Day 33 of Mentor on Road, USA

“If the poor cannot come to education, education must reach them, at the plough, in the bakery factory, elsewhere.”
- Swami Vivekananda

Today, on the 33rd day of Mentor on Road, USA, we would complete the first leg of the road drive in San Diego which is the 15^th city of our tour.

We are highly thankful and obliged to our supporters – USCS (U.S. Commercial Services) Mumbai / Delhi, USCS offices in USA, Etihad Airways, Vibrant Ceramics, Start-up India, USIIC (U.S.-India Importers’ Council) and all the hosts who had hosted us. Without them, this journey wouldn’t have been possible.

Vibrant Ceramics was initiated and held by pursuing the idea of the honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi to see India proliferate in the corporate and commercial realms across the world by providing the optimal combination of skilled human resources and state-of-the-art technology. Vibrant Ceramics 2017, the second edition shall be an ideal portal to meet, interact and discuss business possibilities for industrialists, dealers, customers, experts and all those who matter in the ceramic tiles and sanitary ware industry.

U.S.- India Importers' Council is a not-for-profit initiative started by a group of Indian SME (Small & Medium Enterprises) importers, responsible for imports of over $1 billion from the USA.

The USIIC aims to be the leading organisation assisting government bodies, industry associations, corporates, agents, Indian importers, and American exporters in the United States and India, in the mutually beneficial exchange of products, services and technologies, and in forging meaningful trade partnerships through dissemination of practical and relevant information and through the creation of networking platforms.

The US-India Importers' Council acts as an intermediary organization to facilitate partnership and trade between Indian and American businesses, thus acting as a catalyst in promoting economic growth between the United States and India.

To improve the overall bilateral relationship, both the governments established the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) as the signature, annual forum for policy discussions between the United States Government and the Government of India. The United States and Indian Governments are using this vehicle to advance shared priorities of generating economic growth, creating jobs, and strengthening the middle class.

We started driving on 4^th June from Boston and passed through states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Driven 6305 kilometers / 3856 miles till now and will drive 15,450 kilometers / 9602 miles in total.

Mentor on Road met and addressed 600+ companies in 15 US cities. We have learnt several good lessons of connecting American companies to India which would further increase the trade ties between both the countries, the U.S. and India. We look forward to the second leg of Mentor on Road, USA with enthusiasm and excitement.

Mentor on Road enjoyed the tour of Irvine. 

Irvine is an affluent city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city; the Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s. As per the U.S. Census Bureau, the population estimates of July 1 2016 in Irvine is 256,927.

A number of corporations, particularly in the technology and semiconductor sectors, have their national or international headquarters in Irvine. Irvine is also home to several higher education institutions including the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Concordia University, Irvine Valley College, the Orange County Center of the University of Southern California (USC), and campuses of California State University Fullerton (CSUF), University of La Verne, and Pepperdine University.

Irvine has been rated one of the top cities for start-up businesses and its strong, fast-growing economy helped place Orange County as one of the top ten fastest growing job markets

The following companies are headquartered in Irvine:

• Allergan, Inc.
• BAX Global
• Taco Bell (a division of Yum! Brands, Inc.)
• ATEN Technology, Inc. (a division of ATEN International, Inc.)
• Blizzard Entertainment
• Boot Barn
• Broadcom Corporation
• Edwards Lifesciences
• Epicor Software Corporation
• Superformance, LLC

As of 2016, the top employers in the city were:

Rank	Employer	No. of Employees	% of Employment	Sector
1	University of California, Irvine	20,386	16.08%	Education
2	Edwards Lifesciences	2,987	2.36%	Medical device
3	Irvine Unified School District	2,749	2.17%	Education
4	Blizzard Entertainment	2,622	2.07%	Video games
5	Broadcom Corporation	1,900	1.50%	Semiconductors
6	Parker Hannifin	1,700	1.34%	Aircraft
7	Nationstar Mortgage	1,556	1.23%	Mortgage Lending
8	Glidewell Laboratories	1,538	1.21%	Dental device
9	24 Hour Fitness	1,426	1.12%	Health & Fitness
10	Thales Avionics	1,424	1.12%	Aerospace

                                     
We then headed to an event with some dynamic companies of San Diego at the World Trade Centre, San Diego, where we had a good interaction. All the companies present in the event seem to have good potential for business opportunities in India.

World Trade Center San Diego, an affiliate of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, (WTCSD) is Southern California’s leading international trade association with direct access to the largest international trade network in the world. The organization offers the San Diego region services that allow businesses to gain key global contacts, research and tools to enhance international competitiveness. WTCSD provides comprehensive international business services and global lead-generation to facilitate and expand business internationally for regional clients. 

With services such as global data mining, intercultural communication training, market-entry strategies, export readiness evaluations, trade missions and export documentation and more. WTCSD helps businesses start or expand upon their international operations.

Following are the benefits that World Trade Center, San Diego provides to its members:

• Foreign market analysis reports
• Access/referrals to government & business leaders
• Trade counseling
• Trade mission business trips

The World Trade Center San Diego has the following facility offerings and core areas of service. They provide businesses with the links to pursue international opportunities through their global network and thrive to bring value to San Diego's international trade community:

The facilities World Trade Center, San Diego provides are:

• Seminar / Meeting Rooms

   The trade services World Trade Center, San Diego provides are:

• Group Trade Mission
• Trade Information / Market Research
• Trade Counseling
• Referrals
• Education & Knowledge Creation
• Business Management & Professional Services

Mentor on Road then headed to an event with the Indian diaspora in San Diego. It was one of the most wonderful events of our journey which lasted for two and a half hours where multiple relevant questions were raised. Also, 7-8 people came forward to adopt their villages in India. We discussed about numerous effective ways to make villages self-sufficient and to create employment opportunities in villages. Thanks to Madhvan Dada for putting up a remarkable event. 

Mentor on Road then headed for a delicious South-Indian dinner with Mrs. Mala which was prepared at a very short notice at her beautiful home. We felt highly indebted for the hospitality offered by her. We truly enjoyed the most satisfying dinner. The religious departure ceremony felt like a blessing from God.  

                        

Tomorrow Mentor on Road would be leaving for New York from where we would be heading to our home country, India. We will be coming back soon to continue the journey of leg 2 which we hope remains as successful as  the leg 1 road drive.

Jai Ho! (Let victory be yours)