PHOTO COURTESY OF FIFE CHAMBER

More than 20 delegates from Fife area businesses and organizations spent 10 days in China on a trade mission and familiarization tour. The group returned April 3.

China delegation returns to Fife

By Meghan Erkkinen

More than 20 delegates from Fife area businesses and organizations returned to Washington after spending 10 days on a trade mission and familiarization tour in China.

The delegation visited the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an in an effort to establish business relations and familiarize themselves with China’s culture.

“The bulk of our folks went over primarily for the familiarization aspect of this tour,” said PK MacLean, director of the Fife Area Chamber of Commerce. “It was billed as a trade mission and familiarization tour and most of them took advantage of the familiarization aspect of it.”

The group departed March 25 and returned April 3. Delegates included representatives from Great American RV, Reservation Outpost, Rushforth-Taylor Construction, the World Trade Center-Tacoma and the city of Fife.

The group visited a variety of factories, met with business leaders, saw art performances and visited cultural sites.

Beth Willis, director for corporate at the World Trade Center Tacoma, was one delegate who has been to China on several occasions. She said she is impressed with the progress she has seen.

“The streets are clean, there are no beggars, the air quality is improving – they are working toward having a fantastic Olympics event this summer,” Willis said. “Things are changing over there significantly and rapidly.”

She also said some important business connections were made for Fife area businesses.

One of those businesses is Fife Towing.

“Fife Towing is very interested in finding a distributor of their parts and accessories so I told three different groups of people that there’s an opportunity to business with a Fife company,” Willis said. “One of them has already contacted [Fife Towing] for an opportunity.”

Willis also said she worked with Richard Garchow of Great American RV, who is interested in distributing RVs in China, and said the trip might have made him even more interested in the prospect. Katie Flannigan of Reservation Outpost also joined the delegation hoping to find a source for fireworks, and Willis said that need was passed along as well.

“I think it was a great trip,” Willis said. “Lots of great connections, lots of great networking…I think it was very beneficial to cultural understanding and opportunities for economic development.”

Jim Reinbold, Fife’s assistant city manager, went on the trip hoping to meet some government officials.

“My ultimate goal was to make some sort of government contact to see how the government worked,” he said. “The way the tour was arranged, it was pretty hard to do. We kind of made it a reconnaissance trip and next time we’ll know what to do and who to contact to meet with these officials.”

While he didn’t accomplish that goal, Reinbold said the trip was still beneficial. He met people from the Fife area and got to know acquaintances better.

“Meeting the new people and getting to know them was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a good group to travel with.”

MacLean said the trip was a success, and hopes to do it again.

“It was awesome,” she said. “I plan on taking the adventure to the (Chamber of Commerce) Board of Directors to see if it’s something we want to promote again next year.”

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