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REDI director’s trip to China ends on a high note

Sternbach returns with agreements to establish partnerships, share workspace

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006

Excitement is in the air at Rockville Economic Development Inc. following Executive Director Sally Sternbach’s recent trip to China, where she met with government officials and technology organizations to secure business connections and relationships.

‘‘This trip went way beyond what I expected to accomplish,” said Sternbach, who initially thought it would be a more exploratory mission. ‘‘I now have alliances at a variety of levels that provide an entrée for our companies, and access to Chinese companies.”

Sternbach returned from her Asian trip earlier this month.

Local Asian American and Asian business owners accompanied Sternbach on the 10-day tour to Shanghai, Beijing and Penglai City, introducing her to key people in science and technology.

Sternbach attended meetings at the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center, which operates six incubators with about 90 companies, she said. Startups there can have up to 100 employees, she added.

‘‘[The] scope is so different, it’s hard to fathom. People are their resource,” Sternbach said, noting that the incubator system in China nurtures and supports companies for a much longer period of time than is typical in the United States.

Sternbach highlighted two concrete accomplishments. REDI signed an agreement with China Association for International Science and Technology Cooperation (CAISTC) to establish a cooperative partnership. The agencies agreed to promote and organize meetings and activities that support business and sharing of resources.

She also formalized an earlier agreement between REDI and the Baoding administrative office for technology development that makes physical workspace available for local companies visiting the office’s Beijing site. Businesses will have access to private offices, the conference room and a training room with computers set up for instructional sessions.

‘‘When [REDI] or Rockville companies need a presence in Beijing, they have a place to use,” Sternbach said.

In return, REDI offered to accommodate Chinese businesses in the same way should representatives visit Rockville.

Keeping an eye out for eventual prospects for the fourth county incubator set to open in Rockville’s new Town Square development in the spring also was on the agenda.

Participating in the global marketplace requires partnerships, said Duc Duong, program director for the county incubator network and owner of technology consulting firm DDI Associates. Duong accompanied Sternbach to China as a volunteer and business owner, not as a county representative.

It is very important to establish contacts with international organizations and businesses overseas so they are aware of the upcoming Rockville incubator, Duong said. Connections made during the trip are not only meant to attract potential companies from China who would like to expand into the U.S. market, but to also help local companies tap into the Chinese market, he said.

China is a growing marketplace and one of the biggest in the world, he added.

Sternbach has stars in her eyes. ‘‘I’m pumped,” she said.

‘‘The scope, the scale, the drive, the energy, the commercialization, the openness was way beyond what I anticipated,” Sternbach said.

‘‘I came back as an absolute convert to the idea of local companies expanding into an international market,” she added. ‘‘The future of the global economy is over there.”

Sternbach said she looks forward to returning the hospitality she received by inviting representatives from China to Rockville’s third annual Asian American Business Conference next fall.