbestos plaintiffs, witnesses and other groups the firm works with were operating as an enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said, opens new tab in his Tuesday ruling. With the two federal RICO counts dismissed, Gettleman said he was also dismissing JM Eagle's remaining state law claims against the law firm. JM Eagle and its attorneys at Steptoe LLP did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Simmons Hanly in a statement praised the decision for dismissing what it called a "baseless and retaliatory" lawsuit. The firm said it would "not be intimidated by unwarranted legal attacks designed to smear its reputation and derail its pursuit of justice for victims of asbestos exposure." JM Eagle, which calls itself the world's largest plastic and PVC pipe manufacturer, was previously known as J-M Manufacturing. The company said it sold "a limited amount" of cement pipes that contained asbestos from 1983 to 1988. JM Eagle had accused Simmons Hanly of suppressing evidence, using perjured or falsified testimony and statements, and committing fraud in the course of recovering billions of dollars from asbestos defendants in thousands of cases. The plastic pipe maker said Simmons Hanly has filed more than 430 cases against JM Eagle since 2001, with more than 75 of them settling. The law firm's website said Tuesday it has recovered more than $10.2 billion from defendants in asbestos cases nationwide.
NBC Sports
13-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
LPGA's JM Eagle sponsors donating $6.5 million to LA fire relief
The two tournament sponsors for the LPGA's JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro are donating $6.5 million to Los Angeles wildfire relief organizations. The event will be contested at El Caballero Country Club in Los Angeles, April 17-20. Additionally, the LPGA stated in a news release, 'Those affected by the Eaton and Palisades Fires will receive complimentary grounds tickets (up to four per family) during tournament competition rounds Thursday-Sunday.' All first responders (fire, police and emergency medical technicians) as well as members of the military (active, reserved, retired and veterans) will receive up to four free tickets per family, too. For the second consecutive year, courtesy the title and presenting sponsors, LPGA competitors in the 144-player field will get free accommodations for the week. Hannah Green is the two-time defending champion. JM Eagle previously donated $1.5 million in support of relief efforts and is committed to donate 'another $5 million towards rebuilding communities affected by the fires.' 'The LPGA Tour has a rich history in Los Angeles, and we are committed to giving back to our city in a variety of ways through the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. We want to put on a splendid event showcasing world-class players and inspiring a love for this great game of golf in more communities across generations,' Walter and Shirley Wang, CEOs of JM Eagle and Plastpro, said in the release.
