Cebuanos win in Asean biz awards

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2017/09/07/cebuanos-win-asean-biz-awards-562655
• Monday, September 11, 2017

By Katlene O. Cacho

CEBU-BASED Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc., and Golden ABC were big winners during yesterday’s Asean Business Awards 2017.

Pete Delantar emerged as the winner for the Asean Business Awards 2017 under the category on Priority Integration Sector Excellence Award (wood-based) while Bernie Liu, chairman and CEO of Golden ABC, Inc. was awarded for Priority Integration Sector Excellence Award for Retail.

These two business personalities were among the 47 Asean Business awardees recognized yesterday at Solaire Resort and Casino Manila, Entertainment City.

More than 900 guests with 400 delegates from Asean witnessed the recognition of outstanding Asean enterprises contributing in the growth and prosperity of the Asean economy. The Asean Business Award serves as a platform to spread information on the Asean Economic Community. It puts in the spotlight small and medium enterprises that have the potential of becoming global economic players in their respective industries.

Delantar said the were invited to be an entry for the Philippines in the innovation and priority integration sector categories.

They presented their products Nucast, a patented material made of recycled paper products, and Naturescast, an award-winning patented material made out of agro forest debris, which won the 2015 Gold Invention Award at the 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, Switzerland.

“We were competing with the big boys in Asean. We believe it was our business model coupled with sustainability and community (involvement), that made us stand out,” said Delantar, who is one of the directors of the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, adding that they don’t exploit natural resources.

Nature’s Legacy is a global manufacturer of home furnishings and garden accessories and maker of sustainable and innovative materials based in Compostela, Cebu.

Golden ABC, on the other hand, is the company behind retail brands Penshoppe, Oxygen, Regatta, For Me, Memo, Tyler and direct-selling outfit Red Logo. Four out these seven brands already have presence abroad.

The company embarked on an aggressive expansion in Asean last year to capture the over 600 million consumers of the region.

In past interviews, Liu said the company isn’t so keen on opening new territories outside Asia, as Asia presents wider opportunities for their fashion brands to grow.

“The newest now is Asia. There is so much potential (to grow here),” he said, adding that he won’t rush opening stores in the US and Europe, although his company has been receiving several invitations for store expansions in these markets.

“Once we penetrate, we intend to expand more aggressively in these existing countries which have very huge market opportunities,” he said. “We want to optimize first our presence in these (Asean) territories before we even spread.”