In 2005, Columbia stockbroker Alex LaBrunerie placed a very long-distance cold call.
Somewhere on a sidewalk in the Chinese metropolis of Hangzhou, financial executive Yi Zheng picked up.
That first conversation in broken English resulted in a unique partnership: the Columbia-based Asian Equity Research Institute. The Chinese firm, Hexin Flush, agreed to sell its financial reports exclusively to AERI for translation into English.
KBIA takes look at how language barriers and cultural differences play a role in the work of a small, mid-Missouri company with a direct line to the Chinese markets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjV1dIhucCg&feature=youtu.be
This story is part of The China Connection, a multimedia project that explores various economic, educational and cultural links between Missouri and China. More at The China Connection.