FirstPathway Weblog

Friday, June 29, 2012-This week Milwaukee hosted a delegation of top officials from the Guangdong Province of China.

During a reception at Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Delegation Members learned more about Milwaukee’s connections to China, tourism and light manufacturing resources. Speakers included Bob Kraft Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners, David Latona Vice President Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Tim Sheehy President of the MMAC and Corey Zetts of the Menomonee Valley.

Several government officials were in attendance including Common Council President Willie L. Hines Jr., Alderman Joe Davis Sr, Alderman Michael J. Murphy, Alderman Nik Kovac, Alderman Robert J. Bauman., Mr. Guanghui Sun of the Shantou Municipal Government, and 30 other high-ranking Guangdong officials.

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Wednesday, June 13th- FPP Director of China Operations, Dan Redford, was honored to meet with officials from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) at the Raffles Hotel in Beijing. The group included Secretary of Commerce Paul Jadin, Vice President of International Business Development Lora Klenke, and Asia Pacific Market Development Manager Beng Yeap.

Prior to meeting with Mr. Redford, June 10th through 12th, the group joined University of Wisconsin officials and business leaders from around the state to commemorate the opening of UW-Madison’s Shanghai Innovation Center. This is a huge step for the university and continues to push Wisconsin forward as a leader in building bridges for global business and education.

FPP is excited to work with our partners in economic development to create new, lasting partnerships between Wisconsin and China.

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Last week a delegation lead by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), formerly the Department of Commerce, visited China to execute an agreement which encourages Chinese “high-net worth individuals” and investment analysts to visit and invest in Wisconsin. Gov. Scott Walker and his administration are in full support of Chinese investment in Wisconsin.

The first delegation of Chinese investors will make stops in Milwaukee and Madison Sept. 26-27 as part of a five-state tour of the United States.

The WEDC delegation also met with Dan Redford of FirstPathway Partners during the 12-day trade mission that included Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

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Sunday, May 27, 2012- Today the FirstPathway Partner’s funded Downtown Milwaukee Marriott was featured in the Business Journal.  The project is slated for completion in 2013. It will be the first full-service hotel built downtown in more than 20 years.
The project will be located in the heart of the downtown central business district of Milwaukee, WI, USA on the southwest corner of East Wisconsin Avenue and North Milwaukee Street, surrounding the Johnson Bank building.

The iconic $56 Million dollar, 10-story, 197,000 square foot hotel will feature a luxurious high-end restaurant, lobby bar, Starbucks, and a jeweler. Hotel amenities will include a fully equipped fitness center, a swimming pool, business center, concierge service, and gift shop.

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May 21, 2012 – This week Ms. Xiaoshu Xu, Chief Editor of the Educational Channel at SOHU.com ( 搜狐)  and a central delegation from China’s education sector visited FirstPathway Partners (FPP) corporate headquarters to interview FPP Chairman and CEO Bob Kraft.

During his interview Kraft spoke about educational opportunities here in Milwaukee and EB5. A full transcript of the interview is available on the sohu.com website. Also interviewed at FPP corporate headquarters was: Former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle of Foley and Lardner, Paul Jones CEO of AO Smith, Rocky Marcoux Commissioner of City Development, Tim Sheehy President of MMAC, and John Wheeler International Media Relations at Harley Davidson. FPP was honored to host such a prestigious group.

Sohu, a search engine headquartered in Beijing, China and its subsidiaries offer news reporting, search engine, informational and other services. Sohu was ranked 3rd and 12th fastest-growing company by Fortune in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012- Bob Kraft Chairman and CEO of FirstPathway Partners was honored to moderate the 48^th annual Wisconsin International Trade Conference China Session. Speakers included Damian Felton, U.S. Department of Commerce; Siva
Yam, US-China Chamber of Commerce; Hai Yan Zhang, Gordon Pacific, LLC.; John Powalisz, Sentry Equipment; Shuke Miao, Mortenson China Ltd. and Randall Birchfield/ John Fox of Covance Laboratories, Inc.

During the sessions, Kraft commended the efforts of Milwaukee for expanding international trade, of products, services, education and culture with China.  This year’s highlights included “The Summer of China,” featuring the US Table Tennis Open and The Milwaukee Art Museum’s, The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, Cernet’s MOU with The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee to bring thousands of students to UWM and the reciprocated gift from the City of Milwaukee to sister city Ningbo.

Earlier that day, during the Wisconsin International Trade Conference Export Awards Luncheon Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, gave remarks on the regions International activities. In his speech, the Governor encouraged efforts to further increase international trade and investment in our community and expand exports. The Governor also touted the regions job pool, technology and innovation as key factors in attracting business to Wisconsin exporters.

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Friday, March 23rd 2012- This week the China Daily published a feature article on Bob Kraft’s momentum in China. Kraft has been working to cultivate relationships and investment between China and the US, for over 10 years. The China Daily sites Kraft as “one of the most successful businessmen in attracting Chinese investment to the United States.” Kraft is Chair of the MMAC China Council and Chairman/CEO, of FirstPathway Partners, one of the largest EB5 investment immigration providers in the United States.

Kraft is honored to be featured in The China Daily, a key reference point for overseas media. The China Daily is considered one of the most authoritative newspapers in China, with the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper. The newspaper has an average daily circulation of more than 400,000 in 150 countries and regions.

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This week Milwaukee’s Aloft Hotel was announced number 8 on TripAdvisor’s Travelers choice 2012, Top 25 Trendiest Hotels in the United States. The Aloft ranked above hotels like the Hilton New York Fashion District hotel (15) and the W Hotel in San Francisco (24).

The five-story, 160-room, Aloft Hotel Milwaukee is a FirstPathway Partners project which opened in 2009. It is one of 43 Aloft hotels in the United States. The Aloft (Milwaukee), a brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is located downtown at 1230 N. Old World Third St., in the Park East corridor. It is the first Aloft location in southeastern Wisconsin and features 5,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center, an indoor pool overlooking the riverwalk, laptop stations,  pool table and the Wxyz Bar in the lobby/lounge area. Nearby attractions include- the Milwaukee River, The Bradley Center (home of the Milwaukee Bucks) and trendy local bars/restaurants.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels-cTrendy

Friday January 20,2012 – United States Senator Ron Johnson visited FirstPathway Partners today to express his appreciation for the significant economic and job creation impact FirstPathway Partners has had on Southeast Wisconsin under the Federal EB5 Regional Center Program. FirstPathway Partners was honored to host the senator and hear his insights. 

Senator Johnson is a United States Senator of the 112th Congress representing the state of Wisconsin, and a member of the Republican Party.  Prior to his election to the Senate, he was chief executive officer of PACUR, LLC, a Wisconsin polyester and plastics manufacturer.

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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.