Gary Young received his Bachelor of Science from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. After gaining a real-world education serving in leadership capacities for various companies, Mr. Young launched his own company, Vela Productions, in 1984 which specialized in educational publishing. He then launched a second company in 1988, Ad Lib, a boutique advertising agency.

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Mr. Young operated both ventures separately, until merging the two in 1996 to create a full-service advertising agency called Avela Corporation. The name derives from the “A” in Ad Lib followed by “Vela,” the name of his first business. Avela Corp.

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When Mr. Young visited China in 2002, he had no idea that the visit would change the course of his life and the direction of his company. Captivated by the Chinese culture and the country’s business dynamic, Young transformed Avela Corporation from an ad agency to a company that would source products and services for his existing ad-agency customer base. Since then, his list of clientele has grown tremendously, as has his knowledge of and appreciation of China, its people, and its customs.

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Mr. Young is married with three adult sons, all of whom are electrical engineers. He is a member of Vistage International; enjoys dividing time between his home bases of Houston, Texas, and Shanghai; is a seasoned world traveler, and is an avid reader of science and technology literature.