Mason Enterprise Center Hosts Foreign Delegations

With offices in Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington and Loudoun, it once seemed like the Mason Enterprise Center (MEC) had reached its economic development services far and wide. But the center has proven that it can broaden its wings far beyond the Washington Beltway. Extending its offerings into the global arena, MEC has begun hosting foreign entrepreneurs and other business groups who are seeking knowledge about how to become more successful in the business world.

MEC Director Roger Stough said that most international groups come from China. “They need the training to help them better understand U.S. business practices so they can apply them in China and to acquire the knowledge they need to enter into joint-effort business propositions and business partnerships for operations in both China and the U.S.,” he said.

The Chinese students have included entrepreneurs (MEC’s core interest group), as well as specialized groups working in environmental management, water quality and manufacturing. The most recent Chinese delegation, sponsored by the Dongguan Science and Technology Association, consisted of entrepreneurs who launched businesses in Guandong Province’s Dongguan region in the 1980s. “The members of the group were interested in learning how business is conducted in the U.S. and possibilities for joint ventures,” Stough said.

The group was quite accomplished, he added. It included entrepreneurs with businesses in the hotel industry, manufacturing, tourism and entertainment, information technology, automobile (especially reconditioned trucks) and environmental technology.

During the trainings, the foreign delegations learn about U.S. society and culture; the roles of the government and other sectors (private and non-profit); U.S. personnel laws and workers’ rights. In addition, they are taught the steps for starting a business in the United States and receive opportunities to interact with various business groups through meetings and networking events.

MEC staff members have learned a lot from the experience, according to Stough. “Staff are excited about the training because they get to see how the training they do for domestic groups works with foreign groups – often the learning is considerable in recrafting training programs to foreign groups that often speak at best broken English,” he said, adding, “In short, staff members are becoming much more sensitive to how their advising and training can be misinterpreted. I think it is making them much more sensitive to their work and in turn seems to be providing considerable motivation to do a better job. There is excitement with this activity and everyone in the center is playing a role and enjoying it.”

MEC aims to apply the research and teachings of the School of Public Policy by helping to stimulate the economy of the National Capital Region. The center offers expert consultation and training to help entrepreneurs in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area start or grow their businesses. The MEC staff includes more than 100 experts providing business and economic development assistance.