Day 6
BEIJING, China – After another day of business meetings in China, Lt. Governor Skillman and the Indiana agriculture trade delegation celebrated a new commitment for Weaver Popcorn.
Stellar Cinema Group used the occasion celebrating the opening of its 100th movie screen in China to sign an ongoing “strategic partnership” with Weaver Popcorn Company. In a ceremony with Chinese movie stars and directors, members of the Indiana trade delegation were treated as guests of honor.
“This is great news for Weaver, which already has a booming international business,” Lt. Governor Skillman said. “Strengthening our relationships with China does indeed result in good news for Hoosier companies.”
Weaver Popcorn COO Will Weaver has joined the delegation in Beijing.
“Our hosts in China have been wonderful, and we couldn’t be more excited about providing Weaver popcorn to movie-goers around the globe,” Weaver said.
The cinema event capped a long day of business meetings for the delegation. Members again split to meet with business leaders in their own fields, including Huaxia Dairy Farm, Liuma Farm, clean energy leader ENN Group and more.
The Lt. Governor also hosted a Friends of Indiana Reception for government leaders, agricultural companies and other potential investors in Indiana.
This is Lt. Governor Skillman’s fourth international trade mission since assuming office in 2005. Her trips to Central America in 2005, Taiwan and Vietnam in 2006, and Mexico in 2008 led to business deals for multiple agriculture industries. This mission has been paid for entirely through private donations.
Day 6 Photo
Day 6 Blog Post
June 8, 2010: I’ve missed Indiana quite a bit on this trade mission, particularly my husband Steve. Steve is retired from General Motors and spends most of his days working – or playing – at a local golf course. In the evenings, we often like to relax by renting a movie. And 99 times out of 100, he isn’t upset that he doesn’t get to tag along to my business and government meetings.
But I think today might have been the exception.
It’s not a stretch to say that during the four trade missions I have been on, our overseas hosts have treated us more like movie stars than I ever expected. Crowds of photographers following us around and extravagant receptions are not uncommon, but today we got the closest taste of stardom yet.
We attended a red carpet event today celebrating the 100th movie screen in China for Stellar Cinema Group. The celebration was attended by top Chinese actors and directors, but the reason we were there was because Indiana’s own Weaver Popcorn signed a deal with Stellar to continue providing Hoosier popcorn to their theaters.
I was interviewed by a Chinese TV station, which asked about my favorite movies and stars. I had my list ready to go, but before they turned on the camera, the reporter nudged me and hinted that I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention Jackie Chan.
After Will Weaver, CEO of Weaver Popcorn, signed his business deal, we all got to place our handprints on a star that will be hung in the theater. I may never be on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but if you ever visit Beijing, you can stop by and see the handprints of many of our delegates.
Earlier in the day, we toured ENN, a global company based in China that focuses on clean energy – particularly solar power components. Steve probably didn’t miss that tour, but he could have spent time on ENN’s private golf course: “The Golden Elephant”. It was an impeccable 36-hole layout, with an 18-hole American-style course and a European-style course. Greens fees were around $300.
I guess I’m writing all this to point out we are here working on the future of Indiana agriculture. We are building relationships and striking deals that will hopefully lead to additional Hoosier jobs and investment down the road. This kind of work happens every day in Indiana. It happens so often, in fact, that Hoosiers don’t even tend to notice anymore. I don’t expect Hoosiers to roll out the red carpet for our farmers and ag scientists like the ones we met at ENN. But when you meet one, be sure to say thanks for their work and their contribution to Indiana’s economy.
And if you see my husband Steve, tell him he hasn’t missed a thing.
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