LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

GPS personal tracking devices and applications are forecast to grow with a CAGR of 40%, with both markets breaking $1 billion in 2017.

Senior analyst Patrick Connolly says, “The hardware market remained below 100,000 units in 2011. However, it is forecast to reach 2.5 million units in 2017, with significant growth in elderly, health, and lone worker markets. Dedicated devices can offer significant benefits, with insurance and liability increasingly encouraging the use of approved equipment.”

“We are also seeing the first signs of leading CE companies entering the market, such as Qualcomm, Apple (via PocketFinder), Garmin, Cobra, etc. and there will also be significant partnerships and acquisitions in this space as new entrants looks to add tracking to their portfolio,” adds Connolly. Other markets include family, personal items (e.g. luggage), and pet and offender tracking.

There is an addressable market of over 120 million people across these markets alone, with over two million US elderly using non-GPS Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS). However, awareness, battery life, economic conditions, and high subscription fees remain significant barriers. There is also a fear that smartphone applications will cannibalize the market.

The application market is already booming, with Life360 reaching 10 million downloads for its family locator application. Long term, these solutions will become part of much bigger security and health markets, growing to over 200 million downloads in 2017, as well as the majority of total tracking market revenue.

Group director Dominique Bonte adds, “In particular, carrier platforms represent a major revenue generator opportunity for family locator applications, matching their secure image and offering differentiation to family subscription plans. Companies such as Location Labs and TCS are already seeing success in this space.”

ABI Research’s new report, “Personal Location Devices and Applications Market,” (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1010467) identifies the key growth markets for GPS tracking devices, analyzing each market individually to enable companies to identify the market that best fits their approach. The competitive environment is also analyzed.

This report is part of the firm’s Location Platforms and Enablers Research Service (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Location_Platforms_and_Enablers_Research_Service).

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 40+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit http://www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

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Personal Tracking to Be the Next Billion Dollar GPS Market, According to ABI Research

PEORIA, Ariz. – The sun was still rising when rookie pitcher Forrest Snow arrived at the Seattle Mariners’ spring training camp Wednesday, so there weren’t many fans on hand to see his sartorial splendor.

While most teammates wander in wearing T-shirts, sweatshirts and jeans, Snow showed up this time wearing his usual dress shirt and tie, a dark vest and slacks.

“Look good, play well. That’s the theory,” Snow said. “I want to be a big-leaguer, so I’ll dress like one.”

Snow, 23, jumped from high Class A ball to Triple-A Tacoma last July when the Rainiers needed an arm. Usually, players in that situation fill a role and then are returned to their original team.

“He started a couple of games for us and then we tried to limit his innings and used him in relief,” Tacoma Rainiers manager Daren Brown said. “He pitched well for us, then went to Arizona Fall League and proved it was no fluke.”

In the AFL, the 6-foot-6 Snow, a Seattle native who pitched for the University of Washington Huskies, threw 16 innings and allowed opposing batters a .167 average.

Snow’s locker is alongside those of Taijuan Walker, Dan Hultzen and James Paxton, and the Mariners consider him one of their best young pitching prospects.

There’s no question he’s the best dresser in the group.

“I’d have to get up too early in the morning to tie a tie,” Hultzen said.

“I don’t know how to tie one,” Walker admitted.

“I’d rather wear a tie than a polo shirt,” Snow said. “I started doing it in Tacoma. I was close to home and had the chance to dress up, so I did.

“I was the only pitcher Daren Brown ever had who charted a game from the stands wearing a suit.”

Brown allows the starting pitcher for the next game to sit in the stands and chart the pitches of the starter – and has a rule: They must wear shirts with a collar.

“I looked up in the stands and saw Forrest in a suit and Chris Seddon was sitting beside him and looked terrible,’ Brown said. “I didn’t know whether to fine Seddon for looking to bad or fine Snow for making Seddon look so bad.”

Snow has taken some friendly abuse for being a clothes hound.

“I came in a few times after games and found my clothes hanging from the ceiling,” Snow said. “You know who always laughed and got a kick out of it? Greg (Halman).” (Halman was stabbed to death in November in his native Netherlands.)

This spring, teammates are enjoying each new day with Snow.

“Stephen Pryor claims I have 40 ties,” Snow said, “but it’s more like 15-20.”

PITCHING SCHEDULE

The first intrasquad game is Friday, and pitching coach Carl Willis has the starters lined up – it’ll be left-handers Jason Vargas vs. Hultzen.

Thirteen other pitchers are scheduled to work an inning: Shawn Camp, Oliver Perez, Aaron Heilman, Steve Delabar, Charlie Furbish and Chance Ruffin will follow Vargas. Walker, Paxton, Shawn Kelley, Hong-Chi Kuo, Cesar Jimenez, Erasmo Ramirez and Lucas Luetge will follow Hultzen.

SHORT HOPS

Shortstop Brendan Ryan (right-shoulder tightness) played catch for the first time, and is scheduled to throw lightly each day through Sunday. In Friday’s game, Ryan will be the DH for one team. ... Two outfielders – Franklin Gutierrez and Trayvon Robinson – had their legs tighten up after running drills, and didn’t take part in outfield drills that followed. ... The Mariners added another “B” game, this one at Cincinnati (Goodyear, Ariz.) on March 5 at 9 a.m. (PST). ... Batting coach Chris Chambliss will be away from camp today, taking care of personal matters.

larry.larue@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners

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Dressed for success? Snow hopes so

What's with the dress code dictums at Technopark?

It is a never-ending debate – whether techies need a dress code or not. The arguments continue as most companies, especially the multi-nationals, at Technopark adhere to strict dress codes, while some new-age ones relax the rules.

Being formally dressed is the accepted norm, with most companies insisting on ‘business formal dressing' from Mondays to Thursdays, for both men and women. For men this, means formal shirts, and trousers, complete with tie, belt, socks, and leather shoes. To be more specific – long-sleeved shirts buttoned at the cuff and neck (half-sleeve shirts, plain or with thin stripes are also allowed) teamed with blazers and trousers of cotton, silk or blended fabric, and belts and shoes that complement each other, socks in a colour lighter than the colour of the trousers and polished shoes!

Some companies, though, relax the rules when it comes to ties. In IBS, for example, ties are not mandatory on Thursdays.

But in companies such as UST Global formal dressing is a must on all working days. Ranjith, an employee with UST Global, says: “Dress code is important for employees whose profile requires personal interaction with the client. It always enhances the personality.”

Some companies advocate ‘business casuals' on Fridays to get the employees in the ‘weekend' mood. “But, the problem is that there isn't a proper definition for the same and this often throws up unpleasant situations. So, we did away with that,” says a senior official with UST Global.

Friday dressing

Says a Human Resources executive of a multinational company, which has laid down some rules on Friday dressing: “It isn't impressive to see an employee walking into the office in sandals, sporting a T-shirt and frayed jeans.” Jeans/casual trousers (not tattered jeans), T-shirts with collars, short kurtas, casual shirts, and sports/formal shoes (not sandals) are sometimes allowed. Shirts with obtrusive colours, floral and loud designs, and trousers in crushed cotton or denim are also discouraged.

Most of the men that MetroPlus contacted complain that women have all the fun, and that's not just on Friday, but throughout the week. “That's because, formal dressing means women can opt for churidhar or salwar kameez, sari or Western formals (formal shirts/blouses with straight skirt/trousers). We don't have a proper definition for Indian formal wear. We can go easy on footwear as well,” says a top woman official with a leading multinational insurance company in Technopark.

But there are certain rules for women too. Open necked T-shirts can be worn only with closed jackets that complement the colour of the trousers/skirt, skirts should be of permissible length, no flowery prints or embroidery on the trousers/skirts, and sari has to be pleated and pinned. Dresses are not allowed in most firms.

Basic personal hygiene is also given a lot of stress. But not every company stops men from growing a stubble, piercing their ear or sporting long hair or women from wearing loud ornaments or accessories.

“Leading firms comply with the dress code because they have a brand tag and so they have to stand by it. There was a time when most management companies were strict on dress code and personal hygiene. But now if you do that the employee might take it as a personal offence. So, instead of giving him/her a dressing down, we just ensure that the employee does a perfect job and doesn't create an unpleasant working atmosphere,” says a senior official with Palnar Transmedia.

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It's A Techie Life: Dressed for success

Henry Winkler may have hung up Fonzie’s leather jacket over 20 years ago, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy. The 66-year-old actor has regularly acted, directed and co-authored 17 children books about a boy named Hank Zipzer who suffers from dyslexia, as Winkler does. 

And today his schedule is as crammed as ever. There’s his role on ‘Children’s Hospital,’ the first live action series on Cartoon Network, a recurring part in ‘Royal Pains,’ a recently released book about his love of fly-fishing, and what he’s most proud of, a new children’s book series called ‘Ghost Buddy.’ 

FOX411: You’ve got a new book out.

Henry Winkler: ‘Ghost Buddy,' and I would unabashedly like people to buy it. This is a brand new series. It’s about a 12-year-old boy named Billy Broccoli who moves into a brand new house with a blended family and on the first night realizes that there is a 14-year-old ghost who’s been dead for 99 years living in his closet. 

FOX411: Billy gets bullied at school. Were you bullied?

Winkler: When I was younger and in the bottom 3 percent academically, and I went to a private school with a blue blazer, grey slacks and a tie. I was bullied because I couldn’t keep up. I understand what that is and I understand that you cannot allow yourself to be defined by bullies.

What happens when you are bullied it affects your self image, it affects exactly every action you take and you’re constantly chasing who you think you should be friends with as opposed to the confidence that some kids just have who don’t have to work so hard.

FOX411: Isn’t it ironic that you grew up playing Fonzie the most confident character ever?

Winkler: What was great is I was playing my alter ego, everybody I wanted to be and didn’t manage until a few years ago to align up to become.

The other night I was watching the star of ‘The Artist’ Jean Dujardin on Jay Leno and he said he watched The Fonz and he was his inspiration. It was so cool I didn’t know what to do. I thought to myself how am I going to let him know that my heart soared when I watched his film and I thought on Monday I can call an agent. Over the weekend I got a call from his agency who said, ‘He needs to have dinner with you to thank you for being his friend growing up.’ Isn’t that amazing? So yesterday I went to where he was shooting a ‘Funny or Die’ video and we hugged and we talked about things and he’s going to come over for dinner.

FOX411: Wow!

Winkler: Oh my God! It’s so amazing! Really the circle was completed out of the cosmos so quickly my head spun.

FOX411: After a few years Fonzie almost had magical powers. Did you ever think this is a little ridiculous?

Winkler: No. We went, the four boys, myself, Ron (Howard) Anson (Williams) and Don (Most) to Dallas and we made a personal appearance at a department store and 25,000 people came to say hello, and Anson said, ‘Wow do we deserve this?’ and I said, ‘That’s not even the question. They came here, you just say thank you because all I know is they thought it was worth their time to come and say hi and I appreciate it that.’ And I’ve appreciated that ever since I graduated from drama school. I live by two words. One is tenacity and the other is gratitude. Tenacity gets you to your dreams and the gratitude doesn’t allow you to be angry on the journey.

FOX411: You were THE guy in the 70’s.

Winkler: People are unbelievable to me to this day.

FOX411: Because everyone grew up with you! Everyone worships you!

Winkler: Well I don’t know about worship, but they sure are lovely.

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Winkler's Secrets of Success

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Story last updated at 2/22/2012 - 12:07 pm

By Hanna Sebold | For the Capital City Weekly

JUNEAU - On March 3, Juneau community members will return to Lemon Creek Correction Center for the fifth annual Success Inside and Out program. Participants in the program will offer their experiences, knowledge and a helping hand for incarcerated persons who are facing release from custody.

The program's goal is to help male and female inmates avoid the pitfalls of the revolving jail door and start a new life after serving their time. The program is also designed to help victims. If inmates find work and success after their release, they can pay restitution and child support and can give back to the community they harmed.

The day-long program will include break-out sessions led by community members of different disciplines. These sessions address inmates' questions about personal finances, credit counseling, employment, housing, probation, mental health, addiction issues, family, job skills training, exploring spiritual resources as well as art and personal fitness.

According to past participants, one of the most touching moments each year is a discussion with past inmates who are succeeding on the outside. Besides the courage it shows for them to return to LCCC, they bravely share their stories about what landed them in jail, the struggles they faced once released and how they have managed to succeed.

Despite the hard work, the program also offers fun, including a Dress for Success: Dos and Don'ts presentation, providing insight on how to dress appropriately for a job interview. Local musicians Colette Costa and Scott Burton will perform, as well as Paper Moon, a band including Alan Michael, Gordon Sandy, Kelly Henriksen and Martha DeFreest. Each participant will receive a goodie bag and has the opportunity to win door prizes.

The program is made possible by donations of time, treats and prizes from Subway, Bullwinkle's Pizza, The Island Pub, Coogan Construction, Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Northern Sales, SERCC, Little Mermaid and other Juneau businesses and individuals.

Only time will tell if this program works to stop the revolving door. There are many factors that contribute to individuals reoffending, but giving people a helping hand is one way to stop the revolving door.

Anyone who is interested in donating items, such as clothes for the Dress for Success program, watches (to get to work on time), stamps or gift certificates, contact Sharon Heidersdorf at 463-4700.

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Success Inside and Out: Program aims to stop the revolving door to prison

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA), the primary voice of the technology industry in North Carolina, announces its next Thought Leaders event on March 8, 2012. The featured speaker will be Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and author of the New York Times bestseller, The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream. Gary will discuss how great innovators have been the real drivers of America’s unsurpassed economic success and how innovation creates jobs, markets, and new industries where none existed before.

Shapiro has spent 30 years at the forefront of America’s innovative industry, witnessing firsthand the most exciting, groundbreaking innovations the world has ever known. His time in the Washington trenches, fighting for our nation’s innovators, has shown him that when America leads in innovation, America – and the world – moves forward.

“Gary is exactly the kind of national figure we seek to highlight in our Thought Leaders series – provocative, influential, and business-relevant,” said Brooks Raiford, NCTA’s president and CEO. “We are delighted to have Gary visit North Carolina and be our first Thought Leaders speaker of 2012.” NCTA launched the Thought Leaders Series to feature candid discussions with executives, media influencers, authors and motivational speakers.

The event will be held on March 8, 2012 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Registration includes breakfast and a complimentary copy of Gary's book, The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream. The event’s Leadership Sponsor is Stearns Financial Services Group.

To register or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.nctechnology.org or contact Michelle Calton at mcalton@nctechnology.org, 919.890.0771. Companies and organizations that join NCTA before February 29 will receive two complimentary tickets for the event.

About the Keynote:

Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the U.S. trade association for more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies. CEA owns the International CES, the world’s largest annual technology trade show. Shapiro has led the technology industry through seismic shifts, including the transition from analog to digital television, and the move to wireless, personal computers and the Internet. He has received many awards including the Pinnacle Award, the exhibition industry’s highest award, and was recognized repeatedly as one of the 100 most influential people in Washington by Washington Life magazine. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, he is married to Dr. Susan Malinowski, and commutes each week between Virginia and Michigan.

About NCTA

The North Carolina Technology Association’s mission is “Making North Carolina #1 in Technology and Technology #1 in North Carolina.” The organization does this through three main focus areas: executive engagement, public affairs, and knowledge workforce. For more information, visit our website at http://www.nctechnology.org.

Original post:
NCTA Announces CEA’s Gary Shapiro to Speak on Innovation and the Key to Economic Success

Hewlett-Packard Co. forecast fiscal second-quarter profit that missed analysts' estimates as consumers curtail personal-computer buying, doing more computing on smartphones and tablets made by rivals.

Profit excluding some items will be 88 cents to 91 cents a share for the period that ends in April, Palo Alto, California- based Hewlett-Packard said today in a statement. That fell short of 95 cents, the average analyst estimate, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Shares slipped in extended trading.

Sales in the PC group declined 15 per cent in the first quarter, the company said, as consumers held off on buying new machines. The results suggest that Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman's attempts to reverse a sales slump aren't yet taking hold. Rival Dell Inc. yesterday forecast a sales decline for the current quarter amid tepid demand from consumers and governments.

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“All these segments are going to have headwinds,” said Abhey Lamba, an analyst at Mizuho Securities USA Inc. in New York, who began coverage of Hewlett-Packard on Feb. 8 with a “neutral” rating.

Consumers may wait to buy new PCs before Microsoft Corp. releases its Windows 8 software later this year. Hewlett- Packard's printer group also has too many unsold products sitting in dealers' inventory. And shifting to more profitable services will take time, he said.

“It's not going to be a one-year turnaround,” Lamba said.

First-quarter profit

In the first quarter, which ended Jan. 31, profit excluding some items declined to 92 cents a share, compared with analysts' average estimate of 87 cents. Sales fell 7 per cent to $US30 billion. Analysts had projected $US30.8 billion.

Whitman is seeking to halt the missed sales forecasts and strategy shifts that marked the tenure of her predecessor, Leo Apotheker, who resigned Sept. 22.

Whitman has said she will attempt to rebuild Hewlett- Packard's balance sheet and invest in research and development. She also said she'll eschew big acquisitions and strategy overhauls that characterized her predecessor's tenure. Apotheker left in September after a year and a half of management turmoil, falling computer demand and reduced growth forecasts.

Whitman reversed a proposal, floated under Apotheker, to jettison Hewlett-Packard's $US39.6 billion PC business. She's also opted to turn the WebOS operating system into an open-source project, letting outside programmers tinker with the code and use it in their own electronics devices.

Annual forecast

When the company reported fourth-quarter results Nov. 21, it forecast profit for fiscal 2012, which began Nov. 1, of at least $US4 a share; analysts had expected $US4.58. Whitman said she expected a “tough” year ahead and that she would eschew big acquisitions while investing in research and development.

Hewlett-Packard shares dropped to $US28.46 in extended trading after the report. They had fallen 1.4 per cent to $US28.94 at the close in New York. The shares have climbed 12 per cent this year after losing 39 per cent of their value in 2011.

Companies are buying packages of servers, storage and networking gear from Hewlett-Packard and Dell, which are under- pricing competitors, Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies & Co., said in a Feb. 15 report to clients. He has a “buy” rating on Hewlett-Packard.

U.S PC shipments declined last year for the first time in a decade and the industry is wrestling with a shortage of hard drives after flooding crippled factories in Thailand last year. Meanwhile, Apple Inc.'s iPad is cutting into PC sales, and Lenovo Group Inc. is gaining market share.

Hewlett-Packard, Dell and other PC makers are counting on a new crop of thin-and-light laptops called ultrabooks to spur sales.

Bloomberg

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Hewlett-Packard forecast hurt by Apple's success

7 Figure Sam, A Successful Entrepreneur And Fitness Trainer, Is Offering A Free Blueprint To Fitness Trainers

Chino Hills, CA (PRWEB) February 22, 2012

Saman Bakhtiar, popularly known as 7 Figure Sam, is a personal trainer and a successful fitness marketing entrepreneur. His Six-Figures in 67 Days Blueprint manual for success talks about the lessons he learnt on the road to financial independence, and Sam is now offering it as a free download in eBook and audio form on his site Super-Trainer.

Sam is popular among fitness trainers in California as ‘7 figure Sam’ because of his annual returns of more than $2.4 million a year. However, his success in the field of fitness marketing, which is rare in itself, has not come easily. Over the years, Sam has gone from working hard and stumbling to picking himself up and learning how to systematically run his business. Today, his is one of the rare success stories that prove for a fact that the fitness and personal trainer marketing industry does have enormous potential despite the present economic condition.

Sam’s Six-Figures in 67 Days Blueprint describes in detail about how other fitness trainers in the business can get into fitness marketing and implement the systems he used in their own enterprise. It contains all the lessons that Sam learnt through his journey to the top, and it shows how others can also get a 6 figure salary by following certain action plans and other techniques to increase their client base.

As any fitness trainer would know, winning and becoming fit requires a lot of hard work. This applies in businesses as well. However, in any business- including the fitness training business- there must also be a strong level of discipline. Sam’s blueprint for success teaches struggling fitness trainers how to manage their business by incorporating various strategies for hiring, outsourcing, and management. Six-Figures in 67 Days Blueprint also includes marketing tactics and tricks for budding fitness marketing honchos. Apart from this, Sam’s blueprint teaches strategies on time management, power promotion and advertising, and lifestyle design.

Six-Figures in 67 Days Blueprint is not just a free sample that contains tidbits of information. In Sam’s own words, “This report was originally one of the highest priced programs featured (on Super-trainer.com)”. In other words, 7 Figure Sam’s blueprint is for those who are still missing out on the six figure returns they can get from their fitness and personal trainer marketing business.

About Saman Bakhtiar:

Sam Bakhtiar is a successful fitness trainer, entrepreneur, author, weight loss expert, and family man. His ability to juggle all his personal and professional responsibilities and still manage to rake in a 7 figure total every year is a genuine success story. Visit http://super-trainer.com/ to know more about Sam and his coaching programs.

###

Sam Bakhtiar
Fitness Concepts
909-393-9075
Email Information

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Free Blueprint On Offer For Fitness And Personal Training Marketing Professionals

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e90325/why_people_fail_t) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Why People Fail: The 16 Obstacles to Success and How You Can Overcome Them" to their offering.

An essential guide for mastering failure in order to achieve your goals

Success is often just a momenta goal fulfilled, soon to be replaced with new goals. But failure is the ambitious person's constant companion, often dogging us for months, years or even decades before we finally reach our aim. In the groundbreaking book Why People Fail, Siimon Reynolds, one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, explores the main causes of failure, in any field, and reveals solutions for overcoming them and creating a successful personal and professional life.

Why People Fail offers strategies and ideas for defeating the sixteen most common failure habits such as destructive thinking, low productivity, stress, fixed mindset, lack of daily rituals, and more.

Key Topics Covered:

Unclear Purpose Destructive Thinking Low Productivity Fixed Mindset Weak Energy Not Asking the Right Questions Poor Presentation Skills Mistaking IQ for EQ Poor Self-Image Not Enough Thinking No Daily Rituals Stress Few Relationships Lack of Persistence Money Obsession Not Focusing on Strengths Conclusion Recommended Reading Acknowledgments The Author

Author:

Siimon Reynolds is a mentor to business leaders worldwide. He has won numerous business awards and co-founded the 15th largest marketing services company in the world, with operations in 14 countries. Today Reynolds travels the world speaking on personal and business achievement, and coaches a select group of executives and business owners. His books have been published in ten countries.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e90325/why_people_fail_t

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Research and Markets: Why People Fail: The 16 Obstacles to Success and How You Can Overcome Them

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Published: 2/21/2012 - Updated: 45 minutes ago

Last of three parts

BY IGNAZIO MESSINA
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Dashing Pacific Group Chairman Yuan Xiaohong in November spent 14 hours in the air, hit the ground at Detroit Metro, and made her way to Toledo. The first order of business was to see “Mamma” and “Papa.”

It was actually Norman and Ora Bell — the parents of Toledo Mayor Mike Bell — whom the Chinese business executive wanted to spend time with before doing anything else, including checking out her multimillion-dollar real estate investments along the Maumee River.

“She loves my parents,” Mr. Bell said.

The mayor describes her as family-loving, outgoing, and a successful woman. But among her subordinates in China, Ms. Yuan has a harsher reputation — more like that of an “Iron Lady,” as one of her employees called her. And then there is her Dashing Pacific partner, Wu Kin Hung. He also has a reputation in China. He has flown under the radar in China but is known to be a successful businessman who got his start using his ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party to become a governmental bureaucrat in the coastal Chinese city of Shenzhen.

A message from the Publisher and Editor In Chief

Months before the Marina District deal was closed, during Mr. Bell’s second trip to China in May, he and Ms. Yuan were constantly together. As the mayor and Regional Growth Partnership Chief Executive Dean Monske arrived at the Beijing airport for a flight to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, they found Ms. Yuan and translator/deal broker Simon Guo waiting to join them on the flight

It was during that two-hour flight that Ms. Yuan sat next to the mayor and agreed to reoffer Dashing Pacific’s $3.8 million bid to buy 69 acres of Marina District property. That was after having withdrawn from the deal over a flap with Toledo City Council.

Mr. Bell says interactions with Ms. Yuan — such as the nine days he spent in China, much of it with her in May — are all the proof he needs that she and Mr. Wu are good partners for the city of Toledo.

“I look at them as some of my best friends of international origin,” the mayor said.

Background check

From the beginning, when Mr. Bell announced this newfound relationship, he said he was not going to dig into the Chinese investors’ backgrounds the way former mayors had done for previous Marina District developers, and he said he was unconcerned where their money came from.

READ MORE: Toledo's China Connection

A China-based company hired by The Blade to look into the investors’ backgrounds discovered intriguing information about Ms. Yuan and Mr. Wu.

Investigators said Ms. Yuan, like many successful business leaders in China, used her connections with government officials to win contracts for the information technology company she runs. Her most prominent business deal is an information system integration project in Inner Mongolia, not property or land development like Mr. Wu.

Over the past year, Ms. Yuan, an Inner Mongolia native and Shenzhen business executive, developed close ties with Mr. Bell and was quick to close a major land purchase with the city of Toledo.

The owner of the investigating firm hired by The Blade, whom the newspaper has decided not to identify because of concerns about government retaliation, said parts of Ms. Yuan’s background were shrouded in mystery.

“Our work on Yuan is … still ongoing,” he wrote in an email from China before the month-long investigation was complete. “We ran into some unexpected obstacles.”

"In our impression, her personal identifiers on the incorporation records of her Inner Mongolian company … were found to be [altered],” he wrote. “Her photo and [curriculum vitae] were erased altogether; her address and ID numbers were retouched … significant sections of her original ID card were blotted out.”

Ms. Yuan told The Blade that she had “no idea” why there were problems with the records. The Blade sent copies of the documents to Ms. Yuan through American intermediaries, but the newspaper did not get a response.

Ms. Yuan, who also uses the Cantonese spelling “Siu Hung Yuen” for her name, is a Hong Kong citizen living and doing business in the nearby city of Shenzhen.

According to the records of Dashing Pacific Group Ltd., Mr. Wu and Ms. Yuan’s Hong Kong-incorporated business owns The Docks and the Marina District land. Her contact address is a complex in Shenzhen comprising seaside villas and apartments — reportedly one of the most luxurious projects in the coastal city.

On the move

Ms. Yuan’s English-language biography that was provided by the city of Toledo states that she graduated in the early 1980s from China University of Ethnic Studies in Beijing. That school is likely Minzu University of China since the Chinese name of Minzu translates as “Central Ethnic University” or “Central Nationalities University.” A well-respected university, it was previously known as Central University for Nationalities in English but adopted the present English name in 2008.

The biography also stated that she started her career as a staff member with the government of Hohhot, a city in Inner Mongolia with about 2.5 million people, and that she was “sent to work in Hong Kong to be responsible promoting Inner Mongolia.”

During an interview with The Blade by telephone from China, Ms. Yuan said through a translator: “I wasn’t sent by the Inner Mongolian government to Hong Kong. It was by chance that I had an opportunity when the government was undergoing reform. Many government workers themselves resigned. I was one of those. So I went there on my own. Wasn’t sent by the government.”

During that period in Chinese history, following Deng Xiaoping’s program of economic liberalization, capital began flowing into China to develop natural resources and build up cities in the 1980s and 1990s.

According to her biography, Ms. Yuan in 1994 left her position with the Inner Mongolian government for the Hong Kong offices of Guangdong Telecommunication Engineering Corp., which is actually Guangdong Information & Engineering Co. Ltd., but apparently was translated incorrectly for the English biography.

According to its Web site, the company originally was fairly small, and its business was limited to equipment maintenance and printing.

By the time Ms. Yuan joined the company in 1994, it had expanded into computing systems installation and systems integration with several major domestic and foreign clients. It now partners with companies such as Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, and Huawei, according to its Web site.

Ms. Yuan eventually moved to the firm’s Inner Mongolia office, and according to the Inner Mongolia government business registrar, she is still the company’s legal representative.

During her interview with The Blade, Ms. Yuan confirmed that she is in charge of the Inner Mongolia office, adding that it is “an engineering firm. It involves office automation and such.”

A subordinate of Ms. Yuan’s at the company in Inner Mongolia confirmed that Ms. Yuan runs the company, which has about 30 people. The subordinate said Ms. Yuan actually owns the branch office, despite its affiliation with the head Guangdong Information & Engineering.

According to the brief English biography, Ms. Yuan was involved with “development projects” at several major institutions in Inner Mongolia, including the Inner Mongolia Museum, the Inner Mongolia Court House, the Inner Mongolia Opera House, and the Inner Mongolia Cultural & Art Centre.

The investigative firm said Ms. Yuan was “evidently referring” to system integration projects at Guangdong Information & Engineering, not property development.

Getting contracts

The Inner Mongolia Museum is listed on the firm’s Web site as a system integration project, as is the Ordos Culture and Art Activity Centre.

An employee of Ms. Yuan told The Blade’s investigators that all of Guangdong Information & Engineering projects in Inner Mongolia are with government offices or state-owned enterprises and that Ms. Yuan uses her personal government connections to win contracts.

The employee, whom The Blade has decided not to identify, also said Ms. Yuan “always wins the projects that she wants.”

Ms. Yuan told The Blade that is not accurate.

“It’s neither accurate nor fair to say that. In fact, in China these days, bidding has been very fair. Every time we submit a bid, it’s been fairly done,” she said through translators. “Actually many times, we didn’t win the bids. It’s not like we won every single bid. We are a very reasonable and very fair competitor.”

A complex system

Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, editor of the Journal of Asian Studies, and author of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know, said winning government contracts in China is facilitated by close government contacts.

“I think the complexity about Chinese business dealings is, in part, the mixture of government control and free enterprise,” Mr. Wasserstrom said. “It has always been complicated ... even when there is a relatively private enterprise deal going on, you have to have some kind of government connection to make it work.”

David Yen, a professor at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business and director of the Oxford, Ohio, school’s China business program, said the Chinese government still controls many major industries and heavily regulates others, so connections in government can be a requirement for a successful contractor.

Mr. Yen also said engaging in the culture of “guanxi,” or relationships, is essential for Chinese business.

‘Self-motivated’

Ms. Yuan’s employee said her ability to win government contracts was uncanny.

“Yuan always tells us to mind our own business and not to worry about bidding,” the employee said.

The employee described Ms. Yuan as a woman in her mid-50s who is “extremely self-motivated,” lives for her career, that most people would consider her an “Iron Lady,” a perfectionist, very strict with her subordinates, and that many of her subordinates are afraid of her.

Among the company’s projects are Ordos Vocational School, an 11 million Chinese yuan renminbi ($1.7 million) project; the Mongol Middle School, a 22 million Chinese yuan renminbi ($3.49 million) project; the Party School of the Communist Party Committee Ordos Municipal Committee, a 30 million Chinese yuan renminbi ($4.76 million) project; Ordos No. 1 Middle School, a lighting systems integration project including 11 subsystems worth 43 million Chinese yuan renminbi ($6.8 million), and design only of the Inner Mongolia Public Resource Trading Centre, a lighting project involving computer networks, LED screens, and digital conferencing worth 27 million Chinese yuan renminbi ($4.28 million).

Ms. Yuan’s employee also said Guangdong Information & Engineering had just won another project to do systems integration for two of three sections of the Yanhuang Highway, for which the building costs will be an estimated 70 million Chinese yuan renminbi ($11.1 million).

The work could have included providing electronic services for infrastructure such as toll booths and other service stations.

The incorporation records of Guangdong Information & Engineering — the sole company confirmed to have Ms. Yuan as its legal representative — should include extensive personal information on a company’s legal representative in the form of a resume and supporting identifying documents, such as copies of identification cards, the report said.

“However, the records of [Guangdong Information & Engineering] Hohhot were very partial and fragmented,” the investigator’s report stated. “Financial data, which may have given indications of the company’s customers for potential further inquiries was not available at all, and we could not even find a real confirmation of the company’s shareholders and directors.”

Records not found

Ms. Yuan told The Blade and listed in her biography that she is the leader of a company called “Guangzhou Green Environment Construction Materials Corp.” that develops mortar, insulation, and fire-proofing materials primarily sold in mainland China. Blade investigators in China could not find the existence of such a company in the English-language public domain. Neither the Blade nor its investigative company could find a Chinese company by any obvious translation of that name.

In China, the leader of a company usually serves as its “legal representative,” the person who is listed with the company’s name in government records.

The Blade investigators found no records in Guangzhou for any companies with a legal representative named Yuan Xiaohong or with her Hong Kong identification number.

Ms. Yuan also said she has experience developing property in Shenzhen. The month-long investigation found no record in public documents of any projects affiliated with her.

Ms. Yuan’s subordinate in Inner Mongolia said Ms. Yuan had been active in real estate for only four years.

In Hong Kong, Ms. Yuan registered Dashing Pacific Group Ltd. with her Hong Kong ID number, and there were no other companies registered with that number. But there are several companies registered to a Yuan Xiaohong with a People’s Republic of China passport or no identification at all.

Among them is Ipolex Technologies Ltd., registered to a Yuan Xiaohong without an ID. It operates an information technology business in Shenzhen.

There is also a company named Sunmaxx International Inc. Ltd., which was registered with a People’s Republic of China identification. My Decker Capital Asset Management Ltd. and a related fund both have a director named Yuan Xiaohong with a People’s Republic of China passport, but the company’s Web site does not list Ms. Yuan among its principals.

“We sought out sources with direct knowledge of Wu Kin Hung or Yuan Xiaohong, mainly people affiliated with their companies,” the investigator’s report found. “We found very few people who knew either Wu or Yuan. Neither of them is a high-profile property developer.”

The mayor’s stance

Mr. Bell said there is nothing nefarious about the desire to operate without a lot of attention.

“She is just a little bit more close to the vest,” he said. “She is probably no different than any one of the businesswomen in this country. I think they are acting normal. The only difference is when they speak through their native tongue you have to work through a translator.”

The mayor said domestic investors are sometimes more troublesome.

“When they come here, especially with the level of their financial means, they are very unassuming,” he said. “No arrogance, straight up. I get more resistance from U.S. business people who have means, who act in a much more arrogant way when they approach us and try to talk to us than these business people from China who probably have ten times as much means, but they are acting in a way that is very sociable and in a way that makes you want to do business with them.”

Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com or 419-724-6171.

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STORY:20120220076 Dashing Pacific's Yuan a success http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/02/21/Dashing-Pacifics-Yuan-succeeded-in-tech-field-1.html -1

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Dashing Pacific's Yuan a success