Chinese business leaders visit Fulton

FADC guides tours to highlight expansion, investment opportunities in Callaway County

Flanked by Fulton businessman Richard Li, left, and Mayor LeRoy Benton, right, Peter Yu addresses a crowd of 15 other Chinese executives and local civic and business leaders during a business tour of Fulton Monday. The tour continues today, as the Fulton Area Development Corporation shows the foreign visitors several investment and business opportunities the area offers.
Flanked by Fulton businessman Richard Li, left, and Mayor LeRoy Benton, right, Peter Yu addresses a crowd of 15 other Chinese executives and local civic and business leaders during a business tour of Fulton Monday. The tour continues today, as the Fulton Area Development Corporation shows the foreign visitors several investment and business opportunities the area offers.

At the invitation of the Fulton Area Development Corporation and a local business owner, 16 business executives from China will tour the city of Fulton and its surrounding businesses today, continuing a visit that began Monday morning.

Chinese corporations from metal and mechanical engineering to textiles were represented by executives, CEOs and administrative assistants who arrived 11:30 a.m. at city hall for a meet and greet with several city government and business leaders. They then were taken to China Palace for lunch and a tour of the Dollar General distribution center before stopping at the National Churchill Museum for a reception.

FADC Director Bruce Hackmann said that the visit came about while working with a partner, Fulton UPS Store owner Richard Li, to get the executives to stop here between trips to New York and Las Angeles.

"We have a contractual relationship with Richard Li, who represents us in China. Richard help made connections to arrange for this visit. We're trying to show that Fulton and Callaway County are open for business."

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.