KC Brothers Construction owners James Rim and Wu Ni want to help build a bridge between Coastal Georgia and China. The Asian American builders are the only private citizens among the city of Hinesville’s eight official delegates traveling to the Jiangxi province of south central China next month.
Rim and Ni will accompany Hinesville Mayor Jim Thomas, City Manager Billy Edwards, public relations manager Krystal Britton, global commerce consultant Emily Tsang, Liberty County Board of Commissioners Chairman John McIver and Liberty County Development Authority CEO Ron Tolley, along with representatives from Savannah and Brunswick, on an economic development mission trip Sept. 19-29.
“We’re going there with an open mind to see what opportunities are there,” Rim said.
Officials have said the purpose of the trip is to strengthen economic, cultural and educational ties, and to spur foreign investment in the local region. Hinesville formed a sister-city relationship with the Chinese city of Yichun in 2008.
Rim, a Korean American and retired Army warrant officer, and his business partner, Ni, a naturalized citizen who emigrated from China as a boy, said that as Asian Americans, their presence in the delegation can help put the Chinese at ease. Rim said he and Ni were invited to accompany local officials when Hinesville and Liberty County hosted Yichun’s delegates last year. Ni said he helped smooth the language barrier; he is originally from Fujian province, which is east of Jiangxi province.
The men are paying out of their own pockets to fly to China with the delegation. Tickets cost about $1,200 each, Rim said. It’s a personal investment he believes will help the business community as a whole, he said.
“I’m trying to bring back ideas and opportunities for business people here,” Rim said. “I’ve talked to a lot of business people about their concerns. I’m trying to be their eyes and ears and bring (ideas) back and share with them.”
Rim said Thomas wants Hinesville to better reflect the community’s ethnic diversity, such as that of the local Asian and Latino communities. Rim said his community involvement can help make the mayor’s vision a reality.
“I’ve been working as a bridge, if you will,” he said.
Rim also has had some business dealings in China. He imported cabinetry from China for some of KC Brothers’ building projects, he said. Rim and Ni build upscale custom homes, remodel existing homes and have done some work on Fort Stewart. They also built some of the townhouses for the city’s Azalea Street redevelopment project, Rim said.
He settled permanently in Hinesville in 1994 when he retired from the Army, and Ni moved to the area 11 years ago.
Rim said he remembers when Hinesville had one traffic light and only one brigade was stationed at Fort Stewart.
“I chose to stay here like many other military retirees,” Rim said. “We are comfortable with the way things are moving.”
Rim and Ni will accompany Hinesville Mayor Jim Thomas, City Manager Billy Edwards, public relations manager Krystal Britton, global commerce consultant Emily Tsang, Liberty County Board of Commissioners Chairman John McIver and Liberty County Development Authority CEO Ron Tolley, along with representatives from Savannah and Brunswick, on an economic development mission trip Sept. 19-29.
“We’re going there with an open mind to see what opportunities are there,” Rim said.
Officials have said the purpose of the trip is to strengthen economic, cultural and educational ties, and to spur foreign investment in the local region. Hinesville formed a sister-city relationship with the Chinese city of Yichun in 2008.
Rim, a Korean American and retired Army warrant officer, and his business partner, Ni, a naturalized citizen who emigrated from China as a boy, said that as Asian Americans, their presence in the delegation can help put the Chinese at ease. Rim said he and Ni were invited to accompany local officials when Hinesville and Liberty County hosted Yichun’s delegates last year. Ni said he helped smooth the language barrier; he is originally from Fujian province, which is east of Jiangxi province.
The men are paying out of their own pockets to fly to China with the delegation. Tickets cost about $1,200 each, Rim said. It’s a personal investment he believes will help the business community as a whole, he said.
“I’m trying to bring back ideas and opportunities for business people here,” Rim said. “I’ve talked to a lot of business people about their concerns. I’m trying to be their eyes and ears and bring (ideas) back and share with them.”
Rim said Thomas wants Hinesville to better reflect the community’s ethnic diversity, such as that of the local Asian and Latino communities. Rim said his community involvement can help make the mayor’s vision a reality.
“I’ve been working as a bridge, if you will,” he said.
Rim also has had some business dealings in China. He imported cabinetry from China for some of KC Brothers’ building projects, he said. Rim and Ni build upscale custom homes, remodel existing homes and have done some work on Fort Stewart. They also built some of the townhouses for the city’s Azalea Street redevelopment project, Rim said.
He settled permanently in Hinesville in 1994 when he retired from the Army, and Ni moved to the area 11 years ago.
Rim said he remembers when Hinesville had one traffic light and only one brigade was stationed at Fort Stewart.
“I chose to stay here like many other military retirees,” Rim said. “We are comfortable with the way things are moving.”