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Cape Breton Post

Island business groups hire expert to help market area in China

Section: Business

By Chris Hayes, Cape Breton Post

Cape Breton business groups and companies have hired the services of a marketing expert to research opportunities in China.

The Cape Breton group - Laurentian Energy, the Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority, the Cape Breton Business Partnership, Sydney Ports Corporation, Sydney Airport Authority and Mount Cameron Minerals - has signed a contract for the research services with Harker Associated Consulting.

Collin Harker said his consulting company will provide the research services of Lei Yang, a Chinese national who studied marketing in Canada who will focus on possible markets in China for Cape Breton products and the potential for Chinese investments in Cape Breton projects.

The research will provide valuable information, said Harker.

"If you are trying to source some products from China or you are trying to find a Chinese partner for your own business ventures, not knowing the country or culture, it's very hard to make sure you are hooking up on who is going to be reputable. That's the kind of thing he can do and save people a lot of time and effort."

Harker talked about several business opportunities for the Cape Breton participants.

Mount Cameron Resources is a group of Cape Breton investors with mineral rights that include graphite deposits, for which there is a thriving market in China, said Harker.

"They were interested in seeing if there is any appetite in China for investment for partnership and processing."

The research can look at which Chinese ports the Sydney Ports Corporation should approach based on cargo patterns and shipping routes, he said.

The airport authority is interested in the potential for attracting Canadian and Chinese companies who may want a location for a pilot training school, Harker said.

"There is a very clear need for much greater numbers of commercial airline pilots in China now," said Harker. "Their air travel is growing rapidly and there just aren't the pilots to meet that demand."

Laurentian would like to attract investment to Sydport Industrial Park, he noted.

"There are very obvious reasons for Chinese businesses to want to establish some sort of operations in Canada," he said.

"Many of them are already selling into the Canadian market and it could well be interesting for them to move one step further along the value chain and include a Canadian facility to warehouse and distribute their products."

China is a very big market in which businesses must be specific about potential projects, Yang said.

He noted that he speaks Chinese and knows the country's culture.