FirstPathway Weblog

On Thursday, December 8, 2011 Bob Kraft, Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners, joined Milwaukee Mayor, Tom Barrett as he presented a bronze bald eagle sculpture to the city of Ningbo, China in celebration of Milwaukee’s five-year anniversary with the City.  In 2006, Milwaukee signed a cooperative MOU with Ningbo, China.

The gift, a beautifully carved, 6 ft., bronze bald eagle, created by artist Mike Capser, symbolizes the American spirit and continued development of a dynamic partnership between Ningbo and Milwaukee. The sculpture will be on display at the Ningbo Museum. This gift is in response to the 2008 presentation of Ningbo’s two stone lions to the city of Milwaukee. The lions can be seen at the entrance of the Zeidler Municipal Building on Broadway St. in downtown Milwaukee.

First Pathway Partners, Chairman/CEO and MMAC China Council Co-Chair Bob Kraft, spoke on behalf of Milwaukee Business leaders at the event.

Last Week, Chairman, Huo Guanglai and GM, Yuan Chao of the Beijing Ducks hosted former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Foley & Lardner Partner Marc Marotta, and FirstPathway Partners President Bob Kraft and Director of China Operations Dan Redford at a Beijing Ducks basketball game at the Shougang Steel Arena. The Beijing Ducks are Beijing’s premier Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team.

The delegation toured the campus of the Shougang Steel’s Arena, which includes an international basketball gymnasium, training facilities, tennis courts, and engineering academy.

This year the Ducks are led by NBA star Stephen Marbury. We are happy to say that the Ducks walked away with a huge victory and are the early favorite for the CBA championship!

Marotta is a former Marquette University basketball player and Chairman of the board for the Milwaukee Bradley Center, home of the NBA Bucks.

FirstPathway Partners is proud to support a growing dynamic partnership between the Beijing Ducks and the city of Milwaukee. In 2006, the Ducks came to Milwaukee to train with Bucks, building lasting friendships and a long-term relationship. We look forward to welcoming the Ducks back to Milwaukee in the near future.

Today University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Chancellor, Michael Lovell, signed an MOU with CERNET Education Development Co., in Beijing. This MOU will serve to increase enrolment of Chinese students at UWM while also heightening the University’s international profile. “UWM is striving to become more internationally and globally engaged, and is committed to recruiting students from all areas of the world, particularly from vital international partners such as China,” –Lovell. This fits with UWM’s current goal of increasing international enrolment to 3,000 within the next 5 years. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was present in China for the signing

Under the MOU, CERNET will establish a Wisconsin International Academy in Milwaukee to provide support services and housing for the Chinese students studying English through UWM’s Intensive English Program and once they qualify for degree programs within the University. According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “UWM’s Intensive English Program now serves students from more than 30 countries speaking 20 different languages.” There are currently international students, from 94 countries enrolled at UWM.

CERNET Education Development Co., was founded by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China to develop a nationwide marketing network and service support system to actively integrate cooperative high-quality academic or vocational educational service businesses with well-known universities and educational leaders throughout the world. Cernet currently has operations with The University of Massachusetts.

The event received an enormous amount of press both in the US and China, including an article on Sohu.com, China’s largest web portal. Featured  were Bob Kraft, former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, and Marc Marotta.

Read more at Sohu.com

Read More at JS Online 

Bob Kraft Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners, shakes hands with Siva Yam, CPA, CFA, President of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce.

Monday, November 14, 2011 – This week Bob Kraft Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners attended the 12th Annual U.S.-China Trade Conference in Chicago sponsored by the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce. The Honorable Yang Guoqiang, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago, was the keynote speaker at the event.

FirstPathway Partners is a proud supporter of The United States of America-China Chamber of Commerce (USCCC) , a not-for-profit, bi-national membership organization dedicated to developing increased U.S.-China trade and investment activities by assisting American and Chinese companies, professionals and the general public to better understand the business environments and cultural traditions relevant to successfully doing business in both countries.

Last month, FirstPathwayPartners COO, Daniel Wycklendt traveled to China on a mufti city tour to educate investors though our latest EB5 seminar series.  This trip marked the 8^th visit by a top ranking company executive this year.  Wycklendt would like to wish a warm thank you to all the gracious investors and agents who hosted him throughout his trip.

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On September 28th 2011,  FirstPathway Partners Director of China Operations, Dan Redford attended a reception hosted by Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder, at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Beijing. The event was co-sponsored by Amway, the Detroit Chinese Business Association, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Redford was invited in recognition of his great work supporting the Chinese community and business development in Michigan. He is a Michigan native and graduate of Michigan State University.

Last month Dan Redford, FirstPathway Partners Director of Operations-China , was featured in Michigan’s Dome Magazine.  His editorial was part of a series offering advice to the state’s chief executive, Rick Snyder on his historic foreign trade mission to China.

In the article, Redford gives deceptively simple advice which has been proven to make or break business relationships in China. His advice is transcending weather you are new to business or the hold the state’s highest office; Above all it comes down to “guanxi — the art of doing business through relationships.”

Redford will attend a reception for Michigan Governor, Rick Snyder in Beijing, China at the end of September.

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FirstPathway Partners would like to welcome Dan Redford to his appointment as Director of Operations – China, as seen in the Detroit Free Press. Redford, fluent in Mandarin, studied at both Nankai University in Tianjin and Shanghai University. In 2010, Dan represented the United States as an ambassador to the Shanghai World Expo.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110724/COL32/107240585/Ron-Dzwonkowski-Michigan-must-become-land-worldly-opportunity

Prof. PU Ying Hua presents gift to Bob Kraft

June 27, 2011- The MMAC China Business Council hosted  The Art of War and the War of Business featuring one of Power Magazine’s, top 100 most influential persons in China, Prof. PU Ying Hua.  Prof. PU is an expert in classical Chinese thought and literature who has written and consulted extensively on business strategy and the Art of War, the famous 2,500 year old Chinese classic. PU is also a direct descendent of the Qing royal family.

Bob Kraft Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners is Co-chair of the MMAC’s China Business Council.

This week the international table tennis world shifted its attention to Milwaukee as the Frontier Airlines Convention Center hosted The USA Table Tennis Federation’s US Open tournament featuring 700 elite table tennis athletes from 15 countries. The Open is part of Milwaukee’s 2011 ‘Summer of China’ designated by Mayor Tom Barrett.

The 2011 Open was politically significant in that it marked the 40th anniversary of “ping pong diplomacy,” a 1971 Beijing table tennis exhibition which helped open trade and diplomacy between the US and China. A Chinese delegation including several original “ping pong diplomacy” competitors and Chinese dignitaries attended the Open.

The “Summer of China” continues with The Milwaukee Art Museum’s summer series, The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, contents of the Qianlong Emperor’s private retreat, on view now through Sunday, September 11. Milwaukee is honored to be one of few cities selected to host this never before seen exhibition and historic tournament.