Riverside Companies Sign Bilateral Trade Agreement With Vietnamese Trade Delegation

From the County of Riverside: Angel Sanchez, Jr. has been looking for ways to expand Phenix Technology, Inc.’s fire helmet business in Asia, and a recent visit by a Vietnamese trade delegation to Riverside County gave him an unprecedented chance to do exactly that.

The delegation from Can Tho, which is located in the Mekong Delta, traveled to Riverside this month to sign a bilateral trade agreement with the County of Riverside and to have a business-to-business meeting with local entrepreneurs. Sanchez, Phenix Technology’s director of global operations, and other business representatives met with more than a dozen trade delegates and representatives of the Consulate General of Vietnam.

“Riverside County businesses have a lot to offer, and we’re thrilled this delegation recognized that fact,” said Heidi Marshall, commissioner for the County of Riverside’s Office of Foreign Trade. “We see this meeting and new agreement as the first steps in what we believe will be a mutually beneficial relationship for years to come.”

Riverside-based Phenix Technology now has a connection to a Vietnamese company interested in working with an American fire protection company. UC Riverside believes the trip can lead to partnerships between local researchers and Vietnamese businesses, and the Consulate General is trying to entice Riverside County wineries to export to Vietnam.

“It was such an incredible opportunity,” Sanchez said of the business meeting with the delegation. “Having that type of warm introduction to a potential client is huge. It lends credibility to us.”

Sanchez hopes to make his new Can Tho contact a client and to expand Phenix’s business in Asia, where it already sells fire helmets in Thailand. Using an interpreter who traveled with the Can Tho delegation, Sanchez shared information about his business with the trade delegate and is working to schedule a follow-up meeting.

Sanchez was one of several area business representatives who joined the delegation for a four-hour meeting June 6 at UCR Extension. There they learned about the city of 1.3 million, which is looking to find partners for its seafood, technology and agriculture industries, among others.

Rosibel Ochoa, PhD, associate vice chancellor for UC Riverside Office of Technology Partnerships, attended the meeting at UCR Extension and said she believes there are multiple opportunities for collaboration in technology, agricultural research and entrepreneurship.

Photo via Pixabay