Today we’d like to introduce you to Gilles Vanpoucke.
Hi Gilles, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started my career in the banking industry in Belgium where I was born. But I quickly pursued a career in the industry I like most: Architecture and Design. In 2010, I became Export Manager within Europe for a Belgium-based manufacturer of high-end building materials and in 2012 I started their North American subsidiary from the ground up. This company grew to become a market leader in North America with a local production facility in Dallas, TX and a showroom in Manhattan, NY.
Learning from this experience, I started GVP Global Advisor in 2016, a company which helps European businesses to start up in North America and vice versa.
By advising these companies who are new to the market, we save them a lot of time, energy, frustration and money!
With GVP Global Advisor we want to help as much companies as possible who want to explore to do business in North America or Europea with a focus on companies that are affiliated with the Architecture and Design industry.
As the owner of GVP Global Advisor, I’m also involved in various Belgium-American Chambers of Commerce, I’m on the board of the newly formed BelWest and an Ambassador for Belcham,
With my wife, May Kim, I also started a sock brand which helps dogs in need, with every purchase we donate a portion to a local pet organization, Fritz ‘n Chewy Apparel Company allowed us to combine their love for dogs and design apparel.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Starting up the subsidiary for the Belgium company was definitely a challenge. The American market is completely different than the European market and it’s very difficult to convince people in Europe about the fact that a different approach is necessary and that they can’t just copy and paste their European way of working. An example is customer service, which is much more important in the USA compared to Europe.
When I started the subsidiary in 2012 we didn’t have anybody to guide us or to assist us in our start-up, I wish I could talk to myself back in 2012 with the knowledge I have today. It would have saved a lot of time, energy, frustration and money.
Therefore I started GVP Global advisor to offer my service, experience and knowledge to European companies who want to start up in North America or vice versa so they don’t have to waste the time and money anymore.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
GVP Global Advisor is your North American (or European) Start-Up Partner! We specialize in assisting European companies who want to start up in North America or vice versa. We can offer a wide variety of services from brainstorm sessions to marketing assistance and from Business Development to setting up meetings with potential partners in a certain area.
Any big plans?
As our expertise is in the Architecture and Design industry, I would love to start a community with people like me who have experience in doing business in both North America and Europe but are specialists in other industries. This way GVP Global Advisor can help more types of companies moving forward.
Together with BelWest and BelCham I also want to promote Belgium as a design country more in North America. A lot of amazing high-end design products come out of Belgium but those companies should join forces to put Belgium as a design country on the map more! The products are there in Belgium, but now these brands should be proud to be Belgian and work together. Hopefully, one-day people will link Belgium to design and architecture products rather than only chocolate and beer.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Picture 1: Gilles Vanpoucke, owner GVP Global advisor Picture 2: The Board of BelWest including the Consul General of Belgium to Los Angeles, Gunther Sleeuwagen and Consul General of Luxembourg in San Francisco Daniel Da Cruz. Picture 3: Gilles Vanpoucke and May Kim promoting Fritz and Chewy Apparel Company. With every sock purchase they donate to dogs in need! Picture 4: Belwest, the Belgium-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce serving thirteen western US states based out of Los Angeles. Picture 5: Belcham: the Belgium/American Chamber of commerce based out of New York.
