Huntersville mayor returns from China, looks to follow up on opportunities

photo courtesy SOZO GROUP

Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain, right, meets with officials of Baosteel Group in China.

Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain didn?t bring back any promises of attracting manufacturers to her city during her 10-day trip to China. But she says she did come home with ideas for following up on ?opportunities that presented themselves.?

?This trip provided us the opportunity to bridge the communication gaps and to make the first steps toward developing meaningful relationships ? business and personal,? she says in a press release issued by the trip?s sponsor, SoZo Group.

?I am confident my community benefited not only from the exposure, but also from the opportunities that presented themselves,? Swain adds. ?Now it?s time to follow up.?

She was part of a group of mayors and county officials from the Southeast who visited seven Chinese cities and met with manufacturers in the fields of shipbuilding, 3D printing, aviation and others.

SoZo Group, a Hong Kong-based consulting group, is working to conduct a U.S.-China Manufacturing Symposium in the South in November. The idea of the session is to encourage Chinese manufacturers to open facilities in the United States.

Swain and others returned from the trip on Sunday.

Ken Elkins covers manufacturing, international business and economic development for the Charlotte Business Journal.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bizj_charlotte/~3/C-UBOV7Dn2g/mayor-swain-returns-from-china-with.html

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