John Ray, president of Heritage Capital Advisors LLC and Craig Lesser, managing director of international government affairs division of law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, have been elected to the board of the Georgia China Alliance.

Mr. Ray was instrumental in helping to bring a $30 million investment to Barnesville from Shanghai-based electrical component manufacturer, General Protecht. Heritage Capital is an advising and investment firm that assists companies in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and private placement of equity and debt capital.

Mr. Lesser is the former commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. He has visited China on a number of occasions meeting with senior-level business and government officials.

In his role as commissioner, he was instrumental in getting Kia Motors Group to invest in West Point and since starting at McKenna Long has kept up his relationships in Korea, where Kia is based.
He recently attended the 50th anniversary gala of the Korean Society held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York where he spoke with Korea-born U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The Georgia China Alliance works to build business, political and cultural relations between China and Georgia. One of its main goals is to bring a Chinese Consulate General to Atlanta.

The alliance was founded by former state senator Sam Zamarripa.