The dynamic Chinese economy is probably one of the greatest business opportunities of the millennium and LPC is pleased to announce the launch of its China offices to capitalize on this key moment in history.As China’s impressive GNP continues to expand in double digit numbers that are shadowing Western economies, business opportunities in Shanghai, Beijing, and elsewhere will only increase. China is now a rising society of professionals, businessmen, and consumers that also represent millions of new entrepreneurs who are eager to expand their investments to various parts of the global world.Doing business in this fascinating and exciting arena bodes incredible potential rewards and LPC has the experience and connections in Hong Kong and mainland China to assist you with your China business dreams. Whether it is a desire to open an office in China or a wish to partner with on of China's many emerging international companies and products, let us provide you with the top-notch public relations services you’ll need to succeed in the 21st Century’s most promising market.
Beijing Office
Elizabeth Meiling Yuen—Principal
Life Style and Travel Specialist
 In the illustrious Beijing social circle Elizabeth Meiling Yuen is known as the "Escoffier Lady" whose image commonly adorns some of China's top magazine covers. A name synonymous with taste and class, Elizabeth's high profile signature events gather both East and West elites in the global culinary and travel industry.A native of Guangzhou, Elizabeth immigrated to the United States in 1990 and lived in Seattle, Hawaii and Southern California before returning to China.
Elizabeth played a key role in 2003 in founding the Les Amis d'Escoffier Society-Asia Pacific in Beijing. The organization has attracted Asian gourmets in all fields and is dedicated to appreciating and promoting excellence in food. As the Escoffier Society's Secretary General Elizabeth has played a key role in expanding this elite gastronomic program to dozens of countries. The Society's membership has increased substantially during her tenure, and she now travels frequently between countries in Asia as well as internationally.
As a champion and advocate of friendship through international cuisine and hospitality, Elizabeth's annual Escoffier Society dinner, which gathers the stars of Asia and dignitaries from Europe, is an eagerly attended event. Escoffier's last dinner, "The Rose of the Desert -- a Night in Tunisia" was enthusiastically covered in the media. Because of her efforts in promoting friendship and exchanges between Tunisia and China, Elizabeth has been honored as the "Ambassador of Charm for Tunisia to China" by the Tunisia Government. Her work as the pioneer for Tunisia tourism has also born fruit in areas of movie productions and cultural exchanges.
Elizabeth is also generous with her time to various charitable causes. A member of the Special Olympic First Annual Asian Pacific Charity Organization, Elizabeth successfully raised major funds for the China Disabled Persons Federation. Elizabeth also assisted with fundraising for the China Cuisine Association's Chef Training Program through the Escoffier Society. In 2005 she and the Escoffier Society were the sponsors for a Chinese delegation to participate in the famous 10th Bocuse D'Or world cuisine contest in Lyon, France where the Chinese team won the prize in the "Best Design" competition.
Elizabeth and the Les Amis d'Escoffier Society also co-hosted the "100 Chef Preparation and Training for the Olympics" in association with the Beijing Western Food Association in 2006 and played a key role in organizing a successful dinner in the People's Great Hall. She and the Escoffier Society generously assist with the "Spring Bud Project" of the China Children and Teenagers Fund, an organization which financially supports Chinese female students who have dropped out of school and helps them return to campus.
Elizabeth is also the President of Meiling Productions and the Vice Secretary-General of the China Public Relations Association.
Vincent Diau–Partner
Corporate and Government Relations Specialist
 Over the last two decades, Mr. Diau has established a reputation as a consumate deal maker for international corporations between China and the United States.With an extensive network at various levels of the Chinese government from Beijing and Shanghai to Shenzhen, Mr. Diau has assisted a number of international companies in successfully penetrating the China market.
He is one of the few foreign nationals serving an official capacity in the Chinese government, namely as the Senior Business Consultant for the Dalian City government. He also servers as the Advisor to the Chairman of the Shide Group, and the Chinese Daily News. He has been involved in the development of Xian Hai Bay in the city of Dalian. He also plays a key role in planning and implementing international expansion and global strategy for Shide Group, a privately-own company with diversified products and services including: chemical building materials, petrochemical, home appliances, sports, insurance, automobile manufacturing and healthcare.
Mr. Diau is fluent in both spoken and written Mandarin Chinese.
Rob Koepp –Partner
Investment and Economic Development Specialist
 From his base in Beijing, Rob advises companies, high net worth individuals, and investment funds on their financial strategies and transactions. He has particular expertise with private equity and debt structurings for investment in Mainland Chinese companies and real estate. He also is available to advise on other deal structures and for transactions in other geographic territories.
Rob provides complete servicing of investments from opportunity identification, investment analysis and assessment, up to deal close. He further is available to represent clients in the post-investment phase for managing their financial asset or investor relations. In these regards he works in sourcing, conducting preliminary investigations, organizing financial and legal due diligence, structuring investment offers, managing contract negotiations, and conducting follow-on asset management. Typical deal sizes range from small ($5 million and below) to large-scale projects of $100 million and above.
In his previous business activities, Rob has served in various leadership capacities, most recently as COO of an international real estate group where he spearheaded the company’s efforts at developing a 550,000 square meter wholesale and logistics center near the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. In the fields of research and scholarship, Rob has been a corporate strategy consultant, regional economist, and business studies professor for such organizations as the World Bank, the Milken Institute, and the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Rob’s written and spoken opinions appear in the Los Angeles Times, The Economist publication Business Asia, the Chicago Tribune, Singapore’s Business Times, and Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shinbun , among others. He authored the book Clusters of Creativity (published by John Wiley & Sons), which looks in-depth at the powers unleashed through combining finance, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Rob translated into English the best-selling Japanese illustrated manga on the financial philosophy and investment strategies of George Soros.
Rob is a US citizen. He holds a BA in Asian Studies from Pomona College and MBA from the University of Cambridge. A Truman Scholar for the state of California, Rob also was awarded a Watson Fellowship for post-graduate fieldwork in China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. He is fluent in English, Chinese, and Japanese and possesses a working knowledge of German.
Rob enjoys body surfing, downhill skiing, and exploring historical sites. He is engaged to Sophie Chen, a former Miss China Fitness and current television presenter on Beijing Television.
Shanghai Office
David Ho, Principal
 David Ho is a graduate of the School of Architecture and Design in the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. During his university studies, he worked with Bob Taylor on the early versions of the Internet (ARPANET). His interest in the Internet continues today, focusing on the importance of branding in today’s electronic marketplace and the impact of eCommerce on consumer retailing.
Mr. Ho started his career in advertising and marketing management when he began working with a variety of clients on a local, regional and national basis on behalf of Prufrock Management Group. At Prufrock, he was responsible for the design and development of more than 100 restaurants and bars, including famous establishments such as The Black-eyed Pea, Tony Roma’s, Hard Rock Café and TGI Friday’s. In 1995, Mr. Ho co-founded SkyBioHealth Solutions, Inc., where he acted as eCommerce Product Manager and Director of Sales Planning and Operations. From 1997 to 2000, he was VP of Sales Strategy and was responsible for the development and performance of all marketing, eCommerce and advertising related programs.
Mr. Ho has a rich depth of experience in consumer marketing and advertising, and has been a consultant for Microsoft, IBM and Compaq. He is one of the founders of USIntertech-ASPDB (www.aspdb.com), as well as AirGATE Technologies, Inc. (www.airgatetech.com). Mr. Ho managed the full spectrum of ASPDB’s initial marketing, advertising and sales promotion activities. He is also responsible for many of the software innovations developed at USIntertech, Inc. and AirGate Technologies, Inc.
In 2001, Mr. Ho retired from business activities in the U.S. and moved to Guangzhou, China to focus on the research and study of the impact that foreign (western) investments and business activities have on Chinese culture and society. He started Digital Steel (Guangzhou) Ltd. (www.digitalsteel.com.cn) in 2001 in partnership with Butler Manufacturing Asia Pacific Ltd. (www.bluescopesteelasia.com). In 2003, Mr. Ho relocated to Shanghai and has been involved in researching problems foreign companies encounter in executing their China business strategies. He currently consults for AirGateTech and the Photo-ME Group (www.photo-me.co.uk / www.photomechina.com) and manages both companies?China operations.
Douglas Kit Ling Ng, Director of Strategic Planning
Legal and Finance Specialist
 With decades of experience in Hong Kong, mainland China and the U.S., Douglas Kit Ling Ng is a valuable representative for any organization with business interests in China. He is a seasoned negotiator whose legal skills and business acumen have helped many companies achieve their business goals in China.
From 1978 to 1995, Mr. Ng was a practicing attorney in Hong Kong. He specialized in corporate finance with particular emphasis on Mergers and Acquisition, and IPO. He is also very experienced in technology transfer negotiation and contracting. In the course of his practice, he acquired extensive business and political connections in China, which have helped facilitate his success with a number of clients. Mr. Ng is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
In 2005, Mr. Ng spearheaded contract negotiations between U.S.-based Marmon Holdings and Foshan Color Picture Tube Company (China). Mr. Ng’s negotiation skills, patience and knowledge of U.S., Chinese and Hong Kong law enabled the two parties to clearly define obligations and complete a mutually beneficial 30-month contract. This was an unusually successful event in the PRC for a foreign entity and a Chinese municipality-backed operation to perform in such a cooperative manner within the contractual terms.
Mr. Ng has also been a successful liaison for China State Power (now called China State Grid), one the world’s 20 largest companies. Thanks to his efforts, China State Power was able to create new networks and relationships with U.S. power companies such as Southern California Edison and Duke Energy.
Mr. Ng attended the University of Hong Kong, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws ( LLB) degree and a Postgraduate Certificate of Laws (PCLL) degree. He is a member of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance.
James C. Lu, Ph.D --Partner
Environmental Engineering Specialist
 An environmental engineer by trade, Dr. Lu has in excess of 30 years of experience in both academic and industrial fields of environmental science and engineering, and civil engineering. In the environmental science and engineering field, Dr. Lu has involved in programs relating to solid and hazardous waste management, air pollution control, environmental audits, environmental assessment, site investigation, hydrogeology survey, water and wastewater pollution control and treatment facilities.
In China, he has been involved in many turn-key projects relating to solid waste recycling and disposal facilities, treatment plants, power plant air pollution control facilities, hazardous waste recycling and treatment facilities, and development/construction of numerous residential/commercial facilities. He was the project director for Amwest Environmental Group, Inc. to assist in investment, design, construction management, and startup operation of an environmental recycling facility in Rusan Shandong province. He has assisted several firms in the USA and Korea to develop business in China, including location searches for factories, permitting negotiation, master plans for facilities, and marketing to governmental agencies throughout various sizes of cities in China. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Lu has been involving in dozens of projects assisting the China local governments to look for outside investors move into China's industrial parks. Recently, Dr. Lu is assisting an American firm from Midwest to develop a factory in Yangtze River Delta area. He is also assisting three firms to develop a polysilicon factory in Inner Mongolia, and a Nanosilicon Solar cell factory in Jinan China, as well as a large real estate (over $300 million USD) development (called Jinan International Center) in Jinan China.
Because of his expertise, he has been retained as a faculty member by several universities both in China and the US. He is currently lecturing Environmental Engineering at USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Dr. Lu is fluent in both spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. |
