Tinian businessman expands to Saipan with over $2M investment

A Chinese investor who has been doing business in the Northern Marianas for a decade celebrated last Saturday the grand opening of additional businesses for his company.

Huang Shun Corp. officially opened to the public the Sunshine Garden apartment/hotel complex, Home Décor, and U-Save Supermarket II—all located behind the Marianas Business Plaza where an old garment factory used to be.

The project is estimated at more than $2 million. A laundromat and a poker arcade are expected to open soon, according to company president Huang Yu Ren.

Huang led hundreds of community members and some government officials in the grand opening Saturday that featured performances by the High Pitch Band, Te’ivi Maori Polynesian dance group, a lion dance, a delicious banquet, the lighting of firecrackers, and a fireworks show that lasted several minutes.

Huang Shun Corp. initially opened its doors in the Commonwealth on Tinian in 2002, with several businesses that included a supermarket, restaurant, beauty shop, a nightclub, farm, a laundromat, and poker room.

Huang, who first came to the CNMI in 1997, said that business has been slow on the island south of Saipan for some time now so he decided to expand to the Commonwealth’s capital.

He said the well-appointed apartment/hotel complex is a cozy yet affordable place to stay for Tinian and Rota residents who visit Saipan. The home décor and supermarket establishments, meanwhile, cater not just to guests but also to the public.

Huang noted, though, that he will still continue to operate his businesses on Tinian.

“I’m confident about the business on Saipan because otherwise, I won’t put that amount of investment. So I hope the economy of the CNMI will start to pick up in the near future,” Huang told Saipan Tribune through a translator.

A native of Fijian province who has previously stayed in Japan, Huang heads the family-run business that employs some 50 workers.

According to Huang, investors like him need the assistance of the government through policies that he hopes would create a “good and business-friendly environment.”

“In the future, I hope a lot of lawmakers would create positive policies to encourage more investors to come to the CNMI and help their businesses succeed,” he said. “They should treat all investors the same and I hope this positive attitude will continue.”

Huang emphasized the need for the government to exert efforts to give foreign investors a chance to improve their immigration status. He said this gesture would help these investors to stay and even put additional investments in their businesses.

“We like it here because the environment is clean and the people are very friendly. It’s very important to raise this immigration concern to improve the investors’ status so they can stay and put more investments which would help boost the economy,” he said.

Huang also expressed hope that the local government will continue to be friendly and help investors in expanding their businesses. “If they succeed, it will be a good example for other business people so they will also come to the CNMI and establish their business. Therefore, it will help the local economy,” he added.

Tinian Mayor Ramon M. Dela Cruz, who attended Saturday’s event, congratulated Huang for the successful grand opening and commended him for his vision and commitment to help the economic situation of the Northern Marianas.

“During this economic downturn, it’s always very exciting when we see investors like Mr. Huang develop something like this,” he said.

Dela Cruz pointed out that with the economic woes in the Commonwealth, the local government should give tax breaks as an incentive to investors such as Huang, encouraging them to venture into more businesses on Saipan, Tinian, and even Rota.

“His intuition, innovative ideas, and aggressiveness is going to spell success for his company and I congratulate him,” added the mayor.