【69】This is a story to be further developed @ TMD Holdings, Pittsburgh

There will be no pictures for this entry, for it occurred in a professional setting where carries a lot industry information. That means, I will also keep this experience short and less elaborated.

I did try to ask myself first, "Then, what is the point of sharing if you can not have a picture, nor can you fully write the story and those involved?。。。Not Yet, at least"  Then I realized that this was indeed a profound experience and it says a lot about Pittsburgh, about some entrepreneurs, about my home country of China and the vast opportunity it brings/creates in the world economy. I can simply not be able to ignore it.  Plus, if this is to be the last post of 2014, I want it to be able to leave an hopeful tone for the coming year of 2015. Hope is essential.

This is about my encounter in Pittsburgh with two entrepreneurs who are capable, ambitious, rich, successful, and want to keep themselves in the backdrop yet what they do seem to be in people's life in an omnipresent fashion.

And they are right in the neighborhood of 15213, not far from Idea Foundry's office on 4551 Forbes Avenue. The week before, Mike was telling me about he met this guy in a parking lot after a business function, who apparently drove a very fancy car. Then the next thing, Mike and I were on the way to meet him and his brother in their office to talk about potential business collaborations. We were led to a cafeteria with a setting like a bar. That was where we were going to have the meeting. "Quiet unusual" I thought. Then meeting with them turned out to be nothing less than unusually inspiring.

Tommy really knew what he was talking about. Henry was very amiable on the other hand. You can just tell they both are alarmingly bright and savvy.

Henry Wang and Tommy Wang. TMD Holdings, and many more business adventures from luxury men's wardrobe, lady's fashion line, to real estate, education, design, and manufacturing. Just when you are in awe how far they've come along, and what kind of empire they can build, Henry told us during the tour he gave after the meeting that they just started a furniture line called "Carnegie Next". "Quite Ambitious, isn't it?" I concealed my two (no, maybe twenty!) thumps up and thought to myself.

Henry said one thing before we left the building that I thought how wonderful to hear. Hope to note it here as a reminder. He said something like this: "Many years ago, when Tommy and I got started, people had doubts, after all, we were just two brothers with a lot of crazy ideas. Now we are still trying very hard. But we have made our ideas happen, and acquired business discipline to not always get hotheaded for just an idea. We don't like to share, we do it all by ourselves, and we have found a pretty good way of doing business both in China, in the U.S., and the rest of the world. It is pretty exciting."

This is an exciting time. China's economic development just generated a vast volume of middle-class, which creates an ever-increasing consumption and buying power both in domestic and international markets for services and goods. My hope for building a bridge between Pittsburgh and China will prevail. I hope it can, and will work towards that goal everyday on the platform that is promising, and just as much challenging at the same time.

The fact that the brothers chose Pittsburgh as their base camp, and I am here, just make the whole scenario more exciting. I am excited as a Pittsburgher as well as a Chinese. Why Shouldn't I be?

Apparently Mike was pretty inspired and consumed after the intense meeting too. Much to be excited about, much to be hoped for...... Like the Power of 32 has acquired millions of dollars to enhance the infrastructure for the 32 countries in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland to attract Business to come to the region.

Cheer for the year of 2015.

Beer Winning Trivia @ TMD Holdings

1. TMD Holdings is one of the industry's leading Global Sourcing and Manufacturing firms. Headquartered in Pittsburgh with wholly owned subsidiaries in China, TMD Holdings offers an all-inclusive product and service solution. The company combines award winning creative services and reliable custom manufacturing and sourcing, with a decade of retail experience to help its customers achieve amazing results. Its stellar reputation and proven track record have made the company the go-to manufacturer for such leading industry giants as Coca-Cola, MGM, Jack Daniels, Disney and many others.

Over the years, TMD Holdings have developed a vast network in China and other countries of the world. Due to the high creativity, and strong business acumen and discipline among its core leadership, TMD Holdings are constantly exploring new ways of capitalizing ever-surfacing market opportunity as well as its business network..


2. Power of 32.

【68】A glimpse of the Old Chinatown @ Third Avenue, Downtown, Pittsburgh

Few newcomers to Pittsburgh know there was once a China town here. Before 1950s, Chinatown was a prosperous place like any other ones in this country. Since the economy downfall, a large population got ousted, all those shops closed one by one as a result. Today, there is no China town in Pittsburgh, only a modest Chinese population and several Chinese supermarkets in Strip District. Despite all those ups and downs, one restaurant, located on the 3rd Avenue, called Chinatown Inn has been around the corner for 70 years, run by the same family from Southern China, is the only element left, through which you can still have a glimpse of the old Chinatown.

I only read about the old Chinatown in the books and didn't get chance to wander there until early December this year, when I was looking for a place to host a Wuhan delegation visiting Major's office to enhance sister city relationship. Mike and I went there first to test the food. We both liked the spirits in the place, history mingles with grace. It turns out, the owner of the restaurant is a couple and the wife is from Wuhan. So we worked together and pinned down a decent menu to entertain guests.

To my surprise, all the American guests we had that day can speak very good Chinese! Bill from PNC bank, John and Michele from University of Pittsburgh. Well, Debra, our Chief officer in Innovation for the city has Hongkong heritage and can speak fluent Chinese too! Several of Chinese professionals who are accomplished in their fields were also invited and they gave me so much inspiration. I felt so fortunate to be at the table with everyone.

Hope we will work together in a harmonious way to make City of Pittsburgh a destination for more Chinese students, tourists, and business people. This is indeed a place for my countryman and woman, young and old, to experience authentic America and those traces of Chinese culture here and there being part of this melting pot.