MANAGEMENT TEAM CORPORATE
Ben zhang
Ben Zhang is company founder and CEO. Ben brings decades of international trade and business expertise to Greater Pacific as the company continues to be a top 50 supplier and “Best Places to Work” in the Advertising Specialty Industry. Greater Pacific has additional sales offices in Philadelphia, and San Diego, and a sourcing office in Shanghai, China.
Ben has earned many awards during his career, including both the University of Washington Foster School of Business “Asian Business Leadership” Award as well as City University’s Global Innovator Award for multi-cultural businesses. Most recently the Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council recognized Greater Pacific as “Supplier of the Year” and Ben was awarded the prestigious John A. Gilmore award for minority business advocacy. He serves as a member of the US-China Business Council and is a board member of the Washington State China Relations Council.
He supports many philanthropical endeavors both with his time and financial resources in communities crossing both sides of the Pacific.
Originally from Jiangsu China, Ben holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Washington, an MBA from Cornell University, and OPM from the Harvard Business School.
In his spare time, he enjoys a casual round of golf, his favorite sport and is a member of Aldarra Golf Club in Washington where he carries a 6 handicap.
Mel cutter
Mel is Greater Pacific’s Human Resource Manager. He has been with Greater Pacific since 1996 and was its first employee. Mel has filled many management positions within Greater Pacific during the company's history. He has extensive experience on both the import and production side of operations to compliment his sales background. Mel is a graduate of the University of Washington TMP Management Program, where he also received his BA in Human Resource Management.
Mark St. Peter
Mark St. Peter has been with Greater Pacific since 1997 and managed the marketing team since 2008. He has an MBA from Seattle University. He remarks, “Greater Pacific is a unique company in our industry. We don’t have a catalog as we are 100% a custom shop. Our goal is to partner with our clients to create a unique product solution that is custom and specific to the end user. “This leads to reorders, higher margins, and long-term relationships. This is our core value principal. All marketing and client interaction is about communicating this value and making hero’s out of our clients in the eyes of their customers.
Paul McNabb
Logistics Manager, Paul McNabb, has been with Greater Pacific since 2000. He coordinates all aspects of supply chain transportation from manufacture port to domestic door delivery. This includes selecting and vetting carriers, negotiating rates, booking most efficient, cost-effective routes, coordinating the customs process, and scheduling all inbound and outbound shipments.
Jason Freilinger
As COO of Greater Pacific, Jason Freilinger is a seasoned financial leader with over 25 years of experience in finance, operations, and business development. As a co-founder and managing director, he has successfully built and led a business consulting and outsourced accounting firm, specializing in strategic growth, cash flow management, and system implementations. Jason has played key roles in acquisitions, business transformations, collaborative company culture, and financial leadership across multiple industries. A University of Washington graduate, he brings expertise in financial strategy and operational excellence. Outside of work, he enjoys boating, running, and traveling with his family.
Jun Liu
Jun Liu is Senior Production Manager, overseeing all production operations domestically and abroad. Jun has extensive experience in supply chain management, production methodology, and is charged with ensuring efficient and timely delivery of all projects, meeting quality standards, budget constraints, and striving to exceed client expectations.
Terence Yip
Global Sourcing Manager, Terence Yip, is a trilingual business leader fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, with over 20 years of experience in international trade, specializing in import and export. Having traveled, lived, and worked across Asia, Europe, and North America, he brings a truly global perspective to sourcing, supply chain management, and product development. He holds both an MBA and a Master of Science from the University of Denver. Terence’s expertise spans the full product lifecycle, from concept and design through manufacturing, distribution, and retail/online execution. With more than two decades of direct collaboration with factories across Asia, he is recognized for his strong negotiation skills, seamless project execution, and proven ability to deliver innovative consumer products to market.
GREATER PACIFIC EAST
GREATER PACIFIC SOUTH
Chris DiEgidio
Chris started in an entry-level Sales Support position at a Philadelphia-based wholesale apparel supplier in 2011. It wasn’t long before he decided he wanted to spend the rest of his career in Promo. In 2019, a desire to work for a family-owned business with greater focus on creativity led to Chris joining Greater Pacific East as an Import Executive. Chris calls this the best decision of his professional life.
Since being named GPE’s Director of Sales in 2023, Chris balances his time between servicing his own customers, and helping to recruit, train, and mentor the growing GPE sales team.
A life-long resident of the Philadelphia area, Chris is married and lives in South Jersey where he volunteers as a youth baseball and basketball coach. He and his wife enjoy pool and beach days with the family, golf, and live music.
Chris Ritchie
Chris has been with Geater Pacific since 2006 and has held many roles with the company including Sales Executive and Sales Manager. In 2012 Greater Pacific expanded into Southern California. We call this Greater Pacific South (GPS). Chris has been General Manager of this satellite office since day one.
Chris brings a client-centric focus, “I was working very closely with a local client of ours, and I would work out of their office one to two days per week. The synergy and communication that we had together was much better than we were having with other clients, so I wanted to duplicate that in other markets and GPS was born. Our business is service-driven, so if we can operate close to our clients, we offer even more of what our competitors can’t.”
OVERSEAS OPERATIONS
jim zhang
Jim Zhang manages Greater Pacific’s Shanghai office. He manages all staff, coordinates and reviews all product inspections, and constantly strives to raise standards of our manufacturing partners. Jim's role has him leading the corporate inspection team, setting protocols, scheduling QC inspections, troubleshooting problem inspections, and communicating results. As Greater Pacific broadens our manufacturing base into Cambodia, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, and beyond, Jim manages the production operations in these countries as well.