Why did I travel to and expand our investment in China during the pandemic?
Jon R. Tabor
Chairman and CEO
Allied Mineral Products, LLC
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Webinar by Zoom
We thank Zhao Jian, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago, for joining us and sharing opening comments.
While the last few years have been challenging for U.S.-China businesses, this year, The Year of Geng-Zi, in the Chinese Stem-Branch calendar, has proven to be ruinous many people around the globe. As we are approaching toward the end of the curse of the turbulent Year of the Geng-Zi, prosperity could soon begin. The availability of a number of promising vaccines could reverse the spread of the virus; Asia, led by China, is showing sign of revitalization with both retail sales and industrial production increased by 4.3% and 6.9%, respectively in China; and the formation of a new Asian trading block could mean abundancy of opportunities in the new millennium. However, risks continue to be everywhere. If returns have any correlation with risks, those who take calculated risks should expect to be rewarded.
Jon R. Tabor, Chairman and CEO of Allied Mineral Products, LLC has just returned to the U.S. after visiting several cities in China. He will share his firsthand experience in this timely webinar about the 30 days that he spent on in China (about half were spent in quarantine), traveling from one city to another city, and making critical decisions in expanding their investments during this uncertain time. He will discuss what he has seen today and what he believes in the future.
About the Speaker
Started in the Transportation Department at Eli Lilly & Company in Indianapolis in 1981, Jon Tabor had worked in various areas including purchasing, market research, strategic planning, sales, and production for 10 years. He then joined Allied Mineral Products, LLC in Columbus in 1991 as a Senior Salesman and worked through various positions as Sales Manager, Business Unit Manager, Vice President Sales, Senior Vice President Sales, Executive Vice President, President, President and CEO, and became the Company’s Chairman and CEO. He is now responsible for the overall management and provides its strategic leadership. Jon received his BBA in Marketing and MBA in logistics from The Ohio State University.
About the Company
Allied Minerals Products, LLC is a global manufacturer of monolithic refractories and precast shapes for molten metal containment and heat containment applications, primarily to the heavy industry. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio and has manufacturing facilities in eight countries including Brazil, Chile, China, India, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, and the USA with employees in 25 countries. The company is ESOP owned since 1986.
The company began manufacturing in Tianjin, China in 1999 in a leased facility. It opened its first owned facility in 2004 and expanded the same facility in 2007 and again 2012. It then opened a plant in South China in 2012 and a second facility in Tianjin in 2019. The company has just purchased land in Jiujiang City, Nanhai District, Foshan China. They will build a new manufacturing plant to begin operations in April 2022.
128th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair)
October 15-24, 2020
On Oct 24, 2020, the 128th Canton Fair was successfully closed. 26,000 exhibitors displayed 2.47 million products. Overseas buyers from 226 countries and regions registered to attend, and there were over 7.8 million visits to the virtual event! [Read More]
The Canton Fair puts major focus on Intellectual Property Rights Protection
While updating the Fair's website, a comprehensive online complaint filing system was added. [Read more]
How Can Small Businesses Benefit from Trade?
October 8, 2020
Trade is the heart of business. Small businesses can benefit tremendously from getting involved in trade. However, a sound strategy and a good understanding of the process are critical to realize the benefits and avoid the pitfalls of such an engagement. With limited resources, unsound decisions could be severely detrimental to small businesses. This webinar will address the risks and opportunities and will focus on proven strategy to maximize the opportunities in the digital world. U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce helps small business meet the challenge.
Cross-Border E-Commerce for Small Business
September 2, 2020
More than 25% of all revenue of sellers on Amazon globally is from cross-border e-commerce. Its growth rate is twice as that of the $3.4 trillion e-commerce as a whole. Small businesses can run like global entities because of the eco-system in e-commerce, and 97% of internet-enabled small businesses export. The future is compelling. However, it is everything but simple. The webinar will give an overview of cross-border e-commerce and will discuss some of the challenges facing small businesses.
Why and How Small Businesses Should Outsource Their Supply Chain
August 5, 2020
The world is dominated by the digital giants. Technology initially helped small businesses and encouraged entrepreneurship: however, the never-ending development across the landscape and control by digital giants have drained out the resources of small businesses. A new paradigm is urgently needed to revitalize small business and entrepreneurship. Outsourcing the supply chain could be the first step for small business operators to refocus on the core of their business and thrive for success.
127th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair)
June 15-24, 2020
In June of 2020 when the first virtual Canton Fair was launched, USCCC was happy to take part in its promotion.
The Canton Fair promised to "introduce advanced information technology to create a new online trading platform for global buyers in hope of making new 'win-win' business opportunities." We were thrilled to see those promises fulfilled.
Reports about the success
of the 127th Canton Fair
A video about what is planned and positive remarks from exhibitors about the benefits of going on line.
23rd Annual Chinese
New Year Dinner
January 30, 2020
With the strong support of its members and the community, the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce hosted its 23rd Annual Chinese New Year Celebration Dinner on January 30 as planned. The dinner was to welcome the arrival of the Year of the Golden Rat, to promote U.S.-China investment and trade, to express the Chamber’s support for the Chinese people to fight the war on coronavirus during such an unusual moment. The newly arrived Commercial Counselor, The Hon. Hu Yingzhi, gave a welcome remark, and Dr. Phil Levy, the first and Chief Economist at Flexport, commented on “International Trade and the World Economy in the Year of the Golden Rat.” Dr. Levy has served as Senior Economist for Trade for President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. He has also taught at Yale, Columbia, and Northwestern.
U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce continues its efforts in gathering information and support to join the fight against coronavirus.
Yingzhi Hu speaking at USCCC's 23rd Annual Chinese New Years Dinner (Jan 30, 2020)
