When state Sen. Sam Zamarripa won his seat in the Georgia General Assembly in 2002, he went in with an open mind and a commitment to volunteerism.

A successful businessman and managing partner in Heritage Capital Advisors LLC, Zamarripa, D-Atlanta, didn't want to be a lifelong politician, but he did want to bring his own experiences as a businessman, volunteer and Mexican-American to the state's political mix.

On April 12, Zamarripa announced his plans to step down and focus his efforts on his business.

Looking back on his term, Zamarripa views his public service as timely. What became Senate Bill 529, laws to address illegal immigrants working in the state, incited Hispanic rallies 40,000 strong, sit-ins at the Capital and divisive debate statewide.

Among the rhetoric, Zamarripa's voice routinely rose to the surface with a mix of unrelenting conviction and preference for moderate discussion. Despite their legal status, immigrants should be treated with humanity and given social services, he said. Immigration is a federal, not a state issue, he said. Hard work should be respected, he added.

The words come from his own history. Zamarripa's father was of Mexican descent, but also a decorated patriot and career military man; he's now buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

"I felt very lucky to be a part of the discussion," Zamarripa said. "I think one of the most dangerous things about the immigration debate is that it became extreme on all sides, and I have never felt that was constructive, especially when it relates to taking away from the humanity of people that come here to work. I wanted to moderate that."

Zamarripa now says he wants to concentrate on building partnerships between China and Georgia businesses.

"I'm a globalist," Zamarripa said. "I'm a person that is very interested in the competitive environment that we live in and I want my state and my country to be a winner. So I am going to work on things that make us a winner."

To accomplish that goal, Zamarripa plans to work closely with the Georgia China Alliance (GCA), a nonprofit group he helped create in 2003. He wants to build relationships with Chinese investors and companies. He wants to take trips to China to meet with companies and look for opportunities to bring international business to Atlanta, or take Georgia businesses to China.

"The Chinese aren't going to take all the currency in the world and aggregate it in China," Zamarripa said. "Just like any other business group, they are going to diversify their holdings and spread their distribution and manufacturing globally so they can survive the ups and downs of the economy."

This month, Zamarripa and the GCA will court Wusheng Chen, president of the Chinese companies Zhejiang Dongzheng Electrical Co. Ltd. and General Protecht Group, with a reception at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Chen was named one of China's top 10 entrepreneurs in 2005 and Zamarripa is working with him to bring new investment into the state.

Zamarripa also plans to work closely with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) in its efforts to build on the state's trade relationships with China. Following a scouting trip earlier this year, Georgia is considering opening an office in China, said Bert Brantley, spokesman for the GDEcD.

"It's a tremendous market for us," Brantley said. "All of our major Georgia companies -- UPS, Coke, Home Depot -- are investing more in China, and we think that its big enough that we need to explore great opportunities for the state to draw investments."

Brantley also said that help from business people like Zamarripa is critical to Georgia's success in luring foreign investors.

"We have to rely on our business community to tell us what their experiences are and how we can help," Brantley said.