A week-long visit to Gunpo City, South Korea
Editor's note: Columbia Basin Herald editor Erin Stuber will join a delegation of Grant County representatives in Gunpo City, South Korea and will report on their visit over the course of the next week.
GRANT COUNTY — For the members of a Grant County delegation composed of public officials and business representatives, a week-long visit to Gunpo City, South Korea, starting today for most, is all about possibilities and expectation.
Grant County and Gunpo City signed a sisterhood agreement in 2003. The relationship first took root in 2002 when Terry Brewer, executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council, participated in then-Governor Gary Locke's trade mission to Asia in 2002. Brewer pursued other opportunities while on that mission, and was introduced to Gunpo City Mayor Yunju Kim.
Visits have been frequent since, with delegations from each side of the sisterhood traveling to see the other each year.
The sisterhood relationship between Grant County and Gunpo City has inspired agreements of friendly relations between the South Korean city and Ephrata, as well as Moses Lake. The GCEDC has established economic cooperation with its Gunpo City counterpart, the Gunpo CEO Conference.
This will be the third official Grant County delegation visit to Gunpo City. In turn, Gunpo City delegations have visited Grant County three times as well, most recently making a visit early last fall. After this visit, the delegations will now take turns to meet up just once a year, alternating locations; thus, a Gunpo City delegation will not come to Grant County again until 2006 and Grant County does not anticipate another venture there until 2007.
This year's delegation from Grant County will be led by Grant County Commissioner LeRoy Allison. The delegates will meet with the mayor of Gunpo City, city council members and various public and private leaders during the official visit. Allison and wife Benaya Allison, Moses Lake City Council member Lee Blackwell, National Frozen Foods general manager Gary Ash and Grant County Economic Development Council communications and research manager Caroline Spira will also tour local industries, participate in a trade show and Gunpo City's Spring Festival as well as attend cultural events. Four full days of activities are planned, travel time will consume the rest of the junket.
The members of the delegation will arrive Friday, April 22, though Spira arrives today.
It will be LeRoy Allison's first visit to the South Korean city, as he is taking over a role once held by former county commissioner Tim Snead. One of his first priorities will be assuring the Gunpo City officials that Grant County remains committed to the shared sisterhood relationship and that the transition is smooth between commissioners.
His second goal, he said, is to explore and further the benefits of the relationship.
"It's already showing," he said, referring to the hay and chipping potato export trade already established through the relationship.
Those first few steps are just the beginning for LeRoy Allison. He noted it is important to establish and maintain the connection with the local government there first before delving into furthering business relationships.
"I'm going to be trying to identify future connections," LeRoy Allison said. Long-term, he said, "I would love to see a real solid and growing business connection with numerous businesses trading in one way or another."
It's not a far-fetched concept, he says, considering Gunpo City's thriving business community and all that Grant County has to offer.
"Grant County's got a lot of assets," Allison said, mentioning low power costs, water availability, agriculture, infrastructure at local ports and the intermodal project in Quincy.
"We've got room to grow, all we've got to do is find the right businesses to come."
Spira agreed with many of LeRoy Allison's points.
Gunpo City is growing at an incredible rate, she said. "Industries that are there don't have room to grow," she said. "And we're the opposite, we have a lot of room to grow. In that sense, it's a good fit."
It's realistic to believe by cultivating the relationship and growing good, friendly relations with Grant County and Gunpo City that we could see an increase in trade or expansion in other industrial sectors," Spira continued.
Spira has been instrumental in organizing Grant County's contributions to the Gunpo Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Trade Show organized by Gunpo City and the Gunpo City Chamber of Commerce which the delegation will attend on Monday, April 25.
Space has been reserved at the trade show for Grant County, and Spira has pulled together material to showcase county's resources. Three local wineries — Cave B Estates, White Heron and Fox Estates — will be represented. "It's exposure for them," Spira reasoned. "We're showing an aspect that they're likely to remember and something that would probably be unexpected."
She'll also be bringing posters and other literature about our area.
"The reality is the rest of the world really doesn't know about Grant County," she said. "Our primary job is to work for growth in Grant County. It's important for us to continue this relationship. It can further our goals."
Ash will be mindful of his role as general manager of National Frozen Foods of Moses Lake while making his first visit South Korea.
"The Asian market is one that is expanding," he said. While National Frozen foods currently trades with Japan and is expanding into China, "South Korea has been a little bit slow for us," Ash said. "We typically haven't done much business there."
Ash is especially interested in visiting food plants and touring agricultural operations during the trip. He's most in search of "a little more insight" into business opportunities there.
Blackwell will be representing the City of Moses Lake, traveling on behalf of Mayor Ron Covey, and his major focus will be visiting area high schools and meeting with teachers. He'll also talk with students interested in participating in the annual student exchange trip to Grant County.