Holland AI entrepreneur Charles Elwood says he still feels thrilled about his participation in a recent trade mission to the Philippines and Indonesia that marked business and personal milestones.
The trip included meetings with high-ranking officials and opportunities to explore groundbreaking international projects, as well as a chance to connect more deeply with his Thai heritage.
"I applied for the U.S. Commercial Services trade mission, and out of 70 applicants, only 12 companies were selected," Elwood says. "It was an honor to go on this mission with Commerce Under Secretary Marisa Lago from the International Trade Administration. I couldn’t believe it.”
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Courtesy Charles ElwoodHolland AI entrepreneur Charles Elwood and George Aquino, President of Ayayaland Hotels and Resorts having Halo Halo dessert at the Peninsula Hotel in Manila.
He says a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation helped fund the trip.
Elwood is a Microsoft AI MVP and the founder of SolisMatica, which collaborates with Fortune 500 leaders such as Johnson Controls, Delphi, and GE Appliances. The Holland tech startup focuses on advancing manufacturing, health care, and education by leveraging AI to extract insights from internal data.
Building family ties
His journey marked milestones in his business and personal lives. It began in Bangkok, where Elwood met his mother, a Thailand native who was making her annual monthlong visit to her homeland from Montana, where she and Elwood’s father live.
Elwood’s mother first came to the United States to attend college in South Dakota. She met Elwood’s father there, and Elwood was born in Rapid City. Under Thai law at the time, Elwood was not eligible for Thai citizenship. His mother helped him apply for dual citizenship during their November visit.
"Landing in Thailand, meeting my mother and extended family, and completing the process to officially become a dual citizen of Thailand and the U.S. was an incredible experience," Elwood says.
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Courtesy Charles ElwoodCharles Elwood is half Thai and has made many pilgrimages to his mother's homeland.
Elwood arrived in Bangkok on Nov. 6. After a week of family time and networking in Thailand, he traveled to Manila to formally join the trade mission on Nov. 12, followed by a quick trip to the Indonesian province of Bali. He continued to the capital city of Jakarta, visited Balikpapan on Nov. 19, and went to Nusantara on Nov. 20 to explore opportunities in Indonesia’s future capital. He returned to Los Angeles on Nov. 21.
While in Manila, Elwood reconnected with George Aquino, a former Grand Rapids hospitality executive and current head of Ayala Land Hotels, the largest hotel group in the Philippines.
"We attended a reception at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, but George was more excited to show me around Manila with his favorite hotels, a Thai restaurant, and a traditional Filipino dessert called halo-halo," Elwood says. "It was a reminder of how small the world can feel when you meet familiar faces halfway across the globe."
Rare experiences
The trip was not without challenges. While heading to Bali, an erupting volcano grounded all flights.
"The embassy staff worked around the clock to reschedule everything," Elwood says. "By the next day, the ash cloud cleared, and we were able to fly in. It was an adventure with volcanoes, trade talks, and navigating unexpected surprises."
In Jakarta, Elwood visited Indonesia’s future capital, Nusantara, which is under construction.
"Driving through the jungle for over an hour, we suddenly saw skyscrapers and cranes emerging from the trees," says Elwood, who lived in the country during his childhood. "It’s incredible to witness a country building an entirely new capital city from scratch. Walking onto the lawn of the presidential palace with my colleagues, two of them started singing the Indonesian national anthem. That moment gave me chills. It was such a proud and emotional experience for everyone involved."
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Courtesy Charles ElwoodHolland entrepreneur Charles Elwood’s trade mission to Southeast Asia sparks collaborations in AI, health, and antibiotic resistance research.
Solving global challenges
Elwood says his participation in the trade mission has already resulted in several international projects. One, involving the Ministry of Research in Indonesia, focuses on wastewater testing for antibiotic resistance. He is working with the Holland-based company AquoraRC, founded by Hope College professors Aaron Best and Brent Krueger, to build the islands’ capacity for disease detection and antibiotic logistics.
"Indonesia has unique challenges because it’s an archipelago with different resistance patterns on each island," Elwood says.
Another initiative involves the Ministry of Health in Indonesia, which is exploring how AI can optimize food distribution in remote islands.
"Hope College is also interested in this, so we’re planning a feasibility study to explore how AI can optimize their supply chains," Elwood says. "It’s amazing to think about how technology developed here can help people on the other side of the world."
While in the Philippines, Elwood met with people working on the country’s Genome Project. It’s designed to use AI to gain insights into antibiotic resistance and COVID-19 variants.
"It’s exciting to see how these projects are branching out into multiple areas of research and public health," he says.
Elwood says he’s drawn to the projects because of the collaborative spirit they foster between those countries and the work being done in Holland and at Hope College.
"Seeing the dedication of local experts and being able to connect them with resources here in Michigan is incredibly fulfilling," he says. "This trip was about more than business. It was about building bridges between communities, using technology to solve global challenges, and creating a better future."