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Mission to China

In April 2009, 29 Portland Business Alliance members and business leaders went on a nine-day trade mission trip to China. The group met with Chinese business leaders, representatives of American companies doing business in China and government officials. The goal of the trip was to make stronger connections between businesses in Oregon and China.

"China is a critical trading partner for the Portland region and in order for our businesses to gain a stronger foothold in the Chinese market, we needed to understand it better," said Steve Holwerda, Chief Operating Officer of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management and chair of the Portland Business Alliance board of directors.

The trip included four and a half days in Shanghai where the group met with Century 3, SPS Technologies, Edelman Shanghai, King & Wood, and Bank of America N.A. and visited the Yang Shan Deep Water Port. In Beijing, the group toured Silo City with Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, met with Greenwood Resources and the American Chamber of Commerce, toured a Nike gym and heard about Intel's operations in China.

"There are many Oregon companies successfully doing business in China," said Sandra McDonough, President and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance. "We visited with them, saw their operations, and learned some lessons about selling into the Chinese market."

You can read more about their trip on the Alliance Trade Mission blog at: pbatrademissions.blogspot.com.

Participants in the trip included representatives from: