Economic Development | Henry Yin

 Episode Transcript of: Economic Development | Henry Yin

Alan
Welcome back. I’m here today with Henry Yin here. Nate is a former commissioner with the California Economic Development Department. Henry. Welcome to today’s show.

Henry
Thank you, Alan. Good morning, everyone.

Alan
So Henry, can you give me your background? How did you get to where you are today. And you know what, what took you on your journey?

Henry
Well make long story short. I was born in China, raised in Taiwan, and came to stay with a dream of becoming a part of Americans. That was back to 1974. So after I finish my master degree program with San Jose State major in industrial engineering, I started working with a few companies in Silicon Valley. Obviously, I was not very satisfied with what I was, you know, between eight and a half in half, eight by five. So I started having my own business in 1985, with only $50 in my pocket. That was the first company I ever tried to develop my own. But a few years later, that business but man by the name of a giant y Incorporated, specialize in the electronic assembly equipment, became a multimillion dollar business, and then realized, you know, United States will be really the lane for the dreamer. As long as we work hard, and dream will come true. You in a bad few years later, I realized, you know, working hard and making money will not be the entire point of the life. And we are part of a community. Therefore, I devote all of my time and the interest and the passion in the community. So in between, I realized not only serving the community where my folks came from either Taiwan or China, were supposed to become part of this entire large community. That gave me a chance to meet with Mr. Alan Olsen, with the Chamber of Commerce, you will recall?

Alan
Oh, yeah, years ago.

Henry
That’s right. And I was way back in probably the early 90. Yeah, I will say at least 20 years ago.

Alan
So Henry, your giant, why are you still working in that today?

Henry
No, in fact, that business because of the markets switching, it became, you know, the China market become self sufficient. Therefore, they would not need any equipment from the Silicon Valley. So approximately about 10 years ago, I opened the second one called USA channeling dedicated to the international trading between Silicon Valley or California in China, they offer me another opportunity to, to explore the different opportunity. And again, part of American Dream is how we be able to link the resource between where here and versus where I came from originally. So this 10 years, helped me bring myself to another dream, another level of ideas. That’s what I’m developing now. So called The First California Green Technology Park, in Fremont,

Alan
green technology. Wow, this sounds exciting. The in this culminated out of your role with the California Economic Commission.

Henry
Yes, yes. In fact, that was the chance, I must appreciate the former governor of California, Mr. dishwash later, who gave me that opportunity. And I realized among four major industries, when technology has always been the number two after agriculture and obviously, the clean tech green tag is the direction

Alan
of the future, what exactly is green technology, it can be very

Henry
broad anything you you you come from biodegradable food serving units, you know, like paper plays, and a recyclable food container to us futures. Nuclear Power Plan, you know, and so far whatever we’ll be able to preserve the earth energy you know, and again to make them much more efficient when they’re out in today’s life. So in between the the current industry are more focused into such as LED lighting, solar panel power, electrical bicycle, electrical cars, and so forth. So that’s why in this green tech park where hoping to devolve Fremont to become the first one of this size almost eight square miles in the entire southern part of Fremont. So eventually we can do that

Alan
amazing here today with Henry yen. Henry is a former commissioner with the California Economic Development Commission. And he’s now has a project for green tech Park here in Fremont, California, Henry, we need to take a quick break. We’ll be right back after these messages.

Alan
Welcome back. I’m here today with Henry Yin. Henry is a entrepreneur spent the last 40 years here in Fremont, California, and now has a special project underway called fast which is the acronym for the Fremont economic Green Park coming into play here and in this part of the Silicon Valley, Henry, what is the difference between economic development and economic growth?

Henry
I think in general terms economic world is almost like the natural process of economy development in certain region or defined areas. But economic development is more into a pre plan and more experimental process rather than let it go by itself. So for instance, by using this project, we did research and come up with this idea location for the southern part of Fremont, knowing that Fremont does have this, the qualification and all them the resource contents by putting into efforts from a government from private sector from domestic and overseas, when we put them together into this kind of a very organized and disciplined manner, this process will call economic development, then we realize go through this process, we can expect or anticipate certain results from time to time, timely manner, or versus, you know, economic growth, then just like other community, then which Slagle by itself in a very natural way, rather than more plan, and organize. So I think this is probably the better explanation, or differential differentiation between the two.

Alan
So, in this new project for the Green Technology Park, you have the support of the local government agencies, Fremont city, pretty much behind this, as well as you have the pretty much chamber commerce. So, Henry, what are the pros and cons of allowing the private sector to develop the economy by themselves

Henry
Based on my understanding of Americans, the city government structure is relatively smaller and limited. Let’s use the free miles good example. Fremont is a really, we call medium sized city with about 220,000 population. However, the city government has very limited resource for economic development. They only have four staff. But how would How can we expect those four individuals to accomplish such a huge size of project in a matter of just few years? So knowing that those are the limitations, the more effective way and the city recognized that is to allow and welcome the private sectors to join this with a resource, either the capital equipment system or others into this development process.

Alan
So Henry, what what type of companies are you looking for to to come into the green tech Park and how do you incentivize them to do that?

Henry
Yeah, that’s good question, Alan. That’s the challenge part that we need to encounter. Unlike other socialism countries, the government can literally do whatever they like to do. But in the US system is limited and so different. So while doing that port. Now we are trying the logistic we call the legislators system in the US by going through the state assembly and stay senator, let them realize that in order to achieve much greater results in a green tank, which is the future of our community and our society and industry, then the state also need to do something through this process by proposing the new bill or modifying the current bill so that they can allow a certain amount of funding from the center from the federal and from the state, given to the local community like this kind of project. So you mentioned about, you know, two major green tech industry right here in our town, wines, very successful Tesla. The other one was not very fortunate. We used to be these Solyndra, that they’re famous, famous, okay, but either way is is is experimental. Yeah. Okay. Of course, we have recent to criticize about how Solyndra has been able to has not been able to manage the money. But that kind of experiment, try that cleantech product is definitely a must. Okay,

Alan
so Henry, how does a person find more information about this or, or reach you on the green tech project? Do you have a website or phone number or what? Yes.

Henry
What I will suggest that we do have a website. In the meantime that I would encourage anyone to either send email to me, that is H M y i n@comcast.net. I will be able to sign one of our 30 volunteers to dedicate different type of products or projects so that he or she will be able to assist. That’s how we handle this one for the last one year.

Alan
I’m visiting here today with Henry Yin. He’s the former California economic Commissioner, and is now taking on a project in the Fremont community for a green tech Park in southern Fremont. Henry, appreciate you being on today’s show.

Henry
Thanks, Alan. And thanks, everyone.

Alan
We’ll be right back after these messages.

 

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About Henry Yin

Henry Yin is a former California Commissioner for Economic Development and lead a state trade delegation to China that focused on expanding business ties and partnerships in the green technology industry. Yin worked with technology and agricultural firms to crack the growing Chinese market.

In 1992 he co-founded the Citizens for Better Community (CBC) which intends to unite Asian Americans to get involved into civil and public affairs. Sometime later, Yin shifted his focus and eyed mainstream society. He got his foot in the door by joining the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. He became the first Asian American ever elected chairman of the 49-year-old chamber.

In 2006, Yin also became the first Asian American in 43 years to ever serve as president of Fremont Rotary Club.

In 2008, Yin won the Outstanding Asian-American Leader Award from the California state legislature.

In 2010, Yin was appointed by then California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and reappointed by governor Jerry Brown, as the only Chinese-American commissioner of the California Commission for Economic Development.