Organization

Enterprise Group targets China

Monday, May 04, 2009
By Chris Gautz
cgautz@citpat.com
768-4926

The Enterprise Group is taking a unique approach to business attraction with a new brochure touting the area’s amenities—in Chinese.

``To integrate ourselves in the global marketplace, we have to do that,’’ said Scott Fleming, president and CEO of the EG, the county’s economic-development agency.

Fleming said Chinese companies are interested in Michigan but do not want to locate in Detroit. The brochure helps to make the case that Jackson has a lower cost of living than other communities such as Ann Arbor, has highly skilled workers and is business-friendly.

The EG had the six-page brochure and an 86-page Jackson Area Manufacturers Association member list translated in China—a process that took two weeks—and then printed in Jackson.

Fleming took the translated documents most recently to the Society of Automotive Engineers show in Detroit.

Having information about Jackson in other languages is a great conversation starter and shows potential business partners the county is sincere about attracting new development from China, he said.

Ben Wu, a Novi attorney and a volunteer with the Detroit Chinese Business Association, assisted Fleming with the project.

``The Chinese see Michigan as an opportunity,’’ Wu said.

Wu said Jackson is the only county in the state he knows of that has thought to do this, so Jackson will have a leg up on bringing investment in from China.

``I suspect the other counties are going to follow,’’ he said. ``There’s been a lot of interest already.’’

The materials will be given out at various trade shows and conferences, and they also will be on display at the Michigan Economic Development Corp. office in China, Wu said.

Fleming said the next language the EG will translate materials into will be Italian, to capitalize on the partnership of Chrysler and Fiat.

``We want to get some of their suppliers here,’’ he said.