The next day, it was sunny and windy. Although it was winter, the weather was good these days and the temperature was not very cold.
"Does this look like a farm?" When the motorcade reached its destination, Chen Zhiwen looked at the barren land across the road and said.
The reason why it can be seen that it is a farm is because there are many wooden frames and other tools on the ground, which look like they are used to build vegetable sheds.
"It used to be. A few years ago, this was a vegetable garden with abundant products. But in the past few years, Los Angeles has been very dry, with very little rain. Even the urban area has begun to restrict water use from time to time. The nearby farms have no agricultural water and have died. A large piece of land, so I chose this farm as the base of our logistics center. It is close to the highway, the transportation is not bad, and it is only 40 miles from the seaport. The main reason is that it is cheap. I bought 120 acres (0.5 square kilometers) at one time ) land, only 300,000 US dollars was spent, and this time the construction of the logistics center only requires 20% of the area." Pierce said with a smile.
"Is there a water problem in Los Angeles?" Chen Zhiwen asked. It seems that most of the northwest United States is a desert area, and the casino city of Las Vegas is built in the desert.
"It has been very troublesome in the past few years. The price of tap water has tripled. However, the Los Angeles government is also building large reservoirs in several places. It is said that as long as they are built, there will be no problem." Pierce said.
"Oh, then wouldn't the farm prices in Los Angeles be able to rise again in the future?" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
"Indeed, this is a good investment project, boss, why don't you also invest some?" Pierce asked with a smile.
"Later, forget it now. I already bought one in Portland. It doesn't really mean much, it's just for fun." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said.
Farms and ranches can be said to be good investments. Later Bill Gates liked to invest in farms in his old age and became the largest landowner in the United States.
But the real agricultural giants do not own large farms. The four giants ABCD that control global food do not grow food themselves. Instead, they control global food prices, sign multi-billion-dollar orders for agricultural products with a country, and use technological means to monopolize high yields. Seeds indirectly control the fate of millions or even tens of millions of farmers.
Investing in farms can only be said to be of little interest.
However, if you have the opportunity, you can also participate, not directly in the farm, but in a business like ABCD. This is not impossible, but it is difficult to achieve the level of ABCD. In Southeast Asia, some Chinese have done this. First, given the future domestic demand for feed, oil, and soy products, if we work on this aspect early, there may be opportunities.
Later generations, Lao Li, left Hutchison Whampoa with five large-scale major businesses. It didn’t matter if he added one more. Anyway, there were still many talents within Hutchison Whampoa. As long as he provided funds and direction, he might be able to achieve certain achievements.
"Eric, you see, this floor plan corresponds to that location. We will build three large warehouses here. According to my estimate, it will be enough to support the needs of 30 Costco storefronts. If our computer plan is successful, then It can even improve logistics turnover efficiency." Pierce opened a half-person-sized drawing and faced the open space in front of him to explain the design of the future logistics center.
There was another person beside him who was responsible for contracting the foreign construction project of the entire logistics center project. When Pierce was unclear, he asked him.
After a while, Chen Zhiwen had a rough three-dimensional image of this warehouse that would cost him 6 million US dollars. He also thought it was very good, so he asked: "When will this logistics center be built?"
"We are planning to start construction in January next year, which will take about half a year." said the foreign engineer.
"Half a year?" Chen Zhiwen asked.
"Yes, the speed of half a year, only our Capitol Construction Company can achieve this efficiency!" The engineer of Capitol had an arrogant expression on his face.
"." Chen Zhiwen was speechless for a while. It's just a one-story warehouse. As long as the ground is paved, the steel structure can be built as soon as the frame is built. If this is done in China in later generations, it can be completed for you in one month if the money is available. In the United States, it would take half a year. Is it considered fast?
Pierce also understood Chen Zhiwen's request, and after sending the foreigners away, he said: "That's what construction companies here in the United States are like. If you add more money, it might be faster. I used to rely on the newly built Costco stores before. I added money to speed up the construction progress. As for the logistics center, I considered that it would take four months to order several sets of equipment for the logistics center, so that was it. Moreover, the logistics center is not in urgent need at the moment. Each company Costco stores can still operate normally."
"Okay, you can go according to your plan. Anyway, time is the most important, and the money spent is secondary." Chen Zhiwen thought for a while and said.
It's a pity that human resources training still can't keep up with the speed of expansion. Otherwise, if the supplier is willing to deliver goods first and pay later, the cost of large-scale expansion is actually not high. But even so, Costco's expansion speed is not inferior at all. Because of Wal-Mart, which is expanding rapidly, in just ten years, it will own a large supermarket in the United States and also be the major shareholder of another supermarket.
With the massive orders of daily necessities from Costco and Wal-Mart, Hong Kong's Galaxy Trading has become one of the largest trading companies in Asia.
Los Angeles, Hollywood Center:
A Cadillac luxury SUV stopped on the side of the road. Ron skillfully pulled the handbrake and said to Chen Zhiwen, the co-pilot: "Mr. Chen, this is the center of Hollywood. Many well-known Hollywood company headquarters are here. nearby."
"There are so many handsome guys and beauties here!" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile, casually looking out the window at rows of beautiful scenery.
"Every year, thousands of young people come here to pursue their dreams. The most lacking thing here is all kinds of looks, but the lack of opportunities and capital. If Mr. Chen is interested, just invest in a small movie, and those blond hair will They'll come after me like bees!" Ron said.
"Yeah, but let's forget it. The water in Hollywood is too deep, so I won't participate anymore." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
Making money by making movies in Hollywood is the most common way for many later generations of Internet writers to travel back and forth. In the 1970s, there were famous high-box office and low-investment movies such as "Jaws" and "ET", with tens of millions of dollars invested. , just the box office share is estimated to be 200-300 million US dollars, plus the subsequent peripherals, etc., it can completely equal the total value of several companies that Chen Zhiwen has worked hard for over the past few years!
But only if you can get it...
Even in Hong Kong's film industry, there are all kinds of shady things. Even the most popular movies are so calculated that investors can't make a penny, let alone Hollywood, which is the deepest. Even Wall Street investment giants Anyone who came over to film a movie was tricked and sent back to New York, let alone a Chinese. Even if opportunity + ability are combined to produce a classic movie, it will only be cheaper for others.
"Maybe after today, your mind will change." Ron said with a smile, seeming very confident.
"Let's go, let's get down to business!" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
After saying that, the two got out of the car, a doorman came over, and Ron threw the key in his hand to him. In large hotels, there are usually employees who specialize in parking for customers. Customers enter directly from the hotel door, and the car is driven to the garage by a dedicated person, who will return the key later.
"We made an appointment on the 21st floor." Ron walked into the elevator with Chen Zhiwen and two bodyguards. Just as he was about to close the door, several black people rushed in. They looked like teenagers, but each of them had a hand in hand. Playing various musical instruments.
"Thank you!" The black man in the lead was very polite and then pressed down to the 13th floor.
There was silence in the elevator. After reaching the 13th floor, several black people left. Chen Zhiwen asked: "The guy who spoke just now always seems familiar to me. If you have time, can you help me find out what his name is?" "
"I didn't pay attention just now, so I have to go down and find him." Ron was stunned for a moment. No one would remember the information of a person who passed by him for no reason. With this skill, he would have already I have completely forgotten the appearance of the few people just now. No normal person can remember the appearance of a stranger he saw a few days ago like in the detective TV series.
"I just heard his friends call him Michael. Seeing that they all have instruments, they should be in a band. Go check it out. If not, forget it." Chen Zhiwen continued.
Just now, he felt that the black man leading him was very familiar, which made him very strange, because he had never had any contact with any black people in the few years since he traveled back through time, until he heard several other people calling him Michael, and they had always While tinkering with the instrument, he suddenly woke up. It turned out to be the most famous singer in later generations - Michael Jackson!
This can't be blamed on his poor memory. In his impression, it was white, but now it is black, and he is a little younger. No one would have thought of it.
"Michael? Okay, I'll check back later." Ron agreed.
The elevator soon reached the 21st floor. As soon as he got out of the elevator, he was greeted by a friend whom he was already familiar with even though he had only met him once - Henry Morgan.
"Eric, nice to see you in Los Angeles." Henry Morgan was very happy, smiling and shaking hands.
"Me too, Henry, you seem to be getting younger." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
"Your arcade machines sell so well, I am so happy that I naturally become younger." Henry Morgan smiled.
"This is just the beginning, the bigger surprise is yet to come!" Chen Zhiwen said lightly.
For people in the 1970s who only had movies and TV for entertainment, suddenly encountering a game like Snake is like primitive people encountering a flashlight. Anyone who is not short of money will play a few games, which naturally leads to bars. The boss and various merchants in prosperous areas are interested in buying arcade machines.
In the end, what was transmitted to Hong Kong was continuous orders. Although the previous 15,000 units had not been fully produced, the order volume from the United States grew rapidly, and Henry Morgan placed another order for 10,000 units.
Henry also learned that Chen Zhiwen was in Los Angeles, so he immediately invited him to come to his place.
"I'm looking forward to this day coming." Henry Morgan said with a smile: "Please come inside."
Chen Zhiwen and Henry Morgan came to the open-air balcony of the hotel suite. It was surrounded by glass and with enough heating, they didn't feel the winter in December at all.
From the balcony, you can directly see the landmark of Los Angeles, the mountain with the "Hollywood" sign. The sign is at the top, and there seem to be a few people, and further up, there is a helicopter flying around above.
"This is what happens every day on the Hollywood sign. There are always people who come to Hollywood and want to climb up the sign to take pictures. I have been here for three days and I see people like this every day." Henry Morgan took a glass of red wine and handed it to Chen Zhiwen.
"The American dream!" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. No one is allowed to climb the Hollywood sign, but it can't stop a lot of people from going there. It is estimated that only after the 21st century, with the development of electronic technology, will we be more able to stop them. These people are gone.
"Eric, have you ever thought about getting a U.S. green card? It will be of great benefit to your business. Red Bull, Midea or Costco will be much more convenient." Henry Morgan said.
"No need." Chen Zhiwen shook his head and said. He didn't want to become a media tycoon in the United States, nor did he want to control a certain technology field in the United States. After getting a U.S. green card, was he going to pay more taxes to the United States?
"Okay, tell me when you need it, and I have a way for you to get it quickly." Henry Morgan took a sip of red wine and said, "Eric, you entrusted me to help you dispose of some overseas assets before. A friend went to check it out. She is a professional who specializes in handling various assets. She found a port company in the United States willing to take over the port you were in in Indonesia, but the other party was only willing to offer 15 million US dollars. You only need to take the money. After the transaction is completed, it has nothing to do with you."
"15 million U.S. dollars? It's negotiable." Chen Zhiwen calculated in his mind that it was almost 70 million Hong Kong dollars. Although it was far behind the hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars that Hutchison had invested, it was still possible to recover a little bit under the current situation. Anyway, the hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars lost were He also bought Hutchison at a low price because of the losses he suffered before Hutchison was acquired by him.
"Okay, I'll let her talk again, but I also know a little bit about the situation at that port. It will be difficult for you to improve your estimate a lot." Henry Morgan said.
"I know that, just try your best." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said. After taking over Hutchison and changing its name to Hutchison Whampoa, Hutchison's branch in Indonesia notified the local Indonesian government in the name of the new company, and spent some connections. Only then did they stabilize the opponent, but it would definitely not work for a long time. Chen Zhiwen had no plans to continue investing in Indonesia. He was just looking for an opportunity to sell the port.
If I delay it any longer, I may not be able to hold it off anymore. It is better to sell it at a suitable price and let the next investor make a real investment in the port. In fact, from a business perspective, this port project is quite good. It’s just that for me who knows the future, the price/performance ratio is too low.
"You still have some farms, mines, hotels, office buildings and other assets in South Africa and Australia. My friend has also studied it. She has given you two options now, or just hang it with her and wait until someone has it. Let’s talk about interest, or she will take over your properties, but the price may only be 70% of the market price.” Henry Morgan continued.
"70%? Although these assets are not good, there is no big problem. Isn't 70% too harsh?" Chen Zhiwen said with a frown.
Although Qi Dezun is arrogant and arrogant, he is not a fool when it comes to investment. When it comes to overseas expansion, he basically focuses on stability. He acquires some normal business projects, such as sugar cane plantations, iron mines, Although hotels and other assets have suffered from poor performance in the past two years due to the global oil crisis, they are still basically not losing money. If Hutchison had not been too heavily in debt, causing problems in the entire capital chain, the returns on these investments would actually be pretty good. .
"That's what their business is like. They make money from the price difference, taking advantage of other people's eagerness for money, and they also need to pay in advance. In fact, it is risky. You just have to think about whether it's a good deal or not." Henry Morgan said with a smile.
PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of chapter)
