Alan Scholnick
and his fiancee
Mylene pay
$5,000 a month
fora Hong Kong
apartment.

Far East Appeal

Moving To
Singapore
Was The
Best Thing
That Ever
(i) Happened
cT, To Alan

Scholnick

1--u ENNIFER
J
FINER STAFF WRITER

Lj

90

T

hirty minutes after Kong last March. There, he start-
Alan Scholnick said ed his own company, ScoFam
no to a phone offer Pacific Limited, where he con-
that would land tinues to advise large real estate
him a job nearly developers and retailers on their
8,000 miles away, retail projects. He is also bring-
he changed his ing Western retail franchises to
mind.
Asia and is involved in product
The persistent caller, who distribution and trading in the
would not take no for an answer, Far East.
asked Mr. Scholnick to spend the
With clients all over Asia, Mr.
weekend considering a job with Scholnick was constantly travel-
a retail and development con- ing to places like the Philippines,
sulting firm in Singapore.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong
Within half an hour, Mr. Schol- Kong.
nick changed his mind and the
The frequent trips to Hong
following Tuesday he was on a Kong made him realize it was the
plane.
business center of the region. He
"I left quicker than I ever an- decided if he were to stay, he
ticipated," said Mr. Scholnick, a should be in Hong Kong.
Bloomfield Hills native who was
Before he left Singapore, Mr.
always interested in Asia and Scholnick was at a Passover
studied international relations at seder where he met Mylene, a
the University of Michigan. "It Jewish woman from Paris.
turned out to be the best decision
The couple, now engaged,
I have ever made."
spent Thanksgiving with Mr.
Mr. Scholnick, now 28, spent Scholnick's parents in Bloomfield
a year and a half working for the Hills. A March wedding in Paris
consulting firm before taking his is planned.
entrepreneurial spirit to Hong
"Personally and professionally,

the move has been more than a
rewarding challenge and has
taught me a lot about risk tak-
ing," he said. "Never did I think
I was going to meet my future
wife, a wonderful Jewish French
woman. The fact that two Jews
met the way we did is incredible.
When Heft, I thought it would be
a great move professionally but
at the expense of my personal
life."
Throughout his Far East trav-
els, Mr. Scholnick continues to
discover small Jewish communi-
ties. His seder in Singapore was
spent with the local Sephardic
community.
"During my business trips, I
try to take some time to contact
the local Jewish communities of
the countries i'm visiting to learn
more about them," he said.
Dynamic, large and strong is
how Mr. Scholnick described the
Jewish community living in Hong
Kong. Next year, a Jewish com-
munity center is expected to open
in the city, already home to an old
synagogue and services for the

various branches of Judaism.
Mr. Scholnick does not know
where he will be in the future but
he did say he'd like to remain in
Asia.
"Hong Kong is one of the most
exciting places to live," he said. "I
don't know what the future will
bring, but Mylene and I try to live
each day like we're going to live
there for the rest of our lives.
"This is a unique tirn3 in his-
tory to be there. You can feel the
excitement. There is a fever about
Hong Kong before it reverts to
China (in 1997). No one knows
what it will be like in '97 so people
are in a hurry to make business
transactions."
Conducting business in Asia
involves different customs and
practices that take time to learn.
For example, when exchanging
business cards, it is proper to take
and receive a card with both
hands. And don't just put it in
your pocket or purse, warns Mr.
Sholnick. Read the card, ask
questions and then put it
away. 0