Grand Opening, Chinese Style

Dancers in red and gold lion costumes and event-planning that mines Feng-Shui practices aren’t often a part of North American ribbon cuttings. Yet the June 20 opening of Laticrete’s retail store, showroom, and technical center in Shanghai proved that cultural history can affect how global companies do business locally. David Rothberg, chairman and CEO of the finishing-systems manufacturer, was invited to paint the lions’ eyes gold—a symbolic gesture to ensure a new business’ success—and spoke to the 200-person crowd about the company’s relationship with the Chinese market. The store is located in the Jiuxing Building Materials Marketplace, Shanghai’s building-products nexus, where annual sales top $10 billion yuan ($1.57 billion).