In this down economy one business in Flushing hopes that customer service can help companies in China and the United States weather the downturn better.
In March, the Queens Crossing Business Center began to offer state-of-the-art technology and personal assistance to Asian companies who want to do business in the U.S. and to U.S. companies who want to do business in Asia.
The F&T Group, which owns Queens Crossing, feels optimistic that despite China’s export troubles – the opening of the center comes amidst a record 25.7 percent drop in Chinese export in February – companies will continue to engage and grow their business relationships.
“The center signifies our dream of creating a bridge between Asia and the United States. Having it in Flushing offers Asian companies a comfortable and less expensive way of penetrating the U.S. and N.Y.,” said Michael Meyer, President of F&T Group, a real estate development company established in New York in 1983. “We can also attract U.S. and N.Y. companies to invest in China, which can seem, and is daunting.”
To accommodate a variety of business needs, 27 fully-furnished, telephone and Internet ready office spaces can be rented at the business center for as short a period as one day. The center will remain open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and have full-time multilingual executive staff providing English, Chinese and Korean administrative services. Business will also be referred to law firms, accountants and banks that specialize in assisting foreign companies.
And due to the synergy between all Queens Crossing businesses, companies can host meetings in one of the three conference rooms catered by the restaurants in the facility. The large conference room has video-conference technology that allows 20 people from 28 different countries to connect at one time.
Additional amenities related to catering and reservation of the conference rooms can be purchased at reduced prices if the company becomes a member of the e888 club, according to Jennifer Williams, the business center manager. The e888 International is also under the ownership of the F&T Group.
“Chinese companies will come here to build their brand,” said Mervin Fong, executive vice president of e888. “We will assist them with marketing and by providing showcase and expo space to help them exhibit their products to business or consumers.”
Though the economy has been tough for exporters in both the U.S. and China, recent reports of the decrease in Chinese exports have been replaced by news of U.S. companies expanding into the Asian nation to attract the local consumers. For example, Mattel, maker of the 50 year-old- Barbie doll, opened a $30 million, six-story store in Shanghai on Saturday, March 7.
