Going/Growing Global

Call it the law of unintended consequences.  You're a rapid-growth local food company.  You build out your market in concentric circles.  Local...regional...national.  But one day...boom.  You're selling into the military.  Where are their end-users?  Iraq.  Afghanistan.  You've got to drop-ship into Dubai.  Congratulations!  You're now a global company. 

How do you execute on the opportunity?  Hire someone in Dubai to oversee?  Pay a premium to an international broker?  Is there a stateside supply-chain/logistics who does it all from here?  You quickly have to know what questions to ask.  Having an Advisory Board with broad reach and expertise makes a material difference to help you navigate the decision tree -- profitably. 

We're living in an interdependent, connected 24/7 world.  And despite the worldwide economic downturn, globalism is not dead, according to Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.  This was discussed at the daylong inaurural conference of the new O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom at SMU Cox, where I spoke on the panel, Accessing Global Talent.

The statistics are not cheery.  We're experiencing historical drops in global trade.  Sales and shipments of both durable and intermediate goods are down.  A particularly visual datapoint relates to overcapacity and slack in cargo.  Currently, there are 178,000 freight cars sitting unused.  Picture an empty train 2,900 miles long, stretching almost end-to-end across the U.S.

Fisher's soundbite of the day warned against the danger of protectionism.  ''It is, quite frankly, the crack cocaine of economics.  It may provide politicians with a temporary high, yet it is instantly addictive and inevitably proves debilitive and fatal."

But Fisher encourages us to take heart. He notes that Americans are inherently capitalistic and thrive on competition.

Thomas Falk, chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark, validated the continuing importance of global markets with his lieutenants overseeing China and Russia in tow.  Targeting global customers is critical to growth.  But the key to extend , target and capture worldwide market share is to learn the quirks and minutiae of local customers, which means understanding local culture, which in itself is evolving and changing with globalization.

The competitive roadmap is different for each geography.  China has 150 brands of disposable diapers.  Russia has six.  Distribution channels are even more complex.  There is no one rule/approach for global expansion.  It's not a mass-market approach, but a custom fit.  It's all local, local, local.

That means cutting through bureaucratic red tape and finding the most welcoming and efficient locales for new plants.  It means gearing up for rapid growth in China, where the best and brightest employees seek companies that can deliver 40% annual growth and a robust future career path.  10% is measly.  You have to enter the market with a big plan and commitment.

In the early gold rush to put down stakes in China, American and European companies have been competing with each other for local talent there.  Today, the big competition is with Chinese national companies which are raising the ante in compensation packages, promises for growth and patriotic prestige. 

Later in the day, Rich Templeton, chairman, president and CEO of Texas Instruments delivered an ''ah hah'' moment regarding the global aspect of their corporate DNA.  The company was founded by entrepreneurs in the oil services business -- early global road warriors with customers, relationships and a business view that was far more far-reaching than less-traveled domestic counterparts.   When I met my husband, a deepwater subsea engineering expert, he had the most exotic range of passport stamps of anyone I had ever known! 

TI was early to expand into postwar Europe in the 1950s,  Japan in the 1960s, Asia in the 1960-70s and India in the 1980s.  Today, 88% of revenue ships outside of U.S.

The company embraces the global marketplace as an opportunity not a threat.  "We do not know borders,"
he explains. 

Talent also has no boundaries, so TI casts a wide global net to target the top engineers/designers in each locale.  Their historical global presence also put them close to global customers, solving unique problems and tapping in to emerging innovations at a very early stage.  Products are developed by multi-country design teams.  Templeton touts that TI stock provides a way to invest in global markets. 

So how does Dallas fit into the picture?  As a global business nexus, opines Fisher -- with confirming statistics on the Ascension of DFW presented by O'Neil Center director Michael Cox, former chief economist at the Dallas Fed. 

With brain power, transportation, favorable cost-of-living, entrepreneurial spirit, DFW is a location to which global talent is easily willing to relocate.  The local area has grown from a scant 3,000 in the 1870 census to a burgeoning population of 6 million -- now the fourth largest metropolitan area in the U.S.  Despite an unavoidable impact from the global recession, the North Texas area still has the lowest rate of unemployment anywhere in the country, except the home of the federal government -- Washington, D.C. 

"But that's not a real city," quipped Cox.

Scott Smith, VP of staffing at AT&T, laid out an incredible, multi-media machine being built for recruitment of the 30,000 people the company targets hiring annually as it expands into new markets and replaces waves of BabyBoomers preparing for retirement.  It is a massive and impressive initiative!

For other companies fighting for the same talent pool, executive search firms like mine will continue to offer a similar, aggressive, multi-tentacled, high-tech, high-touch reach into the global talent market that the Davids of the hiring world will need to compete with the Goliaths of the Fortune 100.

Like the Marines, we're ready...we're prepared.  Bring it on!

What Will Change Everything?

What ignites a civilization?

A magic combination of ideas and implementation.  People with the belief that boundaries can be removed and extended. Hope and fervor for something better. Ways to look beyond the borders and limitations of our day-to-day existence. Innovations and practicalities that determine whether people will be surviving, thriving -- or dying.   

It's the basic premise of TED, the global showcase for ideas that make a difference -- with a focus on  Technology, Entertainment, Design and other disciplines. 

This intellectual extravaganza came to town last weekend in the form of TEDxSMU, sponsored by the
Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at SMU with underwriting and support from an array of other believers in progress and improvement for the human condition.  Right here in Dallas!

It was a one-day intense and power-packed schedule of inspiring presentations and performances by the people making things happen -- meted out in 18 minute multi-media talks and 3 minute riffs. Definitely a  boatload of content -- staggering in breadth, hop-scotching from topic to topic and quite headspinning to take it all in.

We sat transfixed at the fast-moving panorama that included: 

• Getting out of the box to explore aerial views of the world (investor Bobby Haas), the ocean below (David Gallo) and outer space  (Anousheh Ansari).
• An impressive bootstrap initiative to survive, based on dire need, scrap materials and a library book (William Kamkwamba)
• Enterprising teachers seeking ways to make the classroom more meaningful with first-hand research and field work that could be replicated locally (Aaron Reedy)
• Engineering as a peacemaking tool to rebuild wartorn damage (Jeff Talley )
• New paradigms in architecture (Joshua Prince-Ramus) 
• A 12-year old home-schooled piano prodigy (Lewis Warren)

And this is just a teaspoon of what we devoured!

The theme was brilliant -- how smart and savvy engineering can change the world.  The timing was perfect -- against the backdrop of the AT&T Performing Arts Center grand opening activities.  The speakers, topics and visuals were captivating. 

But click back into the real world and there a piece of our regional technology infrastructure that needs attention. 
Monday headlines in The Wall Street Journal gave a jolt -- reporting the wind-down of venture capital firms co-located in the 16th Floor at Two Galleria Tower, long the corridor of start-up investment starpower.  The regional VCs -- with roots funding spinouts from TI, Rockwell, et. al. in the 1980s -- are being hard hit by the downturn and lack of IPO market.  "Dallas is an entrepreneurial city, but it won't be driven by venture capital going forward," said Dan Owen of HO2 fund.   He acceded that the pure venture capital model is really thriving in just Silicon Valley and Boston.

Tuesday brought another stun:  "Next to nothing ventured" in the print version of Dallas Morning News on the amount of money raised by Texas-based venture capital funds in the third quarter.  The amount was truly zero, compared to $1.6 billion raised by a total of 17 U.S. funds in the same period.  The first quarter was also a no-show for Texas, compared to $4.81 billion raised by funds elsewhere in the U.S.

A concern, as venture capital is the rocket fuel for new job creation and future propulsion.  It's an important ingredient for economic develoment and general robustness, something we all want.   

Flash back to TEDxSMU.  There was a U.S. Presidential podium onstage as the program opened.  Would we be greeted by Obama or George W?  Wrong.  It was a TED moment of wow.  The conference leaders had tracked down and commandeered the actual podium where John F.Kennedy declared that we would enter the space race and land a man on the moon!

That far-reaching vision of JFK triggered the imagination of thousands of inventors and masses of ambitious aspirants to move beyond their current reality and reach into a new beyond.  People moved away from hometowns and nuclear families, migrating to new opportunity pockets.  Second-generation Americans achieved the dreams of their immigrant grandparents by pursuing college educations.  The creative output resulted in products that have changed the way we live, work, travel and communicate.  Politics aside, Kennedy tapped the enterprising spirit of an entire generation.

Thus, the timing of TEDxSMU is prescient.

We need to keep encouraging innovation jump starts.  Maybe a new way to support start-up companies to replace the diminishing pool of local venture capital money.   Combine that with a string of new corporate relocations to follow AT&T's excellent decision to locate here.  Not to mention the Super Bowl and other strategic initiatives. 

Bravo to Dean Geoffrey Orsak and Sharon Lyle, TEDxSMU program director,for the vision and execution.  What a great building block and element of momentum to ensure we are on the path for growth in both the near and distant future.  Encore!

Delicious Dietary Detox

We were plunged into the world of healthy vegetarian eating this summer, due to the metabolic statistics of a certain tall, handsome member of the family.  My husband's triglycerides had skyrocketed.  Blood sugar and cholesterol were problematic.  See earlier post on importance of Reversing the Risk.

I thought we were eating healthy, Mediterranean style.  But with some Googling and nutritional counsel, I learned otherwise, based on the challenge at hand.  I had to re-engineer a way of cooking, eating and provisioning to get the metabolics in line.  Then, we could moderate.   

Here's what had to be subtracted from the menu:  The "whites"-- refined white sugar, flour, pasta, potatoes and rice.  Corn products.  High-fat cheese.  Meats -- including those favorite Italian sausages, proscuitto, pepperoni. Fats, except for extra virgin olive oil. Fruit juices.  Processed foods and condiments w/ sugar and white flours.  Ice cream, crackers and cookies, needless to say.  Eggs were permitted in small amounts, preferably egg whites.

A daunting challenge, to say the least.  Where does one start?

First, you have to purge the pantry.  Remove all of the forbidden foods. Then you have to scrutinize the ingredients of what remains.  Sugar was lurking unexpectedly in many items.  Move on to the refrigerator and freezer.

My goal was to meet the dietary restrictions -- with an array of delicious, flavorful, new and exciting menu items.

Here's what to add for the healthy eating arsenal: 

• Fresh herbs make a difference.  We have bay leaves, rosemary, scallions and basil in a little kitchen garden.  Then, stock up on an array of spices, peppers and natural broth cubes. 
• Add some exotic rices.  Brown, wild, red/mahogany and pre-mixed blends for variety.  The Texmati brand is excellent and the whole grain Royal Blend is outstanding featuring brown and wild rice with soft wheat and rye. 
• Next, add more variety with grains.  Organic pearled barley is clean-tasting, light and will quickly make you forget your passion for pasta.  Farro is a new discovery, an ancient form of wheat popular in Italy.  More robust texture than barley.  Quinoa is also showing up in many stores and is popular with gluten-free eaters.
• Loving legumes is also important to the veggiemania program.   Here are my favorites:  Italian cannellini beans, black beans, red beans, black-eyed peas, cream peas.  The fresh peas will bring tears to your eyes, they are so tender, tasty and sweet.  Preparing dried beans is not as hard as you might think.  Canned beans are always a fall-back.   
• Whole wheat pasta is next on the shopping list.  I like the 100% durum whole organic farro found in Italian specialty stores or grocery departments.
• You will go very light on the breads and you will read the labels for only whole wheat/whole grain ingredients.  Purchase whole wheat and buckwheat flours for the pantry.  
• Thank goodness we were still allowed to have favorite salts and varietals:  Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt, Profumo del Chianti (from Dario Cecchini, Tuscany's most famous butcher!), Fleur de sel de Camarugue, Maldon sea salt, Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning, and Spike all natural seasoning.  All in moderation, but why not have a variety?  
• Stock up on extra virgin olive oil and seek out a selection of flavorful vinegars:  red wine, Balsamic, white wine/tarragon, red wine/rosemary, etc. 
• Varieties of peppers and onions will form an intriguing backdrop in any recipe, so you will be using a variety of leeks, shallots, as well as white, yellow, red and green onions.  
• Fresh is always best, but natural, canned staples are good back-ups.  All natural diced tomatoes, plus fire-roasted, whole San Marzano Italian and Rotel.  Hatch peeled green chiles.  Prepared, natural chicken and vegetable broths. 
• Scope some short-cut hearty soup kits, where you add your own veggies and liquids.  Bean Cuisine White Bean Provencal and Island Black Bean Soup are excellent.
• Breakfast cereals can be sugar-free, shredded wheat and/or steel-cut oatmeals.
• Fruits are important.  Sweet potatoes are allowed!  Nuts and olives for snacking.
• Monitor and moderate alcohol intake.  Sparkling water on weekdays, La dolce vita/vino on weekends!  Canada Dry Diet Ginger Ale is a favorite staple.
• You will be shopping on a frequent basis for fruits and vegetables that are in season.  Build your meals around that.
• Small amounts of seafood were permitted in the dietary detox phase -- 3 oz per week!  Now that we are in mode of maintaining, moderate amounts of lean chicken, pork and beef may be added.  (Sustainable food expert Brian Cummings http://www.eatgreendfw.com/ sends a reminder to seek out grassfed meats!)  

OK.  Now that you have your munitions, how do you deploy?

Planning ahead is important.  Tasty vegetarian dishes have layers of flavors to make them appealing.  That means lots of chopping of onions, garlic and other ingredients.  Beans and grains take time to cook.  Starting from scratch every evening for dinner is not the way to go.  Too overwhelming and time-consuming!

I do a lot of cooking on the weekends so there will be tasty inventory for the week.  Always a bean thing for heft and protein.  And other fun entrees that will be good as leftovers.  Then, all you have to do is add some steamed vegetables and a salad.  Voila! Instant wonderful!     

To rebuild your recipe repertoire, go through your existing cookbooks that feature the flavors and cuisines you like.  There might not be a huge volume of recipes that are a perfect fit with this regimen, but you'll find some that will work.  This way, you will be eating things that are comforting and familiar to your palate, rather than an icky-what-is-this jolt.

Then, start surfing the Internet for recipes and cookbooks that sound appealing to you, based on ingredients that you like and vegetables that are in season.  

You can still use favorite carnivore recipes.  But instead of using meat as a main ingredient, use it as a flavoring.  For chili, I use 1/4 lb. of lean ground beef instead of 1 lb. + an extra can of beans.  Same with a Hoppin' John recipe that uses sausage.  Drain the meat after browning.  You get the familiar flavor of something you love, but only a tiny bit of the meat.  

I never thought I would be writing about food on this blog, but friends and colleagues are all asking for the recipes that we've been trying and tweaking.  Loss of weight is a favorable by-product of the regime.  And, most importantly, the effort delivered an impressive correction in metabolic stats after only 4 weeks!  

There's no downside to adding healthy items to your routine.    Then, when you eat out, you can splurge a bit.  I'll share specific recipes in subsequent posts.

(Disclosure:  My husband is the key focus of this dietary drill.  I am on a moderate version, but still enjoying some of my personal must-haves, including cheese, crackers, a little lunch bag of crunchy Cheetos, doses of desserts, meats, etc.)