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Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Visits Miami University and City of Oxford

By Kristin Magyari, assistant director for communications and marketing

On Thursday, March 29, 2018 the executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Leo Chan, visited Miami University to explore partnership opportunities with both Miami University and the city of Oxford, Ohio. The Chinese population has grown in Oxford, with about 2,500 international students from China attending Miami University (Fall Semester 2017 statistic). With the increased number of international students from China, Oxford has seen a significant spike in the number of Chinese restaurants and businesses uptown. According to Enjoy Oxford, there are nearly ten Asian restaurants in Oxford.

Leo Chan and Miami University staff and Mayor of Oxford looking at map of ChinaFrom meeting with Global Initiatives in MacMillan Hall, to speaking with President Gregory Crawford and provost and executive vice president, Phyllis Callahan, to touring the Confucius Institute, Chan had a busy day in Oxford discussing collaboration methods to further enhance initiatives between the university, city, and region.

Chan stated, “At the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce, one of our pillars is workforce development. Many companies in this region employ Chinese individuals and it is our goal to not only help those individuals progress in their careers, but also assist those who are managing and/or working with these Chinese professionals to also progress professionally. We work to promote a better cross-cultural understanding between business professionals.”

During the meeting with President Crawford and Provost Phyllis Callahan, entrepreneurial ideas, cultural festivals, and restaurants, were just a few of the topics discussed among the group. Chan expressed, “I’m very happy to be here today. Both the city of Oxford and Miami University impress me.”

conversation with Leo ChanA networking luncheon was hosted at Lane Public Library for further discussion. “Leo Chan has inspired us to bring together our local Asian business owners, Oxford Chamber of Commerce, and Miami University Global Initiatives today for a luncheon to find ways that we can better work together to promote local businesses,” said Mayor Kate Rousmaniere.

A local business owner, Joey Yang, attended the networking lunch because it serves as an opportunity to make connections within the local community. Yang’s market opened four years ago and he said, “My customers are mostly students, but I also have many Miami faculty and staff and community members.”

Groups involved in the visit look forward to exploring the relationship with the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce.