Tony Wang, chairman and founder of WAC Lighting, has received the LIBN Icon Award from Long Island Business News, which recognizes Long Island business leaders over 60 for notable success and leadership within and outside their fields.
To be eligible for Icon Honors, winners must have a long-standing commitment to the Long Island business community, according to WAC Group. Honorees must also have sustained dedication to philanthropic service and mentoring. They must have held senior management-level positions for their organization. The winners were selected by the editors of Long Island Business News (Long Island Business News is part of BridgeTowerMedia, which is also the parent company of Home Accents Today).
“The 2026 Icon Honors recipients are an impressive group of leaders. They have worked tirelessly to excel in their careers, but they work just as hard to spark innovation and progress, meeting a variety of challenges on Long Island and beyond,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of BridgeTower Media/Long Island Business News. “These visionaries are actively engaged in the community, and they mentor other leaders as well. We at Long Island Business News are pleased to honor them.”
The winners will be recognized at a celebration on March 19 and profiled in a special section that will be inserted into the March 20 issue of Long Island Business News and will be available online at LIBN.com.
Wang and his wife, Tai, founded WAC in 1984 as a lighting designer and manufacturer, with a reputation for responsible lighting and the highest quality. The company operates facilities in New York, Georgia, Texas and California. WAC also uses dedicated factories in China and Thailand.
“Technical innovation is central to what people have come to expect from the WAC Lighting brand,” said WAC Group and Long Island Business News in a joint release. “Advancements in LED light sources, materials engineering, electronics, creative optical design and architecture have allowed WAC to push the boundaries of engineering and inspired designs.”
Wang is an advisory board member of Northwell Health Cancer Institute and was recently honored at New York’s Selfhelp Gala for his professional accomplishments in the lighting industry and for his philanthropic work in local communities.
Over the years, the company has spearheaded relief efforts for those impacted by hurricanes and other catastrophes, sponsored the United States Department of Energy Solar Decathlon and the Annual Invitational Science Fair, and supported many other worthwhile causes. He has also collaborated with Mount Sinai Hospital Lighting Health and Research Center to explore lighting’s impact on health and wellness.
WAC Group was among the 12 companies that received a HEARTS Award from ART and the Dallas Market Center in 2021 for outstanding service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
