Bottom Line I.T. PodCast for mid-September 2020.
Economic development is always an exciting topic, especially as it relates to the Lansing region.
On this episode on Bottom Line IT, host Mike Maddox of ASK sits down with Keith Lambert of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and Haochen Sun of Continental Oceans Technology Company (COTC).
Give this six segment episode with Haochen, keith and Mike a listen in the podcast below:
COTC was born out of the desire to support international students coming overseas to the United States.
Through the use of technology, COTC is sort of a one-stop-shop for international students. Their app, “Young Lode,” offers a social media platform, ride sharing, mobile payment, and information about local shops, restaurants, housing, and other vital resources for its users.
This is a huge game-changer for international students looking for ways to make their transition to a new life in a new setting much, much easier.
With a large international student population through Michigan State University, COTC made the decision to expand its footprint to the Lansing area and quickly connected with Keith’s team at LEAP to help them make this exciting move.
As an economic development agent, LEAP plays a vital role in helping international firms like COTC make their expansion into the region successful. This includes getting them connected to the entire business ecosystem: data, relationships, government incentive, site selection, and more.
“Michigan has been a hot bed for foreign direct investment over the last 50-years, and a lot of it has been driven by the automotive industry,” Keith explains, “so bringing in a Chinese company specializing in technology and software, offers a lot of value because they’re bringing different types of opportunities for the people that live here.”
The future of COTC looks bright as they look to establish their U.S. headquarters in Meridian Township starting with 7 employees and expecting to ramp up to 50 employees over the next two years.
Tune into the full segment to learn more about COTC’s mission and LEAP’s role in making it a successful reality!
