Forging relationships

It’s all about relationships.
A visit to east central Indiana Tuesday by a delegation from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office marked the latest step in an international initiative by Jay Schools that superintendent Tim Long hopes will lead to new economic development opportunities.
“This kind of relationship is unique,” said Paul Wang, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago. “Friend to friend. This is a very special relationship.”
Jay Schools first hosted a group of school principals from Taiwan several years ago. Last year, 18 educators from Taiwan’s New Taipei City visited schools in Jay and Adams counties.
Long, Jay County Development Corporation executive director Bill Bradley, State Rep. Bill Davis, and Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier have made several trips to the Taipei office in Chicago, including two visits this summer.
The second of those brought Jay County businessman Dave Lowe in contact with one of Taiwan’s top physicists, Gong Ping Yeh.
Lowe and his wife Linda own Fort Recovery Construction and Equipment, which is the parent company of NuVision Renewables, focusing on solar thermal energy.
“We have a great opportunity,” Lowe said Tuesday. “The excitement’s there.”
“We cannot do business in America the way we did 20 years ago,” said Long.
Wang noted that Taiwan and the state of Indiana have built a strong business relationship over several years. With a population of 23 million, Taiwan represents a huge market for U.S. agricultural products.
Among those on hand for a reception for Wang and Rose Chen, director of the cultural division of the Chicago office, were economic development officials from Adams County, Energize ECI, and the Jay County Chamber of Commerce.
Fort Recovery Industries, SDP Manufacturing, and Bell Aquaculture were also represented.
Following the reception, the delegation toured NuVision Renewables at its Portland site on North Wayne Street.
On Thursday, Taiwan and IPFW in Fort Wayne will be unveiling a partnership involving multiple business incubators.
In addition to Taiwan, the Jay Schools international initiative has involved extensive contact with government and education officials in China. A government delegation from China is expected to visit Jay County later this fall.[[In-content Ad]]