Spotlight on SE Asia

SE Asia offers opportunities for Kansas companies to grow their export business.

ABOUT THIS EVENT:

Learn more about Southeast Asia from three international experts.

• Jeff Willis, Kansas Department of Commerce’s International Division Director, will give a regional summary. Recently, Willis visited SE Asia and will report on the business climate and potential strengths of the SE Asia market.

• Jim Mayfield, Trade Winds 2023, co-lead and Dan Kim, Global Asia Team Leader, will present on the SE Asia market and upcoming programs, including Trade Winds 2023.

Originally aired: Oct. 19, 2022

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Kyungsoo Dan Kim is the Global Asia Team Leader with the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service. He promotes Asia as an export destination and coordinates resources and outreach on exporting to Asia for the U.S. Commercial Service across 16 markets. He is also a participant on several industry teams, including advanced manufacturing, transportation, logistics services, and plastics.

Jim Mayfield joined the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Irvine, California in 2012, and became the Director in 2014. He is responsible for leading a team of International Trade Specialists to advise and assist Orange County-area companies with all aspects of their global export strategies. His current client portfolios include aerospace, safety & security, professional services, energy, and environmental technologies.

Prior to joining the Irvine office, Jim served as the Principal Commercial Officer with the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2009 – 2012), as Deputy Senior Commercial Officer in Hong Kong (2006 – 2009) and as a Commercial Officer in Shanghai, China (2001 – 2004). He has also worked for the U.S. Commercial Service in San Francisco, Beijing and Washington, D.C. During these assignments, Jim’s trade promotion client portfolios have included a wide range of sectors: automotive, manufacturing, environmental technologies, energy, construction/infrastructure, travel & tourism, and consumer products sectors. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University and an MBA from the University of Hawaii.

Jeff Willis is the International Division Director for the Kansas Department of Commerce. Before joining the Kansas Commerce, Willis served as President of Eastern Strategies, LLC., specializing in helping manufacturing companies with strategic planning, partner selection, problem resolution and many other aspects of their Asia-related businesses. Willis also founded a subscription-based web service, Fluentpages.com, which enabled U.S. companies to easily add foreign language marketing content to their websites and more effectively use the internet to generate trade leads and sell goods and services to overseas buyers.

Willis is a former commercial officer with the U.S. Commercial Service and held positions at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, China. He left the diplomatic service in 1992 to return to the U.S. where he directed the Asian international marketing program for the State of Kansas. He is also a past president of the International Trade Council of Greater Kansas City and past Chair of the U.S. Department of Commerce Mid-America District Export Council. Willis is a current and long-standing member of the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council.

Jeff graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in both French and philosophy and also earned his Master of Arts in East Asian languages and cultures from KU.