Gary Supeau is a business professional with years of experience in foreign trade. Gary Supeau was frequently called upon to travel abroad for work, and has been traveling internationally since 1989. As an experienced traveler, he has many tricks and tips to share with other professionals new to the world of sourcing. In his time, Gary Supeau has been responsible for importing electronic goods valued at anywhere from $600,000 to $1 million in a given year.

Gary Supeau has made many international trips to locate sources for manufacturing, and he always made sure to deal directly with a factory’s president, general manager, or plant manager. “I never wanted to deal with a trading company. The more people involved, the higher the price goes,” says Gary Supeau.

When the time came to meet in person, Gary Supeau always made sure to meet in a neutral location first. “The first meetings were usually conducted in the lobby of the hotel where I stayed. If the meeting felt comfortable, a follow-up meeting could be held at the office,” says Gary Supeau. Also, like any person invested in finding the right factory, Gary Supeau always made sure to visit the factory floor in person.

Gary Supeau is more than prepared to share source locations that did not work out. “I typically worked with between 12 and 15 sources,” says Gary Supeau. In his experience, Gary Supeau has encountered locations that were not as favorable as others. One of the biggest problems Gary Supeau encountered with sourcing concerns quality. “When you look at sources, there are certain characteristics that make one more desirable. In my experience, the best sources are companies that are a little more bilingual and have a strong quality control policy,” says Gary Supeau.

From experience, Gary Supeau knows that you don’t have to look too far to find sources. When traveling internationally for work, he picked up many sources by word-of-mouth. “You hear a lot just by traveling. I’ve picked up many names at airports. There is also an institute that helps to supply and check the names of manufacturing sources abroad,” says Gary Supeau.

For the most part, Gary Supeau has worked as a sourcing procurement logistics manager. Since 1989, when Gary Supeau made his first trip to the Far East, Gary Supeau’s sourcing trips took him to countries in Asia, Europe, and the Dominican Republic.