In 1996, Anita Louise Hummel, while working in Bangkok, Thailand, was sent by several retail shops to purchase goods at the International Home Furniture Show in High Point, North Carolina. At that time importing from Asia was growing rapidly so it occurred to her that better products might be purchased directly from Asia. A US wholesale importer asked her to develop for them high quality products to sell at the next show. This company is still one of Mondoro’s major customers.
Seeing the potential for expanding exports to the US from Asia, Anita packed up all her belongings and moved to Hong Kong in 1997. Operating alone and starting with a single customer she set up a small office there. In 2000 she set up an office near some of her key factories in Guangdong Province, China. Her first employee was Sammy Chen, who with Anita, helped build the China office. Sammy is still with the company. This office has provided a model for expansion. Specialists were hired for: developing designs, working with factories, creating special finishes, testing of products, quality control, and on-site inspection.
Anita has developed and continuously improved on a business model using modern technology that helps her staff work together as a team, even from remote locations.
In 2003 it became evident that purchasing from Vietnam would best be done if Mondoro set up an office in Hanoi. Also, some key customers wanted products best handcrafted in Vietnam. Again, starting with only a few employees, and low volume, a new office was opened and staff hired. Anita has now equipped Hanoi with the same facilities which worked well in China, i.e. design, development, finishing, testing, quality control, and on-site inspection. In 2005 she also opened the Ho Chi Minh City office—also with the same full facilities.
In 2003 a part-time sales office was set up in the US, and in 2007 one in Sweden, which includes a showroom to display products specific to the European Market.
More about Anita Hummel
President
Anita Hummel was not the first in her family to venture into China. Anita's grandfather (Dr Arthur W. Hummel Sr.) was a missionary in northern China for 14 years (1913—1927). He spent his life in the study of China and the Chinese language. He established the Asian division at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
Anita's uncle was a career diplomat, born in China and fluent in the Chinese language. During his career he served in the US State Department, with his final posting as the United States Ambassador to China (1981 to 1985).
Anita has spent her working career in Asia since graduating in 1986 from Brigham Young University where she earned a degree in International Studies with an emphasis in Chinese Studies. For the first ten years of her career, Anita was a retail and product development specialist for several large companies in Hong Kong and Thailand. It was through these jobs that she gained experience in exporting, sourcing, quality, design, product development, and manufacturing. Building on this experience, it was natural for her to form a company specializing in design, product development, and manufacturing.
