The Foreign Service Journal, January 2003

Foreign Commercial Service operation, both at the embassy and at all the consulates. At any given time, Lee is advocating on behalf of American companies bidding on major projects worth bil- lions of dollars, and also has several billion dollars worth of trade disputes on his desk. More trade disputes are brought to the Commercial Service in China than any- where else in the world. “This is the dilemma of China,” he says, “huge successes and huge failures. The potential for tremendous contracts — like the $1.3 billion contract for the sale of Boeing aircraft or the $1 billion contract to outfit the Shenzhen subway system — keeps businesses coming.” U.S. business reps often tell Beijing’s commer- cial office staff that successful sales and contracts would not have been possible without their help. Lee has initiated an extensive program to brief American business representatives before they set out for China. Over the past year, Lee (during trips to the U.S.) and his colleagues have talked to over 3,000 participants at various seminars in the U.S., providing guidance to companies on business opportunities and on avoiding pit- falls. Before joining the Foreign Commercial Service in 1982, Lee worked for a large American company that provided archival microfilming to governments, where he was responsible for international operations. In this capacity, he spent time in 87 countries. He joined the Foreign Commercial Service because he saw it as an opportunity not to just help one company succeed, but to help many companies, in all industry sectors. Lee served in Stuttgart and Frankfurt, Germany, and was later sent back to Germany as consul general to reopen the con- sulate in Duesseldorf. He was the first and last commer- cial officer assigned to then-East Germany, just prior to reunification, and has also served in Hong Kong. Lee was born in Fort Collins, Colo., but calls Wyoming home. He has a B.A. and MBA from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in organizational lead- ership from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife Myrna have four children. F O C U S J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 53 Interim Accommodations for Corporate and Government Markets Apartments, Townhouses & Single Family Homes “FOR THE EXECUTIVE ON THE MOVE” ❈ finder5@IX.netcom.com Locations throughout Northern Virginia and D.C. Units fully furnished, equipped and accessorized Many “Walk to Metro” locations Pet Friendly 5105-L Backlick Road, Annandale, Virginia Tel: (703) 354-4070 Fax: (703) 642-3619 Executive Lodging Alternatives