Mr. Richard Welesko, the General Manager. of PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., graduated in 1980 with a dual bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and physics from Carnegie Mellon University and Allegheny C-MDV University, which is located in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., and graduated in 1984 from the School of International Business Administration of Houston University, Texas, with an MBA degree. In February 1978 he joined the Coating and Resin Division of the PPG Research and Development Center at Springdale as a lab assistant. In 1990 Mr. Welesko was promoted to the project manager and in 1995, was assigned to the Asian-Pacific Co. Ltd. of PPG Industry, in charge of the infrastructure construction engineering projects in the Asian and Pacific region. Owing to his years of working experience and background in infrastructure construction engineering, Welesko was assigned in February 1996 by PPG headquarters to Tianjin, to be responsible for the construction of the factory of PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd.. After assisting contractors in building the new factory workshop, Mr. Welesko continued to work at PPG Tianjin, responsible for operation/planning, environment/health/safety and maintenance, and later was promoted to the Chief Inspector. In 2002 when PPG was encountering difficulties worldwide due to the rising costs caused by rising energy prices throughout the world, PPG Tianjin managed to obtain good economic returns through excellent management in cutting down costs and expenses. The sales for the year reached 439 million yuan, ranking the company one of the Model Tax-paying Enterprises in TEDA. Mr. Welesko is a firm believer in quality process, and has it implemented in all fields of the company. The company has succeeded in passing the audit in quality, technique and environmental protection by Shanghai General Motors and Wuhan Shenlong Automobile Co., two major customers of the company. The company has been awarded the "Advanced Foreign-Funded Enterprise in China" and the "Excellent Foreign-Funded Enterprise in Tianjin", and the "Top Ten Environmental Protection Enterprises", "Advanced Enterprise in Fire Prevention and Safety", and "Advanced Enterprise in Safe Production in TEDA" by the Environmental Protection Bureau of TEDA.
Mr. Welesko cares about not only the growth of PPG Tianjin, but also that of Tianjin and TEDA. He grabs every opportunity that comes his way to introduce to people about TEDA, about Tianjin, and about China. He has also recommended TEDA to other industrial departments of PPG, and other foreign investors showing investment intentions. Thanks to his efforts, PPG Tianjin has increased business with other industrial departments of PPG. Moreover, many suppliers have decided to invest in TEDA and other places of China.
Not only the investment environment, but ordinary people's life has also attracted Mr. Welesko's attention. He loves Tianjin and China. He often rides a bicycle, getting himself involved in the community life. Mr. Welesko has been to over 30 cities in various countries. When asked which city he liked best, he said it was Tianjin. He is attracted to the culture of this city and the human relationships among the local people, who are good-natured, hospitable, honest and kind-hearted. He has written letters to the municipal government and the TEDA administration through various channels, giving his opinion and suggestions as to how to speed up the construction of the city and its economic development. Based on his observation and consideration over many years, he has made suggestions in a wide range from traffic and road improvement, construction of residential buildings, protection of historical relics, the appearance of the city, the design of Haihe Park, to encouraging individuals to plant trees. All these fully show his love and concern for Tianjin and its people.
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