Portal East reaches out to Visayas market

Portal East opens Cebu showroom—Top uPVC doors and windows manufacturer Portal East, Inc. expands its reach to the Visayas-Mindanao region by opening its very first showroom located along A.S. Fortuna Road in Mandaue, Cebu recently. The showroom was created by Portal East, Inc., a leader in terms of innovation in creating a better view for homes and businesses by designing, testing, manufacturing quality uPVC windows and doors for new construction, remodeling and replacement applications, in order for its Cebu- and Mindanao-based clients to better appreciate what Portal East’s products can do for them in terms of their windows and doors requirements. Shown in photo are (from left) Ralph Tanco, General Manager of Portal East, Inc.; Dannie Lim, one of the top furniture exporters in Cebu; Ingrid Santamaria, one of the Top 10 most influential women in Cebu; Haidee Ong from Golden Highway Distributors, a partner of Portal East, Inc. in the Visayas-Mindanao area; and Lester Ong, also from Golden Highway Distributors, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the formal opening of the showroom.www.portaleast.com

Portal East, Inc., distributor of quality uPVC windows and doors in the Philippines, is opening its Visayas showroom at a two-storey commercial building along A. S. Fortuna Street in Cebu City to reach out to the local market.

The 50-square meter showroom will showcase Portal East’s top-notch uPVC windows and doors. With this showroom, the company will reach a wider base of customers who require quality uPVC windows and doors for their homes or offices.

Ralph Tanco, Portal East Inc.’s Marketing Manager, says that construction for the new showroom started in July and is slated to open by November 25, 2011.

The showroom will feature Portal East’s line of uPVC windows and doors. The showroom has a sitting area where Portal East customer service representatives can assess the needs of their clients. Tanco says the area will be cozy and have the same relaxed and homey atmosphere as in their showrooms in Valenzuela and at their plant in Caloocan. Even the showroom’s signage has been designed to attract the attention and curiosity of prospective clients.

He says Cebu was chosen for the Visayas showroom because of its strategic location in the Visayas-Mindanao region. He said there are plans to expand in the Davao City area within the next two years.

“We will see first how the Cebu showroom will fare before we look at opening showrooms in other areas,” he explains.

Tanco is optimistic the Cebu market will boost the firm’s success. “We are confident that our portfolio of products and their sculptured designs will suit the unique taste of Cebuanos for their homes,” he says.

With its foray in the Visayan region, customers in the area will experience the Portal East brand of customer service. “Part of our reputation was spread through word-of-mouth,” he says. “With our presence in Cebu, we hope to spread the word about our company, our quality products that offer them safety, security and privacy, and the kind of no-nonsense customer service we provide.”

Since it started nine years ago, Portal East Inc. has serviced more than 2,000 clients, mostly residential clients who comprise 70 percent of its market. Its product have caught the attention of many high-profile consumers who value the kind of innovative designs that is the hallmark of its lines of uPVC windows and doors.

The company is also looking into the possibility of opening within the next two years additional showrooms in the Luzon area, particularly in Tuguegarao City.

Portal East is an affiliate of Dalian Shide of China, a multi-billion-dollar global building materials company based in the People’s Republic of China that exports to major countries in North America, Europe and Asia. For details, contact Portal East via sales@portaleast.comor visit its Website at www.portaleast.com.

The Watch to Watch Out!

Suplado is the new sexy.This catchphrase is inscribed on the Suplado Watch, Stanley Chi’s exclusive timepiece from UniSilver Time. No, it’s not just some silly slogan. Or maybe it is – and therein lies its appeal.

Suplado Tips, Stanley Chi’s most recent book, has sold thousands of copies in less than three months. As the book continued to exceed expectations, corporate giant UniSilver Time knew better than to shrug it off as a mere fad. UniSilver Time came out with a watch that just might become as iconic as the book that inspired it: the Suplado Watch by Stanley Chi. The Suplado Watch is a digital timepiece available in black and white, with the tagline “Suplado is the new sexy” stamped on the strap.

To match the brazen humor of the timepiece, the ad poster shows local celebrity Iya Villania chasing after Stanley Chi, apparently made irresistible by his Suplado Watch.

The many retorts in Chi’s book, Suplado Tips, show off an unapologetic candor that is relatable yet funny, making suplado the new “it” thing. Being suplado (roughly translated as “standoffish”) has become an unorthodox trend in Philippine pop culture. It dares to stand on the edge of convention, a way to vent frustrations by walking away from what would have been a compromising situation, with one’s head still held high.

Because of the success of Suplado Tips, the country’s pop culture watch birds soon took notice. Spot.ph, a top online news provider in the Philippines, lauded Chi as an unconventional hottie. To quote, “Stanley's hot factor recently jumped from being simply nerdy college-boy crush to sexy hard-to-get hottie when he started dishing out Suplado Tips that apparently drive Pinays wild.” FHM, one of the country’s leading men’s magazines, also featured and depicted a few of the suplado tips from Chi’s book. Undeniably newsworthy, Chi’s iconic book was then featured in Yahoo! Philippines.

Chi’s suplado campaign is arguably the most sellable concept to grace the Philippine market this year. People who want a copy of Chi’s book often find themselves empty-handed; despite being available at all National Bookstore outlets nationwide, Suplado Tips is usually sold out. And if everybody starts wearing the Suplado watch, it will come as no surprise. 

As Chi says with pride, “Daig ng suplado ang gwapo(Suplado beats being handsome).” Owning a Suplado Watch is then a way for a suplado to show off without saying a word. Who knows? It may even have special powers to ward off bullies and other evil spirits. The Suplado Watch by Stanley Chi is now available at unisilvertime.com and all UniSilver Time stores nationwide. 

For more suplado stuff, visit http://www.stanleychi.net. 

* This article was written by fellow bloger Stef dela Cruz

Stellar opens new facility

Mr. Edmund Macaso, CEO of Stellar Philippines, Inc

Stellar Philippines, one of the country’s fastest-rising and progressive business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, opened its newest facility located in Quezon City.

The formal opening of the new Stellar Philippines facility at the 24^thFloor, MDC 100 Building, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City, one of the newest and most modern buildings in the area, is part of the company’s commitment to expand further its presence in the country and also serves as a strong testament to its successful operations for the past several years.

“Being in a new location has its challenges but we are confident that with Stellar’s management and operational philosophy, we can overcome these challenges and will help us push forward to more fruitful years for the company,” declares Mr. Edmundo Macaso, Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Philippines during the opening.

The decision to open its newest facility in one of the country’s most strategic BPO sites, the Eastwood City CyberPark, was very significant, Mr. Macaso said, since the location boasts of state-of-the-art power and telecommunications facilities, the two most important factors BPO locators look for to ensure seamless operations.

“Our former location in Cubao served us well in terms of awareness among those looking for a career in the BPO industry. Now, with this new location, we are convinced that we would be able to attract even more quality talents who are willing to be part of this burgeoning industry,” adds Mr. Macaso.

Aside from power and telecommunications, the new facility in Libis is also at the center of an area that provides all amenities and necessities of life like food, recreation, nature, fitness, entertainment, and other exciting features to provide the facility an even more conducive work environment.

In the Philippines, Stellar employs more than close to 2,000 agents in its  two facilities. For next year, Mr. Macaso said they plan to hire an additional  1,000 agents as part of its expansion.

“We value our people’s work that is why we made sure that with this new facility, the quality of work by our agents, their level of expertise and of course, the overall work culture of fun and excitement, remain intact. We pride ourselves for being the global experts in customer relationship and interaction management and in delivering excellent results, and we intend to keep it that way.”

The opening of the new Stellar Philippines facility saw the company’s top executives and management personnel in full attendance, and was even made more significant with the presence of its special guest, Undersecretary Cristino Panlilio of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other government officials.

Stellar is a leading global provider of call center and BPO solutions. It operates outsourcing centers around the world manned by more than 5,000 employees that collectively manage over 300 million customer interactions and 100 million transaction processes annually.