Anna Cohen
CEO and President

• Has lived and worked in China for the past eight years.
• Can easily navigate the often choppy waters of China-based procurement, logistics, price negotiations and quality control
• Experienced in marketing, brand development, project management, sales, networking, and mergers and acquisitions—in Europe, the U.S. and China.

Anna may not be able to remember if her black suede pumps are in Shanghai or San Francisco, but she has her finger directly on the pulse of China’s manufacturing and retail sectors, as she has lived and worked in China for the past eight years. She began her career working for a major Swiss consultancy that specialized in lean manufacturing, where she helped improve the management of production facilities in emerging markets. Anna then segued into a job with one of the largest premium leather products manufacturers in China, a supplier to such high-end global brands as Tumi, Coach, Day-Timer and Wilson. She quickly rose to head of the Customer Support division.

Eight years ago, Anna founded Streamline Alliance, where she could leverage her knowledge of best manufacturing processes in the west with her intimate understanding of the unique ways of the Chinese business world. Over the past eight years, Anna has personally visited hundreds of Chinese factories to find the most talented and reliable facilities for her U.S. and European clients. Key to her success--and to the respect and confidence she enjoys from all her manufacturing partners--is her perfect command of the Mandarin language. Close your eyes and listen to Anna. You will never know she is not Chinese.

With her boundless energy and enthusiasm for developing global business synergy (and her disregard for normal sleep patterns), Anna has recently focused on developing Streamline Markets, a subsidiary of Streamline Alliance. Streamline Markets offers clients the expertise and guidance they need to successfully market their products and services—everything from farm tractors to hamburgers—to China’s business and individual consumers.

George Hong
COO, Asia

• Seasoned Shanghai businessman who is well connected to government officials, suppliers, distribution channels and retail industries throughout China.
• Has owned, run and/or managed apparel and leather accessories manufacturing facilities and retail stores throughout China.
• Credentialed lawyer with 10 years of Chinese legal practice.

Part businessman, part psychologist, part cheerleader, George is our resident sage, guru and mentor. He speaks multiple Chinese dialects and has an in-depth knowledge of the Chinese mind and character.

George started in life as a lawyer and court judge. But after 10 years of being a legal eagle, he decided that running and developing businesses would be a more fulfilling life experience. Since then, he has owned and run several stand-alone retail stores, as well as manufacturing facilities, that produced and sold apparel and leather accessories throughout China.

George is a master of Chinese markets and a believer in start-ups. He saw the potential of Streamline Alliance at a time when others could see only obstacles. From the beginning, he provided this company with both financial and strategic support, as well as deep insight into what it means to live and work in China. He is still the one who can open doors for our clients when others don’t even know where the doorknob is. George trains all Streamline employees with the zeal and discipline of a Confucian master, and is a highly respected mentor to all who work with him or under him.

Eric Churet
General Manager, Europe

• 20 years of experience in building partnerships with IT companies throughout Europe.
• Thoroughly familiar with European culture, markets, expectations and ways of doing business.
• Tenacious in finding a solution for every marketing problem.

Eric is our gateway to Europe and our link to its culture, diverse markets, expectations and way of thinking. Being French, he has a natural and wonderful ability to connect with people, whether they be his customers or our mostly Asian team. Without Eric, our global network would not have such sweet balance and harmony.

To say Eric is a go-getter is an understatement. This is a man who describes putting a sales team together as “building a war machine.” With 20 years of experience in developing long-term partnerships with IT companies across Europe, Eric brings to Streamline Alliance a passion and drive to become a true strategic partner for our customers, not just a supplier. So don’t be surprised if he offers you new ideas right off the bat.

Eric takes your business as seriously as you do. “No can do!” is not part of his vocabulary. You can be sure that if he cannot find a solution for you straight away, he will climb mountains to meet your needs, and he’ll take the rest of us up to the top with him.

In addition to his experience in European markets, Eric brings to our team some of the corporate discipline and experience he gathered by working with large corporations in the IT, Telecom and Banking industries. His business experience is crucial to the development and implementation of our new branch of business, Streamline Markets.

Lucia Liu
General Manager, Asia
Head of Merchandising Department, China office

• Over 15 years of senior management experience, including ten years in procurement, negotiating and quality control.
• Comprehensive knowledge of global logistics, distribution, import and export.
• International account management experience.

Her East-West name tells you the most important thing about Lucia Liu: that she is ready, willing and able to understand Western culture and combine it with the Chinese way of thinking to ensure the success of Streamline Alliance’s Asia operations. With Lucia at the helm in Asia, we know that our staff will never stop thinking Western requirements, quality and reliability.

Lucia is an honors graduate of China’s prestigious Harbin Institute of Technology. She is part of an elite group of local government and business leaders who are taking China to the next level of global power and status. She has worked as a top-level manager at PetroChina and Sinopec, two giants of the Chinese business establishment, and has a wealth of experience in international logistics, distribution, import and export. Lucia’s business connections, as well as her amazing attention to detail, make her a key member of the management team at Streamline Alliance.

Lucia is married and has a 10-year-old son, making her an extremely busy but nevertheless very attentive mother.

Steve Wright
Area General Manager-Midwestern USA

• Expert at new product and process development, marketing, project management and supplier negotiations.
• Experienced in building and managing high performance machine and tool development teams.
• Strategic problem solver with market knowledge, client orientation and 16 patents.

Steve Wright provides Streamline clients with a powerful mix of creative technical skills, management smarts and market understanding—a winning combination to improve their ROI. He has run every stage of the production process, from R&D and new product development to product marketing and supplier negotiations. He not only refines client production processes for faster time to market. He also boosts clients output and savings by helping move their production operations to China.

Steve proved himself for well over 30 years of increasing responsibility at a $3 billion Fortune 500 firm in interconnection technology, with over 100 facilities worldwide. He directed teams of more than 50 people in developing and implementing manufacturing technologies for new and existing products. He was known for finding new ways to cut custom-assembly machine design/build cycle time and costs—by 25% and 20% respectively.

Simon Zhu
Senior Advisor, China Advertising, PR and Retail

• Advertising, media and PR industry executive with more than 15 years of experience in China.
• Founder of one of the most successful ad agencies in Shanghai, launching joint ventures with local media giants.
• Well connected with major retailers throughout China as well as suppliers and distributors.

Simon Zhu is a master at promoting brands for Streamline clients in China. He has an innovative marketing mind and the know-how and connections to make his China market strategies work.

Simon has been a leader in the Chinese advertising, media and PR industry for well over 15 years. He founded one of the most successful ad agencies in Shanghai, promoting mostly local and international retail fashion and luxury brands. Among his many triumphs, Simon has helped achieve a strong China market presence for the first apparel OEM in Shanghai, Vidal Sassoon, Timex and multiple other foreign brands.

Much of the success Simon brings to clients is the result of his strategic relationships in China. He achieves brand awareness in China by leveraging his connections in local media including newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. And he secures market insights and favorable product placement by calling on his relationships with retailers including chain department stores, shops and malls. His relationships with premium suppliers and distributors mean Streamline clients receive special prices and treatment in Beijing and Shanghai plus second- and third-tier cities.

Herb Grabell
Senior Advisor, China Logistics and Commercial/Industrial Real Estate

• Expert in both local (China) and international logistics strategies.
• In the know when it comes to locating the most competitively priced commercial and industrial real estate in China.
• Well connected with Chinese third-party providers for logistics, warehousing, distribution and fulfillment centers.

Herb Grabell is expert in getting clients great deals on commercial real estate in China and in moving goods (supply chain) around the world, particularly to and from China. Herb gives Streamline clients answers to the two most asked questions in the industry: Where should we strategically locate our factory and warehouse? And how will we lower our supply chain costs?

Herb is based in China where he has connections with China’s best local and international logistics, distribution and warehousing providers. He helps Streamline clients find the best places to ship and store their products, at the best prices.

Herb draws on more than 20 years of experience with international giant Grubb & Ellis. His expertise is legendary, and he is regularly sought for international business publications and speaking engagements.

Steven Liu
Chief Engineer
Head of Design and Engineering Department, China

• 12 years of engineering and product design experience.
• Designed several very successful consumer products for major U.S. brands.
• Highly proficient in reverse engineering and prototyping as well as product design.

Steve possesses that rare combination of superior left-brain and right-brain functionality that makes him both an ideal product designer and an exacting engineer and quality control manager. He has degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering. His proficiency with product design, reverse engineering and prototyping resembles other people’s proficiency with breathing. Steve’s vast storehouse of knowledge about manufacturing facilities in China means that he knows how to design a product that Chinese manufacturers can produce to the highest levels of quality. Among Steve’s many achievements is the design of several consumer products for major American brands, which proved very successful in the marketplace.

At Streamline Alliance, Steve manages a group of engineers and product designers, coordinating and supervising their projects. He also works very amicably with foreign engineers, machinery designers and clients. His team prepares all of the drawings, plans and procedures for our suppliers and manages production, testing and quality control. In spite of a job description like this one, Steve actually finds time to enjoy hanging out with his wife and seven-year-old son.

James Ji
Quality Control Manager, China Office
Head of Quality Control and Assurance Department, China Office

• Eight years of quality control (QA and QC) management experience.
• Skilled at implementing quality systems and inspection procedures, as well as developing documentation, specifications, protocols, inventory tracking systems and reports.
• Thoroughly familiar with ISO9001, QS9000 and TS 16949, and proficient with SPC, FMEA, GR&R, APQP, PPAP, AQL and others.

If you got through that dizzying list of acronyms, you have some idea of how much we trust James and his team with their intensive and possibly merciless factory quality inspections. Thanks to James, we and our clients can sleep at night without worrying about product defects or missing deadlines. Our manufacturing partners are not always happy to see him, which is always a good sign of how well he does his job. What can we say! He takes quality very seriously.

Jessie Yang
Quality Control Manager, China Office

• Seven years of quality control (QA and QC) experience, including four years working with testing labs, factory audit organizations and social compliance audit facilities.
• Extremely proficient at implementing quality systems and inspection procedures for raw materials, production and finished goods, packaging and container packing.
• Thoroughly familiar with the production of promotional products, including apparel, leather goods, socks, pantyhose and pet toys.

Pay no attention to Jessie’s diminutive size and demure demeanor. Her reputation as one of the toughest QC inspectors in China precedes her wherever she goes. The factories beg our QC Department to send somebody else for inspections. Jessie is fiercely loyal to Streamline Alliance and all of our clients, and she is one tough cookie for the factory owners to deal with. Needless to say, our clients love her unconditionally.

With seven years of Quality Audit and Quality Control under her belt, she has worked extensively with testing labs and various factory audit and social compliance organizations. But her skills do not stop there. She also has a gift for developing documentation, product specifications, inventory tracking systems and all types of protocols.

Her weapons include her in-depth knowledge of ISO9001, QS 900, and TS16949, as well as quality management tools SPC, FMEA, GR&R, APQP, PPAP, AQL and others. She is knowledgeable about QA operating procedures VQA, TQM, RMA, PM, DCC and more.

No factory owner can fool Jessie, and that’s just the way we like it.

Lala Luan
Senior Merchandising Manager, China Office
Consumer Products Department

• 13 years of purchasing experience, including market segment development, sourcing, price negotiations, liaison and quality control management.
• Five years of experience focusing exclusively on pet toys, promotional and other consumer products in both the manufacturing and sales sectors.
• Has an encyclopedic knowledge of raw materials suppliers, finished goods, production machinery and manufacturing processes in China.

Lala’s quick and excellent English is always a pleasant surprise for our clients. They’re equally impressed with her insatiable interest in Western culture, history, music, fashion and lifestyles. Lala’s intuitive grasp of the Western mindset makes her ideal for working with consumer products geared to these markets. Her network of local suppliers is unmatched by anyone we know, and she can locate the right manufacturer, based on previous personal experience, within five minutes of receiving a client’s request for a new product. Lala’s high energy level is derived in part from her enthusiastic participation in sports and dancing. The rest, we think, is due to her DNA.

With 13 years of experience in sourcing and purchasing, Lala has an encyclopedic knowledge of most raw material suppliers, finished goods, production machinery and all of the other elements that go into product production. She has worked extensively with North American, European and Japanese companies. If a China Sourcing Trivial Pursuit existed, Lala would be the undisputed champion.

Lala’s favorite saying is “ Persevering brings success”, and she herself is a shining example of the truth inherent in this simple statement.

Miriam Zhang
Merchandising Manager, China Office
Metal Fabrication Department

• Eight years of project management experience, including international account management and new product and prototype development.
• Experienced in metal fabrication, metal parts, machinery, equipment and tooling and hardware.
• Proficient in procurement, negotiating and QC with clients from the U.S., Germany, Italy, Canada and Russia.

In a company full of tough cookies, Miriam effortlessly holds her own. Her strength was forged by years of working with metal fabricators—not a traditionally female-oriented field—and learning the basics of metal and steel production, metal forming, metalworking, CNC machining, welding and so on. Miriam has become quite an expert in the manufacturing of metal and steel products, and is happy to share her knowledge with anyone who wants to hear about it.

Miriam is completely in her element when working with metal fabrication factory owners, and can argue the night away with them about the merits of specific fabrication technique, steel verification machinery or tooling manufacture.

Besides that, Miriam loves roller-skating, and she excels at it. One day, we will be proud of Miriam wining Shanghai’s roller-skating performance competition.

Kevin Zhou
Merchandiser, China Office
Packaging Department

• Seven years of buying, buying, buying, including sourcing, price negotiations, liaison and quality control management.
• Five years of experience in the plastics and plastic packaging industries, in both the manufacturing and sales sectors.
• Absolutely knows where to go to get raw materials, finished goods, packaging machinery and manufacturing in China.

To say Kevin is a professional Chinese buyer is an understatement. His experience spans both sides of the fence. He was a salesman for several years, but for the past seven years he has been a buyer of plastic and packaging products. He understands manufacturing constraints and how factories operate, giving him a definite advantage in performing his job to perfection.

You may or may not think Kevin is lucky, being the only male merchandiser in a company filled with tough women. But he is lucky in that he is naturally a team player and has forged great working relationships with just about everyone around him. Kevin has been instrumental in developing Streamline Alliance’s highly successful packaging business, which includes maintaining good relationships with China’s major packaging suppliers.

Kevin is a newlywed, and his happiness is reflected in everything he does—lucky for us!

Maggie Chen
Logistics Manager, China Office

• Seven years of experience in the sometimes unforgiving world of logistics, shipping, import and export procedures, customs clearance, warehousing and related areas.
• Four years of experience working exclusively with sending freight from China to the U.S. and all over Europe.
• Maintains a wide network of suppliers and subcontractors in the logistics industry.

Maggie has devoted the past seven years to the sometimes-unforgiving world of logistics, shipping, import and export procedures, customs clearance, and warehousing and related areas. This has allowed her to develop and maintain a wide network of suppliers and subcontractors in the logistics industry.

If they gave out Oscars for organization, Maggie would win. She runs Streamline Alliance’s in-house logistics department like a Swiss clock. Maggie is so organized that she trains other department heads in the fine art of efficiency. Maggie also retains an awe-inspiring trove of information about shipping methods, special considerations and pricing, which means our clients are assured of receiving the best rates and absolutely preferential treatment from logistics providers. She is a wizard at performing container loading calculations for the safest, most efficient and most cost-effective packaging and is equally outstanding at dealing with insurance and customs procedures around the world.

With Maggie, we know that our customers’ shipments are in safe hands.