VAL HALE - SPECIAL TO The Daily Herald | Posted: Monday, October 16, 2006 11:00 pm
UVSC's Val Hale is in China this week as part of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's trade mission to link businesses of the world's most populous country to businesses in Utah. Hale's dispatches will be published daily. BEIJING -- Americans joke that the Chinese national bird is now the construction crane.
Members of the State of Utah Trade Mission to China saw first hand why there is some truth to that bit of humor. As they made the 45-minute drive from Beijing International Airport to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Beijing, delegation members, including Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., passed dozens of high-rise buildings under construction. Construction cranes litter the city's skyline, and a significant portion of the world's concrete is being consumed in the projects.
With a booming economy and a population of 1.3 billion people, China is emerging as an international superpower. That is why the Governor's Office decided to bring some of Utah's leaders in international business and government here. Nearly 50 people made the trip, including several representatives of Utah County's health and beauty supplements and technology businesses. Among the mission's participants are representatives from XanGo, Nu Skin Enterprises, Nature's Sunshine, Tahitian Noni and the SCO Group.
Besides the governor, House Speaker Greg Curtis made the trip to help promote Utah to Chinese officials, as did Lew Cramer, director of World Trade Center Utah.
The governor's trip got off to a shaky start Sunday when the United Airlines flight he and a number of other trade mission attendees were on experienced mechanical problems. The flight was originally delayed because of fog in the Bay area. After the plane taxied onto the runway, pilots were forced to wait while changes to the flight plan were made. They shut down the engines to conserve fuel. Unfortunately, one of the engines didn't restart, so the plane returned to the terminal. Four hours later, the plane finally resumed its 12-hour flight to Beijing.
I was asked by President William Sederburg to represent Utah Valley State College as a member of the delegation. My plan is to meet with some high-ranking officials to see if they will free up additional student visas for Chinese nationals who want to attend UVSC. Another benefit of joining the trade mission is being able to spend quality time with the governor, Curtis and some of Utah's top businessmen. I will have six days to promote UVSC and its march to university status.
The trip began to pay dividends almost immediately. At the airport, I bumped into Cramer, who's also a member of the UVSC National President's Advisory Council and a big supporter of the school. He introduced me to a couple of trade mission attendees, Bryan Davis, executive vice president of international relations for XanGo, and Steven Petersen, chairman of Petersen Inc., who were on the same flight.
Bryan is the brother-in-law of UVSC's track coach, Scott Houle. We talked about UVSC's track program and the need for a track. Bryan wants to help rally support to raise money needed for the track.
Petersen is a prominent businessman in the Ogden area. He is a member of Weber State University's Board of Trustees and is heavily involved in civic and church activities. I sat next to Petersen on the flight from Salt Lake City to San Francisco. He is a fascinating man whose business focuses on manufacturing. He shared with me his experience of serving on the search committee for Weber State's basketball coach last year. Because of my background in athletics, I could relate to his experience.
Once we got airborne from San Francisco, the flight went smoothly.
Upon landing in Beijing, a group of Chinese officials greeted the governor and the small entourage with him and whisked us to a VIP lounge. After about a half hour in the room, Cramer, Petersen and I left to pick up our luggage and catch a ride to the Ritz-Carlton.
XanGo's Davis had become separated from our group but, fortunately, was found waiting outside Customs with a minivan he had reserved. It made for a smooth, easy ride downtown. There was very little traffic at 10:30 p.m. One of the things that surprised me -- besides the amount of construction -- was that many of the signs were written in both Chinese and English. Manny Menendez, who consults with XanGo and has done business in China for 27 years, told us the signs are part of Beijing's preparation for the 2008 Olympics.
The Ritz-Carlton, where the delegation is staying, is a brand new hotel. It is very clean and modern. In fact, I would compare it favorably to most U.S. hotels I have stayed in.
I left my house in Utah at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. It is now 1 a.m. Tuesday morning in Beijing. Besides a couple of fitful hours of sleep on the plane, I have been awake far too long. Tomorrow I will see Beijing in the daylight.
Val Hale is Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Marketing at UVSC. He is the former director of athletics at Brigham Young University. He has worked as a freelance writer and has published one book.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.