Sourcing PPE – A Wild West Story
In February the Washington State China Relations Council penned an op-ed in the Seattle Times urging the U.S. Government to send PPEs to China to help them battle Covid-19. However, by late March the coronavirus was causing havoc in Europe and the number of cases were rising in the U.S. Quickly the tables were turned as the U.S. looked to China to supply much needed masks, gloves and gowns.
While demand for these products has sky-rocketed, airlines removed capacity squeezing supply chains and making the logistics of PPE incredibly difficult. Prices of products and of air freight increased dramatically, while stories of hospital workers lacking protective equipment were constantly in the news.
The U.S. Federal Government declared that every state was on its own to source PPE and the stampede was on for states, hospitals and other entities to find reliable PPE suppliers in China. Other entities, some of them philanthropic, called on their connections in China to help with humanitarian shipments, while many companies and individuals in China established themselves as brokers or middlemen to facilitate the trade of PPEs. The phrase most used to describe this period was that it was like the “Wild West.”
On July 9th the Washington State China Relations Council will bring together several individuals who were involved in different facets of this tumultuous trade. Mr. Liam Li, whose non-profit entity was able to bring in and donate millions of masks, will describe what it took for his organization to organize their large donations. We will also welcome Mr. Brian Howe, an entrepreneur with interests in the health care industry, who will tell us about one of his firm’s search for PPE. We will also be joined by Shanghai resident and Bremerton native Cameron Johnson, who was suddenly thrust into the role of as a PPE resource and supply chain manager almost as soon as he returned from Seattle in March.
Please join us to see if the “West was won” or whether the battle to source PPEs will continue as a chronic problem – at least until when we have an effective vaccine for Covid-19.
Attendance is free. RSVP is required to receive webinar login information. REGISTER HERE
Speakers
Liam Li has more than 25 years of business experiences cross the U.S. and China. He worked for major U.S. public companies in China and US, a Chinese major manufacturing company in the U.S., and co-founded a small business in Shanghai as well. Most recently, Liam is CFO/Managing Director for a large Seattle based hedge fund. Liam has been active in Seattle metropolitan area non-profit organizations such as Rotary Seattle 4, Northwest Chinese School, UCAWA, WSCRC, and WAC. His passion is to build bridges among international communities, especially between U.S. and China and promote economic and cultural discussions to enrich all participants’ experience.
Cameron Johnson, a Bremerton native, has spent over 20 years working in management positions in China. He has served as the Asia General Manager for a leading carbon fiber company as well as the China Operations Director for a global sourcing and risk management company. Cameron is an active member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai having served as the head of the Chamber’s Aerospace Sub-Committee for several years. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Chamber’s Manufacturing Business Council and an advisor to the National IDC Industrial Technological Innovation Strategic Alliance, a China based technology association.
Brian Howe is a is an attorney and partner in a number of start up businesses. A serial entrepreneur, Brian has started up companies such as Vox Legal (acquired by the Apex Law Group), Impact Hub Seattle and Fledge Co. Some of Brian’s companies are invested in health care and have developed innovative business models in China. He currently serves as the CEO of Format Health and is a partner in Transpara Health.