Ryan Gerber & V2V Design Visit Shanghai
Fact-finding Mission Helps Explore Biz Options

When Cool Cleveland last talked with Ryan Gerber of V2V Design, he and his organization were helping local educational supply store Holcomb's realize their vision for Knowville, a fun and completely interactive childhood development experience. Who would have thought that their encore to the launch of Knowville would be a company trip to a not-so-Knownville -- Shanghai, municipality to the People's Republic of China?

“This was actually a repeat trip for us,” Gerber told Cool Cleveland in a recent interview. “We went out there at the same time last year to a different part of China with one of our customers in manufacturing… we met with members of the design and fabrication industry that time. I was in Hong Kong and Singapore on that last trip; I guess you could say that because some of my customers already have headquarters over there this was an exploratory, fact-finding mission to see about expanding our business even further.”

The main question people asked Gerber and his V2V friends on this recent Shanghai trip was, “What is the purpose of your trip?” And what is a small business straight outta Cleveland thinking in immersing itself in Shanghai and the Chinese culture? Like many larger corporate entities, Gerber sees exploration of other markets -- both outside of both Northeast Ohio and the country -- as a “means to gain a positive outlook and explore our opportunities.”

Not to mention acquiring knowledge for improving what corporations call best practices.

“It helps to know how other design firms run, what problems they run into and how they view the future of their society,” said Gerber. “We learned that it doesn’t matter where you may be in the world, business really is the same. We are all talented people who are trying to communicate our services to as many people as possible, in order to grow ourselves and our businesses. All corporations are faced with the prospect of diversifying their business model, but smaller businesses need to be doing that, too.

“Manufacturers are going out of business every day in Cleveland because they don’t extend their bounds,” he added. “But the reality is, that's not something that's exclusive to Cleveland. It can happen to anybody, anywhere. Thinking outside the box, like what's being discussed with the Medical Mart, helps because Cleveland is a great place to call home, it's centrally located, and you can reach out to many destinations fairly easily from here.”

Equally important was learning about the cultural differences, Gerber said. During the brief trip to China, the group stopped in Suzhou, a 2,500 year old city about a 30-minute train ride south of Shanghai. Known for its architectural gardens and community of artists, merchants and scholars that lived there throughout the centuries, the city was a must on the visit. Gerber and the group also visited one of the gardens from the Ming Dynasty called “The Lingering Garden.” The Silk Research and Suzhou Museums were also part of that day's itinerary.

“It helps to have a strong background in the history and culture, and our friends there gave us one heck of a tour… what's interesting is just how music British, French and German infusion you find in China,” Gerber offered, adding that connecting with interior design firm owner Ingrid Huang of Isting Creative Product and Wu Zhi Guang, the Deputy Chairman of the China Architecture Society and the Chairman of the Shanghai Architecture Society the followign day was also inspiring. Very rare it is to see a unique structure created by a woman in a Communist country.

But don't let that political angle (e.g. Democracy v. Communism) throw you, says Gerber. “Doing business there versus doing it here, there are a lot of similarities. The Chinese are challenged with the exact same things we are; a lot of people think that diong business is a lot different there, but it’s really not too much different. They have issues educating customers, looking for means to add value, breaking into new markets, and focusing on what [they] do best as well. There is an enormous amount of work in China and everyone is doing just about a bit of everything. Focus, as it is here, is most important to [the Chinese].”

Nevermind the approach from a business perspective, there's nothing quite like a cultural depth charge to awaken the senses for a design company's employees.

That focus was brought into view at the Architecture and Urban Design Show at Shanghai Mart -- Shanghai’s largest and most popular indoor exhibition center -- which featured exhibits from design companies, consultants, architectural societies and institutes. The same could be said for their final day's experience at the Oriental Pearl Tower, a very famous attraction for both tourists and those who live in Shanghai.

Gerber and his group also visited the Shanghai Municipal History Museum which is located in the pedestal of the tower and allowed a view of growth progression and history of the city of Shanghai. The futuristic, space-city was like something out of a science fantasy city, like something straight out of Harrison Ford's Blade Runner.

Is it any wonder, then, that V2V will return periodically to cultivate new market opportunities?

“It was a great learning experience filled with history, traditions, beauty and yes, it was quite inspiring,” Gerber offered. “Clevelanders really need to do homework on the actual characteristics and culture of the people if they're thinking about doing business in another country. Cultural side has to be treated with a lot of respect, which is something Americans don’t always necessarily do.”

Visit V2V at http://www.v2v-design.com.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com
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