HBS Hosted Chinese Business Delegation

Hall Booth Smith, P.C. (HBS), together with The University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, on November 10 hosted a fourteen person delegation representing chief executives of state-owned enterprises of China’s Shaanxi Province. Mr. James Standard, head of the HBS Transactional Practice Group; joined by HBS attorneys Carsten Alting, Steven Gladstone and John Parkerson; provided a full day of presentations and discussions on the conduct of business by foreign companies in the State of Georgia and the United States. Discussion topics included capital and financial markets; opportunities for investment by foreign companies; entering U.S. markets through merger, acquisition, joint venture and other business relationships; and raising capital through initial public offerings (IPOs).

The Shaanxi delegation traveled under the auspices of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of China. It visited the United States to learn about how the U.S. securities markets function, particularly with respect to IPOs. While in Atlanta, the delegation visited with several law and accounting firms, investment banks, public companies, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development to learn about the IPO process and the resources available in Atlanta to support financing, marketing, consulting, and listing for IPOs. John Woodward, Senior Director, Foreign Investment, Atlanta Metro Chamber, joined the HBS program with a presentation about local incentives for foreign companies that expand into Georgia.