KYL7: Milan Stevanovich on the Detroit Chinese Business Association (Cross Border Kyle)

Podcast highlights:

• 09:00 What are you seeing on a day-to-day level happening there in Michigan in terms of startups and tech engagement? -- This is a bit of a complicated question. On the one hand there is a lot of resources going into autonomous driving technologies. Many firms in this space have R&D facilities in the state. Oakland County, where DCBA is located, is seeing lots of Chinese interest in the biotech space. This area of Michigan also boasts one of the largest Asian populations in the State. So there's a lot going on.
• 22:30 What sorts of things can the DCBA do for people trying to come in and get situated there? -- We do all of the economic seeding and gardening. We help make introductions to companies and other partners. We facilitate people meeting and talking to others with deep ties to the community. So Chinese investors who might want to come over can talk to other Chinese business leaders and find out about the community and the business environment in a very helpful way.
• 31:50 What are some tips and tricks you can provide listeners who might be preparing for or thinking about hosting a Chinese delegation? -- Clearly do some basic background research on who is coming and who you're likely to meet. There are some cultural things you want to know about formalized greetings, how Chinese delegations expect seating arrangements to work, for example. Know that when someone hands you a business card, you should actually look at it before putting it away.

Podcast notes:

• 00:05 Welcome Milan Stevanovich, talking about the Detroit Chinese Business Association, to Cross Border Kyle with host Kyle Ellicott.
• 00:30 Can you share with our listeners some of the things you do? -- Born in FYR Macedonia, brought to Michigan in the United States when young, roughly eight years ago learned about and became involved in the Detroit Chinese Business Association (DCBA); officially joined organization in 2013.
• 05:20 When was your first trip to China? -- 2011 as a representative for a US contingency. Our team was there looking into the sustainability of electric vehicle hybrids. It was amazing to see how fast China is developing and the speed at which they do things. Now at the DCBA, we've been fortunate to have a pro-China governor representing Michigan, Rick Snyder. This has really helped us attract Chinese investment on a similar scale to far bigger states like Texas and California.
• 09:00 What are you seeing on a day-to-day level happening there in Michigan in terms of startups and tech engagement? -- This is a bit of a complicated question. On the one hand there is a lot of resources going into autonomous driving technologies. Many firms in this space have R&D facilities in the state. Oakland County, where DCBA is located, is seeing lots of Chinese interest in the biotech space. This area of Michigan also boasts one of the largest Asian populations in the State. So there's a lot going on.
• 14:15 It seems in some ways this level of Chinese investment is under-reported given its scale. What are ways people can get involved with the businesses or things going on in this space? -- Anyone's first phone call should be to the DCBA. The City of Detroit really has a dynamic non-profit sector with lots of incubators . It's a great place to start ideas.
• 18:45 With all of the things you mentioned on how Detroit has expanded recently, where do you see things going in the next five years? -- For Detroit, the bottom was probably around 2011 in the wake of the global financial crisis. And it's important to remember Detroit historically was a very diversified economy. Long before it was the world's automotive capital, there were people with all sorts of businesses and ideas moving to Detroit to set up.