Our Team and Our Experience

Management Team

Daniel B. Turgel, Director of Business Development

Before his return to the US in June of 2007, Dan had resided and worked in China for six years and is fluent in Mandarin.  His diverse background has taken him from the Foreign Investment Promotion Bureau in Qingdao to WMH Sourcing to his current post as Director of Business Development for Kane Venture Group.  Mr. Turgel has a B.A. in Chinese and Russian studies from The Ohio State University, and is fluent in Mandarin.  He currently resides in Boston and graduated with an MBA from the Wharton School in May 2010.

Isaac Epstein, Director of China Operations

Born and raised in Cleveland, Isaac has spent the majority of the last 8 years in China studying Chinese, working, and now operating Kane's management team in Shanghai.  Before coming over to Kane, Isaac worked for four years at a compressor and gearbox factory in China.  Isaac was a lead design and systems engineer for some the most challenging product developments.  Isaac traveled throughout the Yangtze Delta to qualify and work with factories, often spending weeks at the factory.  His strong leadership and meticulous work ethic are just the right combination for China-based management.  Isaac received his bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University.  He is fluent in Mandarin and currently resides in Shanghai.

Kimberly Kirkendall, CPA, Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Kim has worked in China and the United States for over 20 years, moving to Beijing, China in 1986 to attend university, then working in Shanghai (with factories in Changshu) in the mid-1980s before any of the present road infrastructure linking the major cities of the Yangtze River Delta region were in place. With her background in Manufacturing and Supply Chain management, Kim is an accomplished consultant to small and large businesses alike working in China.  She also serves as a conference organizer, a public accountant, and a keynote speaker. She is truly a trailblazer in China and her clients and the general China business community has a deep respect for her. She is currently head of Office Outsource, a consultancy based in Cleveland Ohio that helps US-based businesses improve their China operations through mentoring programs that include training, quality control, manufacturing, sourcing, and human resources oversight. She is also Director of the China Resource Network, a national China Business Network for companies that have been operating in China for a substantial amount of time which holds conferences in Cleveland twice a year. Kim is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated from The Ohio State University; she currently resides outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

James Wei, China Marketing, Research and Government Relations

Born and raised in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, Jianbo has been working a world-renowned market research firm for nearly 2 years. Prior to that, Jianbo worked at Warner Bros. Consulting Services Shanghai for two years as a manager in their International Television department.  Jianbo's knowledge and skills in China government, banking, marketing, and market research fields enable him to lead Kane's practices in these areas.  Jianbo has an MBA degree from The Ohio State University, and is fluent in English and Mandarin.  He currently resides in Shanghai.

Summer Liu Xia, China Sourcing and Logistics

Liu Xia is from Anhui province and a graduate of the Xi'an Pedagological Institute in downtown Xi'an and is fluent in English and Mandarin.   She has worked in the research department of WAT Property, the sourcing department for Bristol Associates Company in Shanghai, the sourcing department in ACelli office goods, and most recently as the China sourcing manager for DecoPro, a distributor of wholesale fine curtains.   Summer's addition to the Kane group brings a wealth of sourcing and factory qualifying experience.  She has worked with many of the major fabric groups, including: nylon, fleece, knits, and woven. Ms. Liu has received an MBA from Jiaotong University and has a B.A. in Business English from Xi'an University; she is fluent in Mandarin and English.  She currently resides in Shanghai.

Simon Yang, China Manufacturing and Purchasing  

Simon is also from Anhui province.  He has led the purchasing department for a major gearbox manufacturer in China, since 2004. Prior to this, he worked as an engineer for the world's #2 elevator manufacturer, Kone Elevators.  Simon's addition to the Kane group brings a unique vision and perspective.   Mr. Yang has a B.S. in Mechanical Manufacturing from the China Textile University, and is fluent in Mandarin and English.  He currently resides in Shanghai.

Advisory Board

Michael J. Turgel, CPA, Finance and Accounting

Michael is a Senior Credit Analyst in the Bank Loan Group at Eaton Vance Management, a mutual fund company in Boston, Massachusetts. In this capacity, he is responsible for the day-to-day management of a $2 billion portfolio of senior secured bank loans. Prior to his current position, Michael worked as an audit professional at Deloitte in Boston where he was responsible for overseeing the audits of a wide array of companies. Prior to attending graduate school, Michael served as the SEC Reporting Analyst for Boston Communications Group, Inc, a telecommunications service provider. His responsibilities there included composition of quarterly and annual reports as well as implementation of various accounting standards in order to ensure compliance with GAAP. Michael earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license while with Deloitte and has completed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam. Michael earned his Bachelor's of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his Master's in Business Administration, with specializations in Finance and Economics, from New York University's Stern School of Business. He and his family currently reside in Boston.

Roger Young, China M&A, Plastics & Rubber Consulting, Engineering

Roger Young is a well known personna in the plastics and rubber world. Having worked at Dow Plastics for 20 years, he is one of a very select group of plastic industry executives to have ever won "Man of the Year" from the Society of the Plastics Industry. He brings a totally unique analytical perspective to our group formed from years as a new product development and commercialization director, combined with his eventual role as a resarch scientist at Dow - a truly rare combination in a professional. For the last ten years, he has operated the Asia Pacific practice of Robert Eller Associates as a Vice President, where he has built up a very impressive cast of clients ranging from major multinational corporations to private equity groups to government ministries. He travels throughout the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Oceania technically and commercially advising companies,  and performing due diligence for multi-billion dollar investments in the plastics and rubbers industries. He is widely regarded as one of China's top plastics consultants. Roger graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and currently resides in New Zealand.