Scott Neal, Eden Prairie City Manager

This is what greeted our Chinese guests from Loudi, China when they reached the baggage claim area this past Monday night at 11:25 pm.  “Welcome to Eden Prairie” in English and Mandarin.  That’s my son Ethan holding the left side of the banner and the City’s Communications Manager Pat Brink is holding the other end. They flew in from Philadelphia on USAir.  Their plane landed just as two other USAir flights were landing so the one baggage ramp devoted to USAir flights had well over 200 people milling around it.  But they eventually got their luggage and headed off to the Radisson at the University of Minnesota for the night.

On the left is Mr. Xiangpun Li, Vice-Mayor of Loudi city.  He is the highest ranking official in the Loudi delegation.  To Mr. Li’s right is Mr. Lili Pan.  Lili lives in St. Paul and has an office in Eden Prairie.  He is a Chinese-American business consultant.  He is originally from Loudi.  He is accompanying the Loudi delegation to advise them on American protocol and serving as their official translator.  We have been working with Lili for at least a couple of months now to plan this visit.  He has been good to work with on this project.

Earlier today, we hosted a business seminar for the officials from Loudi to tell us about their city and about how companies from Eden Prairie could do business there.  We followed their presentation with one of our own, including an eight minute video that my Communications Divisions staff made about Eden Prairie done entirely in the Mandarin language.  I think they were impressed by that.  The presentations, both theirs and ours, went very well.  Following the presenations, the group went to Starkey Labs here in Eden Prairie for a tour of their manufacturing facility.  In the photo, that’s Joe Stoebner at the podium.  Joe is the chair of the Habitat For Technology Board of Directors.  The HFT Board is the body that organized the Loudi visit.  To the right of Joe is Lili Pan doing his translating.  

In about 90 minutes I will be heading out to the Community Leaders Banquet.  We have invited the members of the City Council, school Board, Chamber of Commerce Board, and Habitat For Technology Board to attend the banquet tonight to meet our Chinese visitors.  Should be a nice cap to a productive, and busy, day for everyone involved in this venture.