JERDE announced that Paul Martinkovic, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, will join a 10-day trade mission from Los Angeles to Asia led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The delegation of business leaders and city officials will travel from July 23 to August 1 to Tokyo, Seoul, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hong Kong for a series of meetings with government officials and business leaders aimed at strengthening relationships and boosting investment and tourism in Los Angeles. JERDE, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has pioneered the concept of "Placemaking" with more than 120 major projects on six continents that attract more than a billion people each year. 

The Mayor's Office, the World Trade Center Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Business Council organized the business delegation to join the trade mission, which includes representatives from companies in the entertainment, finance, real estate, engineering, architecture, education, airline, shipping, and cleantech sectors. The business delegation will work with City officials and its partners in Asia to secure opportunities that lead to local job creation. 

"It is a privilege to join our Mayor, City Councilmembers, and civic and business leaders as we represent Los Angeles to a part of the world where JERDE has decades of experience," said Martinkovic. "Our work in Asia includes signature, mixed-use and award winning projects in all of the countries we will visit.  As part of the delegation, I look forward to contributing my knowledge and insights of the regions."

Since joining the firm in 1990, Martinkovic has facilitated the Company's transformation to meet the changing worldwide demand for design. This has included opening JERDE's foreign offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Dubai, and Moscow. In addition to his duties as Chief Financial Officer, Martinkovic is also a member of the firm's Board of Directors and is responsible for JERDE's global business development and marketing. 

JERDE's legacy projects include Universal City Walk Hollywood, the designs for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Bellagio in Las Vegas, Namba Parks in Osaka, Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, D-Cube City in Seoul, and Langham Place in Hong Kong. A press release from the Mayor's Office, list of delegates, and trade mission schedule are available here: https://www.lamayor.org/mayor-garcetti-lead-la-delegation-trade-mission-asia