Mayor Gray to Lead DC Delegation on China Trade Mission

(WASHINGTON, DC) – In an effort to strengthen ties and increase trade and investment with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Mayor Vincent C. Gray will leave tomorrow for a seven-day economic development mission to China.

“I look forward to using this trade trip to strengthen our business relationships with many cities across China, ensure that we assist District-based companies interested in taking advantage of the tremendous economic expansion that is sweeping across China, and attract foreign investment into signature projects being created across the District of Columbia,” said Mayor Gray. “As we continue to build a diversified New Economy for the District that is less dependent on the federal government, we must increase the District’s profile in the global marketplace.”

Earlier this year, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins traveled to China to coordinate the agenda for the Mayor’s visit, which is the first international-trade mission of his administration. The Mayor will be joined by Deputy Mayor Hoskins, Office of Planning (OP) Director Harriet Tregoning, Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) Director Harold Pettigrew, ExportDC Director Martha LaCrosse, and David Zipper, Director of Business Development and Strategy in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED).

The delegation will also include 16 other participants, made up of representatives from Roadside Development, PN Hoffman, The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Destination DC and five District-based small businesses. A full roster of non-government-sector delegation members is below.

Three mission stops are planned for the trip:

• Beijing, where the District will renew its Sister City agreement with the capital of the People’s Republic of China and take part in the 2012 INFORMS International Conference on Sustainability;
• Shanghai, where the District will formally inaugurate the DC China Center Office; and
• Suzhou, a picturesque major city adjacent to Shanghai, where the District will sign an economic partnership agreement that outlines both cities’ shared goals for economic development, focusing on the technology, education, sustainability and tourism sectors.

The trip is meant to build on the burgeoning relationships that have emerged between many District-based businesses, academic institutions and individuals and their counterparts in China. While there, Mayor Gray and the delegation will work on matching District businesses with potential Chinese partners, meeting with potential foreign investors about opportunities in the District’s booming real-estate market and promoting DC businesses’ exports to China through the District’s Export DC program.

The District is spending approximately $22,600 for travel, lodging and meals for Mayor Gray, Deputy Mayor Hoskins, OP Director Tregoning and DMPED Business Development Director David Zipper. The municipal government of Beijing is graciously covering the costs of Sustainability conference registration for Mayor Gray, Deputy Mayor Hoskins and Director Tregoning as well as lodging expenses for them for the three days they will be in Beijing. This total amount of sponsorship is valued at approximately $2,500. The US Small Business Administration’s State Trade and Export Program (STEP), with which ExportDC is affiliated, is covering the expenses of the entire trip for DSLBD Director Pettigrew and ExportDC Director LaCrosse.

List of Private-Sector Representatives in Delegation:

Richard Lake - President - Roadside Development
Armond Spikell - Partner - Roadside Development 
Monty Hoffman - President - PN Hoffman  
Doug Guthrie-  Dean of Business School - George Washington University
John McKiel - GW Fellow for DC China Center - George Washington University
Paul Dai-  GW Fellow - George Washington University
Chris Augostini - COO - Georgetown University
John J. DeGioia - President - Georgetown University
Austin Imperato - Assistant to the President - Georgetown University
Elliott Ferguson - President & CEO - Destination DC 
Mark H. Chichester - President - Atlas Research 
Dr. Ryung Suh - CEO - Atlas Research
Svetoslav Gatchev - Director - Delphos International Ltd.
George Rodgers Jr. - President - Rodgers Brothers Custodial Service, Inc. 
Mark Uhar - Vice President - Rodgers Brothers Custodial Service, Inc.  
Benjamin Yoder - Business Dev. Manager - Thycotic Software Ltd. 
Alfred Liu - President - AEPA International
Brian Ostar - Dir. of Investor Relations - EB5 Capital