Thunderbird Magazine, Volume 52, Number 3 1999

              THUNDERBIRD, THE AMERICAN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT • VOLUME S2, NUMBER 3, 1999
C 0 \ . E H S T () HIE S
2 BomtoRisk
Global entrepreneurism presents
increasing opportunities, and risks,
and T-birds can't wait to tackle them.
7 COVER STORY
Class Assigrnnent
Yields Millions
Sam Garvin '88 will gross $400 million
this year with a company whose busi­ness
plan he wrote in an entrepreneur­ship
class at Thunderbird.
8 Entrepreneurship
Chilean Style
A dynamic duo smoothes market entry
for companies expanding into Chile,
Argentina, and Brazil.
On the cover: Sam Garvin '88 turned
an entrepreneurship class project into
a $400 million company.
FE .\TI · HES
9 HOT PIZZA AND AN ICY COKE
How pub nights and hard work prepared
Lance McInnes '80 for an international
marketing manager spot with Coca-Cola
10 IT'S THE REAL THING
A Coca-Colatrhunderbird partnership is
a refreshing passport to the world.
12 INTERNSHIPS:
THE ULTIMATE WIN-WIN
What U.S. labor shortage? Alumni are
tapping T-bird interns to help with three­to
nine-month corporate projects.
14 SURVIVING A HURRICANE
Jason Green '96 had the perfect job until
Hurricane Mitch raged through. Then
swvival became a top priority.
26 T-BIRD ON THE SPOT
How niche programs in Exec. Ed. can
enhance your career.
40 GLOBAL BUSINESS FORUMS
Re-establishing relationships and
strengthening the T-bird brand go hand­in-
hand in Latin America-and beyond.
D E P.\ H T ~I E \ T S
16 EYES AROUND THE WORLD
Bringing Peace to Colombia:
For Colombian Ambassador
Luis Moreno '77, international
incidents are just part of the
challenge.
22 LETTER FROM ELSEWHERE
BuryingKingHussein:~wis
Lucke '77 shows how Jordan and
world leaders grieve for a
beloved late president.
18 CAMPUS NEWS
28 NETWORK NEWS
29 HOMECOMING
30 UPDATES
Real World 101
Winterim programs provide important value-add
One group met with the President of Paraguay.
Another saw Fidel Castro. Still others witnessed vast
riches or stark poverty. All got a firsthand look at real
world issues while participating in Thunderbird's
three-week Wmterim program.
Wmterim was strategically designed to provide a short intro­duction
to specific topics or regions that students might wish to
pursue. This year's program included 32 courses, ranging from
the Automobile Industry to Environmental Management, and
attracted 460----0r approximately one-third-of the School's stu­dents.
Some courses met on-site at one of Thunderbird's Ari­zona,
French Geneva or Japan facilities. Others took students to
Washington D.C. or one of more than 18 other countries, where
they met with prominent
business or political leaders,
and sometimes got job or
internship offers.
"Each year our students
have the opportunity to visit
with CEOs, organizations,
and various business leaders
through Winterim," says Dr.
Olufemi Babarinde, a profes­sor
of International Studies
who led last winter's South
Africa trip.
POWER BROKERS
with several other Chileans, studied under economist Milton
Friedman at the University of Chicago. The group, known as the
Chicago Boys, then returned to Chile in the 70s to help revive its
slumping economy. He openly discussed that group's control
over the country's economic affairs at a time when former
Chilean leader Pinochet was in power.
TIME WARP
Students from this year's Cuba program saw Fidel Castro
and Colombia's President Andres Pastrana while leaving a pre­sentation
at the University of Havana. "It was interesting to
hear the stark contradictions between what people said to us
in private and what we were told at the university about the
government," said Iqdia Antippas '99. She saw the impact of
Cuba's economic and politi­cal
policies firsthand while
roaming Havana's time
warped streets, which were
filled with 1940s and 50s
cars and long food lines.
In South Africa, that meant
receiving a red carpet recep­tion
at the world's largest
platinum mine, being escor­ted
through the high security
mine, and seeing the entire
mineral extraction process. On the Para­guay,
Uruguay, and Argentina trip, it meant
Bernard Olsen '47 poses with his sons and
Winterim class members he chanced upon at
While deprivation was
what struck Cuba's Wmterim
students, Wall Street trip
goers were awestruck by the
sight of $90 billion worth of
gold bullion at New York's
Federal Reserve Bank.
"Standing in a room filled
with that much money and
actually holding a 24-pound
gold brick is quite amazing,"
said Dr. Phil Drake, a profes­sor
of World Business at
Thunderbird. But, he added,
discussing economic strategies with Eva Peron's grave in Argentina. "We were on a
the real excitement came later, when stu­dents
got stock scoops from investment
consultant Vince Farrell before he
appeared on the NASDAQ television
screen to share them with the world.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Paraguay's President Raul Cubas Grau- memory trip after the death of my wife, and it
and being featured on the evening news. was a welcome surprise to see someone from
That program also included a trip to Acon- Thunderbird. Meeting them was a kind of
cagua, the highest point in the Western Homecoming for me, one that brought back
Hemisphere, as well as a visit to Eva many great memories." Olsen was a member
Kenya trip students got tips of another
type. They looked at local business and
finance programs, but also took time to
explore community development and
Peron's grave-where students happened of the first class to graduate from Thunderbird.
upon pioneer T-bird, Bernard Olsen, '47,
and his family. In Washington D.C., it meant a private one-hour
meeting with former secretary of state Lawrence Eagleberger.
In Lebanon, the Beirut-Riyadh Bank so valued the T-bird visit
that it underwrote costs for the entire Lebanon portion of the
trip, which was organized by Dr. Issa Peters. Peters was inter­viewed
on local television. His group met with His Excellency
Anwar E I-Khalil , Lebanese Minister of Information and
Displaced Persons. EI-Khalil is the father of current T-bird stu­dent
Naji EI-Khalil. The EI-Khalil family helped obtain the
Beirut-Riyadh Bank sponsorship.
Although this Wmterim's ChilelPeru program didn't include a
visit with Peru's President FtUimori, as past ones have, students
did meet former Finance Minister Dr. Ralf Luders. Luders, along
environmental work. "Community development is an important
dimension of the seminar which includes visits to the Undugu
SOciety, an organization which works with community projects
in local Nairobi slums," said Dr. John Conklin, a professor of
International Political Economy and an avid environmentalist.
"Students learn that community development issues also
extend to the national parks where a major concern is that local
villagers benefit from the presence of the parks. Without local
benefit the future of the parks is problematic."
Thunderbird's Wmterim program is an optional, three-credit­hour,
value-added experience that in many ways epitomizes the
true value of Thunderbird. Courses have been actively
expanded and enhanced in recent years. - Tina Ashamalla
Hdng through the sleepy back roads of Bali, Indonesia, Rob Prescott '94 looks
like any student tourist. He wears a bulging backpack, seems drawn to local
markets, and stops frequently to chat with passers-by. But Prescott is not a
tourist; he is a businessman exploring production opportunities.
Rob and his wife Donna own Young­Colors,
an upscale children's clothing
business whose unique materials and
clothing are Bali-made. The couple dis­covered
Bali while working for another
family's eight store, 54-employee toy and
clothing business on Guam. Post-employ­ment,
they commenced a year-long Asian
backpack trip, and found themselves
drawn back to both the Balinese people
and Indonesia's ancient Batik cloth design
process. That process involves hand­stamping
custom-made designs onto cloth
with hot wax, then dipping that cloth in
dye, followed by hot water to remove the
wax, then sun drying.
Bob Courtney keeps smiling
despite a 50 percent Russian
ruble devaluation.
THUNDERBIRD 52 I 3 I 1999
Eventually, the couple
realized that they could
bring truly unique colors and
material designs to the U. S.
children's clothing market­but
that doing so would
mean frequent trips to Bali.
"Out of sight is
out of mind in
Kong and helped us
make lots of contacts. It
also taught us a great
deal about letters of
credit, importing, and
marketing." Prescott
added that he makes it
a point to meet with
other T-birds and
attend First Tuesdays
everywhere he goes.
Still, contacts alone
can't guarantee suc­cess.
Prescott suggests
that entrepreneurial
T-birds take Professor
"Out of sight is out of
mind in Asia, so to be suc­cessful
there you have to
really get to know the people
and build relationships."
Prescott credits his firm's
early success to two factors:
Asia, so to be
successful there
you have to really
get to know the
people and build
relationships. "
First, he and Donna spent
six months in Asia last year,
ROB PREscon
and second, they employ an Asian-style,
highly-personal approach to busi­ness
when in the United States.
Their one-year-old company sells
in 17 states and is already in the
black.
"When you're an entrepreneur,
you're an entrepreneur. It doesn't
matter what country you pursue,"
Prescott explained. "What does
matter is having vision and know­ing
the skill set of languages and
how to deal with people from
other cultures, plus having con­tacts,"
That, he said, was the true
value of Thunderbird.
"In fact, I got my Guam job because of a
friend in T-bird's Entrepreneur Club, and
that job sent us on buying trips to Hong
Johnson's entrepreneurship classes, lots
of finance and Professor Gottlieb's
ImporUExport class that teaches the A to
Zs of things like insurance, buying agents,
and documentation for every country.
"And, if there is any class at Thunder­bird
that would have prepared us for the
sudden currency fluctuation we faced
early on in Indonesia, where we were lit­erally
on the computer checking ex­change
rates hourly and agonizing over
exactly when to write contracts so they
wouldn't be worthless, I wish I'd taken it!"
Prescott exclaimed. Today, YoungColors
protects itself by writing contracts in U.S.
dollars. The company also chooses to
write those contracts so that they protect
its manufacturer and buying agents in
case the local currency devalues.
Entrepreneurial T-birds
Tackle Worldwide Challenges
Learning the Hard Way
Robert Courtney '88 can personally
relate to currency devaluation night­mares.
Both he and his Moscow-based
U.S. Dental Care business went in to big­time
crisis mode last August 17. That's
when the Russian ruble devalued by more
than 50 percent-and kept falling.
"Our revenues dropped almost 50 per­cent
over night; then because of continu­ing
devaluation, we literally lost money
every hour we operated. It became virtu­ally
impossible to exchange rubles for dol­lars
to buy imported dental supplies. The
banking system froze and we could barely
receive or make
bank transfers, Rob and Donna
which are the main Prescott manufacture
form of payment in Indonesia using an
ancient Batik cloth
here. There was no playbook in which to
look up what to do and it scared me to
death."
So, Courtney summoned his best cross­cultural
communication skills, lessons
learned in entrepreneurship class at
Thunderbird, and his 18 years of experi­ence
in law, international business, and
running a business.
"We had to take extreme measures to
cut costs and begin recapturing business. »
He laid off staff, convinced the rest to take
voluntary pay cuts of up to 25 percent,
renegotiated rent and security contracts,
and established an American business
consortium that worked together to sur­vive.
By December, life had returned to
relative normal with one key exception:
30 percent of the expatriate community
had left Moscow during the crisis, and
Russia's high income ranks had been dras­tically
reduced. Four-year-old U.S. Dental
Care had catered almost exclusively to
those two groups.
"I can tell you there's no better motiva­tor
than FEAR, regardless of which coun­try
you're in: Fear of failing, fear of losing
money, fear offalling behind, fear of com­petition,
fear of being wrong, fear of bank­ruptcy.
Fear is the best motivation to
innovate.» And innovation, unfortunately,
is Courtney's biggest cultural challenge as
an entrepreneur in Russia
"Innovation is a skill we're having to
THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
teach our Russian staff," he said, "since
most Russians of working age were
brought up in a time when they were
taught not to innovate, not to be proac­tive,
not to think for themselves, and not
to take responsibility for their actions." So
far, he added, the results have been
encouraging. Courtney is also exploring
expansion opportunities in Budapest,
Hungary, and Baku, Azerbaijan.
Very New Concepts
Innovation and entrepreneurship are
also issues in other cultures where they
are new concepts. Perhaps the toughest
challenges occur when both the country
and the budding entrepreneur are new to
such concepts. That's the dual challenge
facing Mikako Inamasu '91 in Japan and
Arif Sablan '97 in Turkey.
"We have very, very few successful
entrepreneurs in Japan," Inamasu
explained. "We still don't have the right
supporting environment for them, cultur­ally,
mentally,
and financially.
4
Mikako Inamasu (right. with
Dr. Herberger) helps prepare the
growing number of Japanese
companies and people shifting
toward free enterprise.
THUNDERBIRD 52 I 3 I 1999
In fact, our society still relies primarily on
big, long-established companies in many
ways."
The daughter of a well-positioned
bureaucrat in the telecommunications
ministry, Inamasu believes that a latent
entrepreneurial spirit is what brought her
to Thunderbird. "I never liked bureau­cracy
with its 'don't see, don't hear, don't
speak' philosophy where
Arif Sahlan (right)
wants to expand his
family's business in
Turkey. Here he
helps current
student Humberto
Faraco who was in
Turkey researching
an InterAd project.
to compete. "I think 'Intrapreneur' is the
first step for Japan's business society to
gradually appreciate entrepreneurs," she
explained. She said large companies, like
F't\jitsu, Ricoh, and NTT data, have begun
introducing 'venture systems,' where
company employees with new ideas are
set up in skunk-works type groups to
develop them. "These people will have
change is avoided at all
costs. I realized I needed
management consulting
skills." Luckily, a class­mate
at the University of
Hawaii clued her in to
Thunderbird.
"I think
more initial opportunities
than entrepreneurs here in
Japan."
'Intrapreneur' is
the first step for
Japan's business
Entrepreneurship oppor­tunities
may be even more
limited in Turkey, where
interest rates and inflation
are well over 100 percent,
unemployment is over 12
percent, and imports out­number
exports almost two
to one. Arif SaWan wants to
try. SaWan's family has run
a wholesale furniture com­pany
in Turkey since 1968,
"First of all, Business
Ethics at Thunderbird was
a very eye-opening class
for me; we didn't have that
type of program in Japan­ese
schools at the time.
Second, I learned how to
society to grad­ually
appreciate
entrepreneurs. "
MIKAKO INAMASU
self-analyze, to do a strategic analysis for
myself. Most of all, I got to know and com­municate
with people from around the
world-and that is one of the strengths I
bring to my business."
Inamasu's business is Human Resour­ces
Institute eHRI) , a Tokyo-based part­nership
that has been doing equal parts
strategic management and marketing as
well as training and education for the last
six years. A third sideline, systematic self­education
via technology, is in develop­ment.
Inamasu sees Japan edging ever closer
to a real free market economy, especially
as the baby-boomer generation starts to
retire. Her company helps train workers
selling primarily to office furniture retail­ers,
construction companies, banks, hos­pitals,
and government. Sahlan is now
considering branching out; he's looking to
start a furniture-manufacturing sideline.
"Here in Turkey, the production system
is the key to successfully distributing your
products. My challenge will be to set up
the production system which will enable
us to offer more models and colors than
the competition, lower delivery times, and
of course, provide a higher quality prod­uct
and service."
Since SaWan didn't take Thunderbird's
entrepreneurship class that teaches stu­dents
how to research and write a thor­ough
business plan, he's now faced with
making an important business decision
with very real-life consequences, without
any prior experience. For T-bird alumni
with relevant expertise who want to share
their insights, here are some of the pro­ject's
major pros and cons.
Pros: Connections are very important
in Turkey and Sahlan's family is well­known
in business circles.
Mierzwa obeyed, joining a group that
established Central Europe Trust, the first
management consulting company in that
region. Six years later, he left to co-found
Concordia, his own investment bank.
"Paul Johnson showed me how to orga­nize
a business, get my ideas in order,
check out the competition, and make cer-tain
that I am on budget,"
The company has more
than 30 years of experi­ence.
It has a well-estab­lished
client base. The
company would be expand­ing
into a related line of
business, one step back in
the supply chain. Turkey
has significant raw wood
materials. Unemployment
is almost 13 percent, so
craftsmen should be avail-
"I can tell you
there's no better
motivator than
FEAR, regardless
of which country
you're in., .Fear is
the best motiva-able.
Sahlan feels that his tl' on to fin' ovate," family offers hon~sty, qual-
Mierzwa explained.
Those skills are critical in
his investment banking
work; they also help him
run his own business.
"Basically, it's not the
form the business takes
that's most important, it
is the idea itself. If you
have a product or service
you think clients will buy,
you must make certain
that you have all it takes
to succeed. It might be a
ity, and good prices in a ROBERT COURTNEY foreign partner with
country that is hungry for
all of those. If successful with this new
venture, Sahlan feels that he would even­tually
improve both profit margins and
customer service.
Cons: Establishing a manufacturing
facility would require a significant, long­term
investment at a time when Turkey's
inflation and interest rates are over 100
percent per year. Turkey has a substantial
trade deficit. Sahlan has had difficulty
locating good marketing and competitive
data on the Turkish home and office furni­ture
market, so he's not entirely sure how
much market share and margin he could
gain, given the high interest and unem­ployment
rates. Although Sahlan feels that
Thunderbird gave him solid marketing,
finance, and culture skills, neither he
know how, access to cap­ital,
or more people like yourself."
According to Mierzwa, entrepreneur­ship
takes the same form the world over.
"First you have to convince everybody
around you that you are right. Then you
have to motivate them to do the job. So
they become part of the idea themselves.
Finally, you have to manage their expecta­tions
and not let them get carried away."
He adds that you must also offer clients
your undivided attention, dare to discuss
and counter their ideas, and stay up-to­date
about competition, new products,
and major trends. Information, he says, is
the ultimate business edge.
"Information used to be limited to the
privileged few," he says. But thanks to the
nor his family members have much Annette Cazenave says
importJ export experience should local friends are critical
the company decide to sell some of when doing due diligence
internet, cellular phones
and other new technolo-its
manufactured furniture in other
lands.
in countries that don't have
SEC-type reporting
Thus, Sahlan faces a dilemma standards.
that's shared by many small busi- ......................... .
ness owners and entrepreneurs.
Leveraging Your Resources
A native of pre-open-market Poland,
Andrzej Mierzwa '87 began creating
businesses in grammar school, so he
understands Sahlan's desire and dilemma
"When Poland opened up to the world, my
boss at Booz.Allen told me that I had to
take my business skills and knowledge
back to help others in my home country."
Guiding Risk Takers
tunderbird entrepreneurship
professor Paul Johnson insists that
entrepreneurship can't be taught, just
nurtured, adding that Thunderbird
just seems to attract more than its fair
share of risk takers . • A very high
percentage of T-bird students fit the
entrepreneur profile, • he said. "After
all, how many other people would
leave family, friends, and often, their
countries, to attend a small school in
the Glendale desert? These aren't
people who play it safe. They're
entrepreneurs-not just in the sense
that they own a business--but
because they tend to be natural
leaders, more self-confident, and
have tenacity and drive.·
Johnson is Thunderbird's acknowl­edged
entrepreneur guru, having
developed and taught a series of
hands-on and extremely demanding
entrepreneurship classes that students
love to hate. Heavy on case studies­and
workload-those classes teach
students how to do everything from
evaluating and valuing existing busi­nesses,
to writing businesses plans
that detail things down to the profit
margin level, to structuring legal and
managerial formats, to filing for
bankruptcy, if necessary.
"Some of the business plans done
here are better than any I ever got as
a bank CEO," Johnson said. "People
from outside the school who have us
write plans for them would pay up to
$20,000 for the quality work these
students do."
Johnson says he mainly teaches
enterprising students how to establish
businesses and identify pitfalls so that
they will have already done every­thing
they'll need to start and run
their own business when that latent
entrepreneurial bug hits them at age
30 to 35.
Paul Johnson may be reached at (602)
978-7607 or johnsonp@t-bird.edu
THUNDERBIRD 52 13 1 1999
gies, Mierzwa can sit in his Paris apart­ment,
hooked in to his Warsaw office
LAN, receive a phone calion his Polish
number-which he has rerouted to
France, do a conference call with col­leagues
in Warsaw and London, and print
out a document at his Warsaw office for
speedy client delivery.
While information and technology may
be the secret of a successful European
investment banking business, Annette
Cazenave '79 says that long-term rela­tionships,
trust and service are the most
important success factors in Latin Amer­ica.
In her case, they were critical in help­ing
her attract some of her former firm's
key clients when she started her own
business. That business, six-year-old Sky­lark
Partners, Inc., provides financial con­sulting,
international marketing, and
investment services to institutional
clients.
"I was managing a British firm's North
and South American operations when the
company decided to increase its bureau­cracy.
Suddenly we were writing reports
instead of meeting with clients and doing
work." The daughter of a U.S. State
Department Foreign Service Officer, Caze-
THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
Andrzej Mierzwa's
investment bank helps
companies in his native
Poland compete in
the free market
economy.
nave said she grew up in Latin America
and she has been doing business there for
20 years. "Unlike the U.S., which has the
Security and Exchange Commission,
Latin America doesn't have any such regu-lation,"
she said. "So, outside companies
seeking references or needing due dili­gence
work done may run in to Latin
Americans who don't respond or who
don't want to get involved." Cazenave, by
contrast, said she can call on long-term,
backdoor contacts to get a full back­ground.
"I felt as if somebody had set up Thun­derbird
just for me," she said. "It taught
me the culture and skill set I needed to
dive in a whole lot faster than anyone else
who just showed up down here." Breaking
into Latin America, she said, is often diffi­cult.
Relationships take a very long time
to build. "There's a market perception that
'bigger is better,' so it's often tough going
for a small entrepreneur. But once you've
earned that trust, people are very, very
loyal."
The current Thunderbird Alumni
Association (TAA) Board President, Caze­nave
remains very involved in Thunder­bird.
As such, she offers some heartfelt
final advice for budding T-bird entrepre­neurs.
"Pick a business you've really
known, loved and worked in, then still
read everything you can fmd on capital
flows and competitors. Figure out your
start-up cash, then double it! And, don't
ever think you'll get to a point in your
career where you stop making mistakes.
When they happen, learn from them so
that your mistakes become less frequent,
less costly, and easier to fix. "
Her final advice? "No matter how many
times life knocks you down, have the
tenacity to get back up. That's a whole lot
easier to do if you surround yourself with
the supportive and knowledgeable friends
you already have in Thunderbird's 31,000-
strong alumni network. " •
Class Assignment Yields Millions
Classy Alumnus Gives $1 Million-plus Back to Thunderbird
e'll gross $400 million this
year in a company whose
business plan he wrote for a
class at Thunderbird. Now
he has given $1 million-plus
back, as a tribute to both the School and
his cherished father-who had initially
challenged his choice of attending Thun­derbird
instead of Wharton, where both
that father and grandfather had gone.
"I wrote the business plan for my com­pany,
Continental Promotion Group, in
Paul Johnson's entrepreneurship class,"
explained Sam Garvin '88. "I think I had
named it something different, but every­thing
else I did with this company came
directly from that plan." Today, Garvin is
committed to helping other
enterprising Thunderbirds.
"Thunderbird just natu­rally
attracts a dispropor­tionately
large number of
risk takers. Then, it helps to
mold them, using 'real world'
experiences and providing
the background, analysis
skills and street smarts they
need for success," Garvin
said. The tripartite business,
language, and culture cur­riculum
complete the skills
package. I
"In my opinion, analysis
skills were one of the most
important things I learned at
Thunderbird. As a business
leader, you always have 100 needs. You
need to know how to figure out what to
do flrst, then second." Garvin said that
many of the 20 to 30 graduates and interns
who join his company each year need bet­ter
'where the rubber meets the road'
skills in analysis. He hopes his investment
helps improve that labor pool.
"I credit Paul Johnson with teaching me
how to analyze effectively. He has both
great practical experience and an infec­tious
enthusiasm for his field that rubs off
on his students. " That is why Garvin asked
that Johnson be appointed to the first dis­tinguished
professorship in global entre­preneurship.
"Sam Garvin is more driven then most.
He's also takes extremely good care of
customers and believes that you have to
spend money to make it," Johnson said.
"He doesn't just want to expand Thunder­bird's
entrepreneurship curriculum. He
wants to make Thunderbird the estab­lished
leader in the field of global entre­preneurial
studies. "
Johnson said Garvin's gift will help
Thunderbird attract new entrepreneurship
support staff and faculty. He plans to bring
in major speakers, build a special section
in the library for entrepreneurs, and also
hopes to eventually establish both a busi-
Sam Garvin (center) and his wife Rita are
honored at a donor recognition dinner by
Dr. Herberger, Board of Trustees Chair Cyrus
F. Freidheim Jr. and Professor Paul Johnson.
he learned padcaged martetlng
from the ground up. He graduated
from Thunderbird in 1988, having spe­cialized
in marketing, then did a short
stint at a promotion fulfillment firm
before starting Continental Promo­tions
Group out of the trunk of his car.
Sam Garvin may be reached at
aprilv@cpginc.com
ness incubator for new businesses and a
Thunderbird venture capital program.
"My investment was only seed money;
it's not enough to do nearly everything we
plan. That's why we've also recruited
alumni and business advisors for the ini­tiative,"
Garvin said. "We're going to have
to actively go after sizable donations from
other people and companies in order to
reach our final goal within ten years."
Garvin admitted that his biggest profes­sional
challenge has been a lack of strate­gic
planning time. "The old forest for the
tree thing," he said. "I mean, at first it was
just me working out of my trunk and try­ing
to survive, then we just sort of dou­bled
revenue every year to become this
$400 million company
that's in 20 countries."
Garvin credits his T-bird­honed
analysis skills, and
German language and cul­ture
training with helping
him foresee just how much
the advent of the European
Union (EU) and euro
would benefit his business.
That business processes
rebates, coupons and other
mail-in promotions for
major manufacturers.
"Before the EU, global
companies like, say Micro­soft,
faced the cumbersome
challenge of launching 15
different promotional cam­paigns
in 15 different languages and with
20 different banks and currencies. Soon,
11 of every 15 rebate checks I write will
be in euros. That makes everything much
more cost effective and just plain easier."
According to Garvin, Continental Pro­motion
is one of the top two companies in
its industry, and yet it only has about three
percent of market share. Which means, he
said, that growth potential is almost unlim­ited
since most major manufacturers are
just beginning to outsource. Continental
Promotion is preparing for those opportu­nities
by expanding into Asia and looking
at acquiring an Australian company.
"Then, with one phone call from a corpo­rate
product manager," he said. "We can
pretty much launch a promotion program
globally." •
THUNDERBIRD 52 / 3 / 1999
PHOFILES
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHILEAN STYLE
U Puente Sur Ltda helps companies bridge into Latin America
nlike in the movies, the road to ideas for the domestic economy, which is said, when you're struggling fmancially
riches isn't always paved in gold. In fact, what we've spent most of our time trying and your friends have more and bigger
for most entrepreneurs, it's not paved at to do," according to Walker. "For instance, toys, or you're using your best problem
all. Not to mention the fact that the road we have about a dozen U.S.-based compa- solving skills simply figuring out how to
less traveled can have pot holes that make nies that we represent in Chile," Sickler meet payroll. "Then you make some small
jumbo jets look small. added. "These well-known companies advance, like being able to hire another
So say James (Tripp) Sickler '95 and import millions of dollars of product each employee, start actually having money in
Nick Walker '98, owners of Puente Sur year, rent warehouse space, sell to clients the bank, or land a big client who had
Ltda. "Southern Bridge" in Chile. Their throughout the country, promote their used a major firm. And you realize that
five-year-old company provides market products, produce monthly financial you could actually sleep in on Monday if
research, sales and business develop- statements and sales analyses, and are you wanted to."
ment, company formation, product repre- growing rapidly-all with no employees!" "So many people say that if only they'd
sentation, franchise development, and That's because Puente Sur legally estab- invested in Chile 10 years ago, they
accounting and administrative services. lished these companies, which it then wouldn't be eating this cheap lunch with
Puente Sur has already helped more than administers on behalf of a U.S.-based par- me today," Walker added. "I think in Chile,
100 companies, mostly U.S.-based, estab- ent company. and in many other markets in South
lish Argentinean, Chilean and/or Brazilian Despite their successful track record, America for that matter, they'll still be say-presences.
It also targets local firms that Sickler and Walker warn that being entre- ing the same thing 10 years from I}OW. "
want help in exporting. preneurial isn't always easy. Walker, who actually left Thunderbird
"The good news about Chile is that the "Sometimes being the owner of a small to help found Puente Sur, returned last
country's legal framework is well-estab- business is like being that student who summer to take the Competitive Intelli-lished,
foreign investors receive the same studies weekends preparing for a big test gence and International Marketing Man-treatment
as local ones, inflation is low, while your friends are out having fun," agement classes he needed to better
the economy is growing-albeit more Sickler began. "You sometimes question position Puente Sur and finish his degree.
slowly this year than last, privatization is the benefit of your sacrifices." Like, he He sees especially strong opportunities for
continuing, telecommunications are environmentally based businesses
excellent, and foreign companies are that specialize in air quality control,
continuing to invest," Sickler said. recycling, alternative energy, natural
"The bad news is that people tend to gas, sewage control, and
say yes when they mean no, corre- water treatment.
spondence must be delivered in per- Prior to attending Thun-son,
payment terms are rarely derbird, Walker earned a
adhered to, and Chileans tend to BA in economics from the
move less quickly and have less fol- University of Chicago. He
low through than Americans expect." had worked as an editor
"Chile is a very entrepreneurial for Morningstar, as an
country, filled with small businesses equity and macroeconomic
and lots of people having to do silly analyst for Citicorp Chile,
things to keep pace with GDP and as a legal assistant at a
growth," Walker explained. For law firm. Sickler holds a
instance, the Chilean 'loro' who BA and MBA from the
stand on street corners, clipboards in University of Arizona He has worked
hand, note the exact time each bus for DirecTV Latin America, Chiquita
passes by. (There are more than Brands Chile, and the U.S. Depart-
10,000 private buses in Santiago.) ment of Commerce in Santiago.
Loros sell that competitive data to Both men attended and helped
bus drivers, who must then decide organize the recent Thunderbird
whether they'd get more money by Global Business Forum in Latin
slowing down to wait for passengers America. They caution, "We love
or racing to pass the bus ahead. Chile and doing business here-but
"The export economy is based on good service and good pizza are
natural resources where the big play- almost impossible to find. " •
ers have the clear advantage. Never­theless,
internal demand has been
high enough to create plenty of
opportunity for developing new
THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
Sickler and Walker may be
reached at 56-2-365-1848 or
puentes@ibm.net.
PnOFILES
HOT PIZZA AND AN ICY COKE
Lance McInnes '90 makes the most of every
job and of his Thlffiderbird connections
One of the most """ortant business
skills Lance Mcinnes '90 ever learned,
he learned working at Roundtable Pizza in
junior high school. Starting out as a bus
boy at age 15 and working his way up the
pizza ladder to cook, the young McInnes
learned critical people skills in those for­mative
years.
"When you're in junior high and high
school and you're the cook at a pizza
restaurant you're pretty popular," jokes
McInnes, who's now an international mar­keting
manager with The Coca-Cola Com­pany.
More seriously, he explains, "You're
working in a minimum wage environment
where you have 16-year-old kids and peo­ple
who are 30 or 35 years old making rel­atively
the same amount of money. I think
that first job probably taught me more
about people-how people work and
what motivates them-more than any
other job I've had."
After Roundtable, McInnes continued
his education, earning a bachelor's degree
in business administration from the
University of Texas in 1988. He also took
on several internships during that time,
including one for lloyd's Bank in London
and another as a research assistant for a
member of the European Parliament.
"I found out early in my college career
that, if you are going to be successful in
business, you have to have an understand­ing
of the global marketplace," he says.
McInnes choose Thunderbird to
broaden his education of the business
world, and earned his master's in interna­tional
management in 1990. He was
young, motivated and talented, and fortu­nate
enough to receive several job offers
following graduation. After careful con­sideration,
McInnes accepted an account
executive position with what he consid­ered
to be the most international corpora­tion
in the world-The Coca-Cola
Company.
Today, McInnes is an international mar­keting
manager for Coca-Cola and works
primarily with ARAMARK, one of the
company's largest on-site food service
customers. He's responsible for ARA­MARK's
business outside of the United
States. A typical day takes
McInnes around the world
(whether he leaves his Atlan­ta
office or not), and he orga­nizes
his tasks by time
zones. Early in the morning
and late at night he trades
e-mails with associates in
the Far East. Correspon­dence
with those in Europe
also takes place in the morn­ing,
and, at the end of the
day, McInnes is usually on
the phone with associates in
Canada and Mexico.
"When I'm not here, which
is most of the time, I'm over­seas
quite a bit," he says.
"Last week, I was in four
countries, five time zones,
seven cities, and two conti­nents.
A week before that I
was in five cities and three countries in
one day. My day might include a meeting
with our marketing people in Germany
discussing opportunities there, then a
business planning session in Brussels in
the afternoon, and a dinner meeting in
London that evening. When I asked for
international, I got it!"
So far, McInnes' career has been every­thing
he has asked for; but it hasn't been
without challenges. When you're conduct­ing
business in three countries in one day,
culture shock can take on a whole new
meaning. Fortunately, McInnes says, that
is just the sort of thing for which a
Thunderbird education prepares you.
"I think one of the biggest challenges I
face in my position is jumping cultures so
quickly, whether it's via e-mail from my
office or physically being in three differ­ent
countries in one day," says McInnes.
"Thunderbird really taught me how to
understand the different nuances within
cultures, especially in the business envi­ronment,
so I'm better suited to work
within that culture and understand how to
get things accomplished no matter what
country I may be in. "
A true appreciation for Thunderbird
has kept McInnes close to the school
since graduation. In his work at Coca­Cola,
McInnes has utilized the School's
corporate consulting program on several
occasions to generate valuable market
research. On a personal level, he was
recently elected to the Thunderbird
Alunmi Association board and is a strong
advocate of the School. His father Allen is
on the Board of Trustees at Thunderbird.
"I think my best advice to other T-birds
is to make sure you utilize the Thunder­bird
network on a personal and a business
level, because it is so vast," he says. "As
I'm in all these different countries, you'd
be amazed, I'm amazed, at how many
Thunderbirds I talk to. Whether it's golfing
with a friend while I'm in Paris, or having a
business meeting with someone in Zurich,
I literally see a Thunderbird every day. You
walk through the halls of Coca-Cola and
there are Thunderbirds all over the place.
It's sort of weird, and it's fantastic. You
don't really think about that when you're
going to the school; you don't really think
you'll have those kinds of relationships.
But it really is a great connection and you
shouldn't be shy about utilizing it."
-Jessica McCann -
Lance Mcinnes may be reached at
lancemac@aol.com.
THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
It's The
Real
Coca-Cola, Thunderbird
share global business
philosophy
''A Coca-Cola sells for pocket
change around the world.
It doesn't take much to get
together a few cents, a few
yen, a few pesos, in order
to be able to afford a Coca-Cola Company
product," remarked Douglas Ivester,
chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola
Company, to an audience of securities
analysts and portfolio managers last year.
The Coca-Cola Company sells more
than a billion drinks a day. That's a lot of
pocket change. It is the world's largest
soft-drink company and the world's most
recognized trademark
One of the Atlanta-based company's
greatest strengths lies in its ability to con­duct
business on a global scale while
maintaining a local approach. Sounds a
lot like the global business doctrine
preached at Thunderbird. There are other
similarities between the two institutions,
as well. Coca-Cola is known the world
over as a leader in global business-its
160 beverage brands are sold in nearly 200
countries. Likewise, Thunderbird is
regarded as the leader in international
business education-its 31,000-plus
alumni hold positions in leading compa­nies
around the globe.
Perhaps these commonalties have nur­tured
the strong relationship developing
between The Coca-Cola Company and
Thunderbird.
10 THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
COHPOH .\TE P.\HT\EHS
TALENT POOL. Coca-Cola's single biggest
source of talent for finance executives is
actually an internal source, its own
domestic and international audit staffs,
according to Tom McGuire, director of
global staffing for The Coca-Cola Com­pany.
It has historically sought finance
and accounting majors with three to five
years experience to fill these positions.
"That's kind of our seed bed. It's an
entry level into the finance organization,
where we bring in a lot of people and end
up moving them around the company,"
explains McGuire, who served as division
finance manager of Coca-Cola's Germany
operations in the early '90s. "The people
that come into the international audit staff
travel around the globe for three years on
average and really build up a lot of knowl­edge
about the company. The profile for
that job is one of high mobility and a sen­sitivity
to international cultures. It's a sim­ilar
type of person that I've found coming
out of Thunderbird, and that's why I
believe Thunderbirds have had a lot of
success here. Several of them have actu­ally
worked on the audit staff in their ini­tial
years with us."
The latest data shows 55 T-birds
employed by Coca-Cola headquarters and
its subsidiaries. Many were hired into
departments other than audit.
(top) In China, school girls line up for a Coke.
The company promotes via outdoor signs, sports
sponsorships, and television advertising as it
works to make the Coca-Cola brand part of
China's changing lifestyle.
Old word charm meets new world marketing.
Some of Coca-Cola's 160 beverage products are
delivered in Poland. The company claims 51 per­cent
of the international beverage market share
and has products in nearly 200 countries.
"I like to be able to hire the right people
continuously, as opposed to binge hiring.
To do that, you have to manage contacts
and build up relationships, and that's hard
to do," McGuire continues. "If there is a
good example, it might actually be Thun­derbird.
We have been able to get a con­tinuous
flow of good talent pretty reliably
over the years. So Thunderbird fits nicely
into our hiring strategy in that respect. "
SEED MONEY. Beyond recruiting, Coca­Cola
has been a generous financial sup­porter
of Thunderbird. From 1990 to 1995,
the Coca-Cola Foundation contributed
$115,000 to the domestic diversity schol­arship
program. This year, the foundation
committed another $300,000 to the School
to be divided between scholarship pro­grams
and a global branding program cur­rently
being developed. Thunderbird
trustee Paul Oreffice played an integral
role in soliciting this recent gift.
manager with The Coca-Cola Company.
"We consult with them on a variety of
issues. What does the marketplace look
like? What's the business environment?
What are the international, opportunities
to grow our businesses together?"
In several cases, Coca-Cola has teamed
with Thunderbird in these efforts. The
company has utilized the School's Cor­porate
Consulting program for several
projects, including conducting consumer
research for a key client, ARAMARK, that
focused on Germany, Canada, the United
Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, and Mexico. In
Russia, Thunderbird's American Business
Center (ABC) and Center for Business
Skills Development (CBSD) provided
Coca-Cola with assistance in locating
facilities for bottling plants, as well as in
hiring and training local employees.
When Coca-Cola was looking to expand
"I've always believed that INCORPORATING OLD AND NEW.
into Malaysia and Vietnam a
few years ago, it turned to
Thunderbird's InterAd pro­gram
for top-quality, current
marketing research and
planning. Coca-Cola execu­tives
have also been key
corporations should support
those schools that, in great
part, supply them the raw mate-
Three Ethiopians. dressed
traditionally. enjoy a product
Coca-Cola hopes will
rial, the talent, the people. So become another tradition
when the capital campaign
started, I approached Coca­in
that country.
Cola Foundation," says Oreffice, retired
chairman and CEO of the Dow Chemical
Company and long-time Coca-Cola board
member. "The response was very positive
from the beginning. It was actually much
easier than you'd think. I could tell you I
had to twist some arms, but the truth is
that it was a fairly easy sell because I had
a good product-Thunderbird." Trustee
Samir Toubassy, who is president of
Oloyan Development Corporation, a com­pany
which is affiliated with Coca-Cola
throughout the Middle East, also advo­cated
the Coke-Thunderbird partnership.
GLOBAL LEADERS. Maybe it has been so
easy for Coca-Cola to support Thunder­bird,
because the two institutions also
share their knowledge and expertise with
others in the global business arena. Many
of Coca-Cola's customers themselves are
growing internationally and developing
international businesses. Because of the
extent to which Coca-Cola has developed
and grown its own international business,
it can and does serve as a consultant to its
customers in their efforts.
"Coca-Cola often acts as a consultant to
our customers as they go into new parts
of the world and grow their business,
since we're already established through­out
most of the world," says Lance
Mcinnes '90, an international marketing
speakers at Thunderbird events, including
Hector Gorosabel '83, deputy president
of Coke Argentina, who just addressed
the Thunderbird Global Forum in
Argentina.
"The Coca-Cola Company's relationship
with Thunderbird affords each party
some great benefits," says McInnes.
"Coca-Cola gains access to well-rounded,
highly educated students who have been
exposed to a realistic view of how global
business operates. Thunderbird gets
access to a company that is at the fore­front
of how global business can and
should operate." -Jessica McCann -
Refreshing the World
Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton
invented Coke in 1886. By 1891
druggist Asa Chandler bought the com­pany
and within four years the soda
fountain drink was available in all U.S.
states; it was in Canada and Mexico by
1898. Chandler sold bottling rights the
next year to Benjamin Thomas and
John Whitehead for $1. With additional
financial backing, these men developed
the regional franchise bottling system,
creating more than 1,000 bottlers within
20 years.
Coke went public in 1919 and soon
after began major efforts in advertising
and overseas expansion. In the 40s,
company president Robert Woodruff
decreed that every soldier would have
access to a 5-cent bottle of Coke during
wwn, and the company received gov­ernment
assistance to build 64 overseas
bott.Iing plants during that time.
'l'o<hw, AtJanta-based Coca-Cola Com­pany
and its subsidiaries employ about
30,000 people around the world World­wide,
it has two of the three top-selling
soft drinks (No. 1
Coca-Cola classic and
No.3 diet Coke) and a
growing 51 percent of
the international mar­ket
share. The com­pany
is also number
one in juice products
(Minute Maid). Minute
Maid represents nearly
10 percent of the
worldwide share of
juice beverages. Its
more thaD 160 brands
of beverages are sold
ill nearly 200 coun­tries;
approximately
THUNDERBIRD 52 / 3 / 1999 11
12 THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
The
Ultimate
Win-Win
Ingrid Nelson '95
interviews Steve Siao
for an internship
position at Ernst &
Young. She said that
being an alumna gives
her an understanding
that proves invaluable
when hiring.
I t's a recruiters m-emn during the C"'~ rent labor shortage. More than 80 highly­qualified
and eager candidates apply for
your position. You screen, then "hire" the
absolute best of the best, but you still get
to "test-drive" him or her on a real project
for three to nine full months before you
actually commit. Oh, and forget that
pesky 20 percent or so of salary that
fringe benefits cost your bottom line. You
need not pay benefits during your test
drive. Plus, your candidate can start in
spring, summer or fall.
Welcome to the win-win world of
internships.
Fifteen Thunderbird alumni recently
took advantage of the campus talent pool,
recruiting for summer interns as part of
the internship event. They joined 21 other
hiring managers from 18 companies who
screened more than 200 students for 30
types of summer positions during a late
February event hosted by Thunderbird's
Career Management Center (CMC).
The truly interesting thing was that
CMC received an amazing 2,433 applica­tions
for those positions. Students also
showed up en masse for two-hour presen­tations
given by each company. Clearly
Thunderbird students are excited about
internships-which can now be taken for
credit or no credit, paid or, occasionally,
unpaid. In fact, they're begging the school
and its alumni for more!
"I applied for five internships and was
selected to interview for one," said Steve
Siao, a Taiwanese student who speaks
Mandarin, English and Japanese and had
worked as a database systems manager
for Mazda in Japan before coming to
Thunderbird. "I'm changing careers,
majoring in finance, and 1 wanted a more
solid understanding of the practical
aspects of working in the finance field
before 1 graduate."
Darren Sandberg, who just spent six
months with Chiquita in Honduras, offers
a veteran's insight. "I think that if more
students could really talk to alumni about
their experiences on internships, those
alumni would actively encourage their
CEOs to establish internship programs,"
he said. "The internship for me and, 1
believe, for the company, was a great
mutual exchange. We each had the oppor­tunity
to evaluate the other-all while 1
was honing my skills." Despite facing
Hurricane Mitch and being
shot, Sandberg enthusiasti­cally
accepted a permanent
position with Chiquita
Brands.
menced on-campus intern­ship
recruitment efforts.
Nearly all of those new
companies include Thun­derbird
alumni on their
"Forty percent of the stu­recruiting
teams.
dents who take internships
are offered permanent jobs
by their companies," ex­plained
Rana EI-Khatib,
director of internship educa­tion
for CMC. That statistic,
plus the fact that internships
pay an average of $3,000 per
month, may explain why the
competition for internships
is so keen at Thunderbird.
Darren Sandberg spent six
"This is the first time
Ernst & Young has been
here in this capacity, hiring
interns instead of grads,
and we're looking for as
many good candidates as
we can get," explained
Ingrid Nelson '95 who
was one of four Ernst &
Young recruiters on cam­pus.
"Being a T-bird gradu­ate
gives me a unique
perspective. I know what
months on an internship with
Chiquita, then was offered a
permanent position three
EI-Khatib encourages stu- months before graduation.
dents to start early, thor-oughly
research the companies and
industries they want to intern with, then
actively market themselves-just as they
would market that company's product.
"I encourage people to pursue intern­ships
for two reasons," said EI-Khatib.
"First, an internship offers an easy, non­threatening
way to get your foot in the
skill sets and wealth of talents lie within
this school. I also understand what the
students are looking for, so I'm serving as
a liaison between the two."
"T-bird students are a good fit for Ford
Sales and Marketing," added John
Schuldt '85 of Ford. "They have a differ­ent
and better perspective than typical
door of a company that
interests you, then lets you
prove what you can do
while you're already there.
Second, internships let
people who are changing
fields, say, from marketing
to finance , gain some
really valuable experi­ence."
"Forty percent
oj the students
who take intern-
MBA students on ways to
look internally at our own
processes and externally
at our customers." Schuldt,
who had recruited perma­nent
employees on cam­pus
for five years, said he
now recruits interns as
well.
Last year, 425 Thunder­bird
students landed
internships. This year, the
School is actively encour­aging
more student-corpo­rate
partnerships.
ships are offered
permanent jobs
by their
Companies participat­ing
in the fair included
Dell, Compaq, Eli Lilly,
Enron, BASF, Lehman
Brothers, Baxter, Hall­mark,
The Associates,
companies. "
Rana EI-Khatib
"Important employers are becoming
more and more aware of the benefits of
developing internship programs and then
offering T-bird students the opportunity to
gain valuable marketplace experience
within their companies," explained David
Martin, Director of Employer Relations at
the CMC. "And, often, it's because our
alumni within those companies have
helped us encourage them." Those efforts
persuaded several permanent position
employers to recruit interns at the fair.
Three other companies, Abbott Labs,
UPS, and Sony/Tokyo, have also com-
Applied Materials, Bausch
& Lomb, Chiquita, Ford, Platinum Tech­nology,
Powertrusion 2000, Honda, Ernst
& Young, and Sabre Group. Of those com­panies,
Dell, Compaq, and Eli Lilly each
received more than 200 applications for
interviews. Representatives from all 18
companies also held general information
sessions while on campus to help stu­dents
better prepare for future internship
and full-time position interviews.
Thunderbird's intranet site currently
shows 91 summer internships and more
than 400 job postings. New jobs are auto­matically
posted on-line as they arrive. -
illlel'lISl1 ij)s AI 0 Ufo 1I('r>
• Internships range between 14
weeks and nine months in dura·
tion and may commence during
the spring, summer or autumn
trimesters. Internships must be
project·oriented in nature.
• During 1998, 425 T-birds worked
internships, more than half during
the summer months.
• More than 60 percent of 1998
internships were based in the
United States. The majority,
approximately 40 percent, were
in marketing related fields .
• Internship options include
o credit, 1.5 credit, and 3.0 credits
programs, and may be either part
time or full time in nature.
• Students must complete all 3000-
level courses and have at least
12 hours of credit at Thunderbird
before becoming eligible for
internships.
• The average internship pays nearly
$3,000 per month.
• Forty percent of T-bird interns are
offered permanent positions with
the company they intern with .
• Students may NOT take intern ­ships
AFTER completing 42 credit
hours at Thunderbird.
• Employers may interview via
videoconference, by telephone, or
in person.
• Employers seeking interns should
initiate the process at least one
semester prior to the internship.
Begin by obtaining the Graduate
Management Internship brochure
from David Martin at CMC, phone
at (602) 9787814; email at
martind(Q't· bi rd.edu .
THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999 13
Hurricane Mitch totally destroyed thousands of acres of banana plants like these on a Chiquita Brands-owned Honduran farm. Jason Green '96 had to use
SCUBA gear to reach trapped workers on the farm he manages. It will probably take three years to produce enough seed to totally replant " I magine a 200 square mile valley fill­ing
up with water. First the water
fully completed Chiquita's two-year, four­rotation
training course. He had spent
those months rebuilding labor relations
and improving packaging procedures.
He'd also introduced new cultivation
practices and limited the use of herbi­cides.
Production was up dramatically.
Life was everything he'd dreamed of.
Then, everything was gone.
"We began re-employing as many work-ers
as possible, as guards and cleaning
crews, which got paychecks flowing.
Chiquita also donated all surviving fruit for
local sale." Green used that fruit and his
T-bird expertise to help employees set up
an entrepreneurial fruit selling operation
that earned his people more than $75,000
during the next two months. Chiquita
added two cash gifts, sent T-bird intern
Darren Sandberg from Honduras to corpo­rises
above the plants, then above
the roofs, then above the trees. Then
everyone and everything-dead and
alive-is simply floating on a lake." That's
how Jason Green '96 described the
experience of having Hurricane Mitch
devastate his 1,750 acre Chiquita banana
farm and endanger the lives of his 700
employees and their families. "I got
three years of experience in three
months without aging."
Jason Green '96 (left) interviews an internship candidate during
rate headquarters to organize a mas­sive
emergency outreach effort,
Green, who managed a multi-mil­lion
dollar farm, said Chiquita hired
five rescue helicopters from neigh­boring
Guatemala to do emergency
rescues and food drops. Although
people were trapped on rooftops for
days without food or water, Chiquita
suffered no human loss of life. Its
total Honduras banana farming oper­ation,
however, was destroyed.
"For the first three weeks, I was
totally focused on rescue efforts and
survival," Green explained. "Then,
complete and utter depression set in.
I was concerned about my workers,
the local economy, and Chiquita's
stunning loss." Green had just earned
his farm manager position six months
before the hurricane, having success-
14 THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
an on-site event Just two years after graduating, Green was
managing a 1,750 acre, multimillion Honduran farm with
700 employees, their 3000 dependents, and 450 company homes
when Hurricane Mitch struck. Once rebuilt, his state-of-the-art
farm will be the most modem in Chiquita's fleet
provided loans, and also allowed its
farm employees to retain medical and
housing benefits while the company
rebuilds.
Green estimates that rebuilding his
farm will take one full year, and that it
will take another two years for
Chiquita to rebuild all of its Honduran
farms. "I probably used more of my
Thunderbird coursework and forti­tude
during the relief effort than I did
managing the farm," Green said. "But
most of all, it was that deep respect
for people and the culture that I
learned at Thunderbird which proved
absolutely critical in my efforts at
keeping the peace during a really
explosive time. " •
Jason Green may be reached at
JGreen007@Sigmanet.hn
EYE S A H 0 (" :\ J) T /I E \V () I{ L J)
T-bird: Mr. Ambassador. how do you
handle a major incident like this and
what is the latest?
Moreno: You tell the truth, explain
things, as new facts become known. I
have spent a lot of time up on the [Capi­tol]
Hill talking and answering questions.
It looks like someone in the guerrilla
movement made a very bad choice or that
there was confusion in the ranks. Nor­mally
when there is a kidnapping, it is for
ransom and that is bad
Don't call him just a T-bird, call
him Mr. Ambassador. He is
Luis Alberto Moreno '77,
Ambassador of Colombia to the United
States since September 1998. Ambassa­dor
Moreno was doing a telephone
interview for this article on March 5
when he was told that three kidnapped
Americans had just been found brutally
murdered near the Colombian "Peaceis
worth three
points of GOP
growth in
Colombia.
border. Faced with a major inter­national
incident, Ambassador
Moreno politely asked if he could
call right back. His staff dutifully
followed up, making, then post­poning,
several interviews as the
Ambassador was besieged by the
State Department, the Congress,
enough. On this occasion,
these people were killed
which is very, very bad.
This was not very bright,
especially since President
Pastrana had just opened
peace talks with the guer­rillas.
Those talks were the
first ever held officially
between the Colombian
government and the guer­rillas
in more than three
and the news media in search of
the latestfacts. Ambassador
Moreno personally called to finish this
interview on March 12. His gracious­ness
was truly a lesson in diplomacy.
16 THUNDERBIRD 52 /3/ 1999
That means
US$3 billion
per year."
decades of fighting. These killings were
also quite harmful in the context in which
the United States, through a State Depart­ment
official, had met with the FARC
guerrillas-an avenue now closed to
them. Regardless, such an atrocity would
have a grave impact on the peace process.
The really important thing though is that
this is the first time that FARC has taken
responsibility for its wrongdoings. Now,
justice must be served to allow the peace
process to move forward.
T-bird: Why is peace so important and
how is it connected to economic devel­opment?
Moreno: Peace is worth three points of
GDP growth in Colombia. That means
US$3 billion per year. Peace is very criti­cal
in that it can free our country from a
lot of investor concerns.
T-bird: What role do U.S.-Colombia
relations play in promoting economic
development. especially when incidents
like this occur?
Moreno: A large percentage of our
trade is with the United States and with
oil, flowers, and coffee, so a most favored
nation status, which President Clinton
just recommended to Congress, is quite
important. Colombia has not had that
endorsement in the last four years.
T-bird: How do you deal with foreign
companies?
Moreno: As for attracting foreign com­panies,
it is rather difficult. American
companies will do almost anything for
profit except expose their expatriates to
danger. I tell them that foreigners are at
the lowest risk for danger, since 99 per­cent
of those kidnapped are Colombians,
and done in rural areas for ransom in
order to fund the insurgency. If you stay in
the major cities you are safe. I also remind
them that there are 40 million people in
Colombia Also, the business climate itself
is stable. Colombia has never had a year
of negative growth in over 60 years. And,
there are major opportunities in telecom­munication
and, especially, energy since
90 percent of Colombia's energy potential
remains unexplored.
T-bird: What is the major issue causing
unrest and how likely is peace?
Moreno: This conflict has been going
on for 35 years. Basically, at the time it
started, a small group of farmers in
Colombia's remotest regions asked the
government for assistance in certain areas
that the government did not deliver. Now,
it has become a very complex situation,
and very difficult, like all peace processes.
It is a long and winding road that will take
patience. However, President Pastrana,
has gotten everyone to the table for the
first time. Now, they must move forward,
establish credibility, and trust. The next
phase will be to explore tasks and negoti­ate.
I can't say peace will happen quickly.
There is a standoff and people must be
able to put all their animosities aside. But
Profile
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
• Named Ambassador of Colombia to
the United States of America
• Partner WESTSPHERE ANDEAN
ADVISORS, a US$230 million fund
investing in private equity in South
America
• Chief Campaign Manager for Andres
Pastrana, Colombia's president
EDUCATION:
. 1OOl-Neiman
Fellow at Harvard
University
. 1977 -MIM,
Thunderbird,
The American
Graduate School
of International
• President of Instituto de Fomento Industrial, the main
financial corporation in Colombia, owner of some of the
largest state enterprises in the country
Management
• 1975 - Bachelor in
Business Administra­tion
and Economics,
Florida Atlanta
University
• Executive producer of "T.V. Hoy," a nationwide nightly
news program
• Division manager of Praco, a nuijor Colombian importer
of agricultural and industrial machinery
I believe we have created lasting ground­work
for peace to eventually be achieved.
T-bird: What is the latest on the earth­quake
Colombia suffered on January 25?
Moreno: The earthquake was devastat­ing
and I understand that relief efforts are
moving forward. There were more than
1,000 deaths, 4,000 injured and 250,000
left homeless. The earthquake struck a
region where 50 percent of the nation's
coffee comes from. Seventy percent of
that city, Armenia, was destroyed, espe­cially
the roads and infrastructure. But,
gratefully, most of the coffee crop itself
was not destroyed.
T-bird: How did you get your current
position and what are your main duties?
Colombian
Ambassador Luis
Moreno '77 confers
with President
Clinton and
Colombian President
Andres Pastrana at a
black tie reception.
Moreno and Pastrana
were high school
buddies.
Moreno: I am what you call a political
appointee. The new President of Colom­bia
is a friend of mine from high school
and I ran his first campaign. I also have his
trust and understand what he wants to
accomplish during his presidency. Colom­bia's
relationship with the United States
has been at an all time low these last four
years, so most of my job involves broad­ening
and rebuilding the agenda between
our two countries. About 70 percent of my
time is spent on drug-related issues. The
rest is spent on economic issues and
encouraging business partnerships and
capital flow into Colombia
T-bird: Besides attending Thunderbird,
what other U.S. ties do you have?
Moreno: I was born in Philadelphia
while my father was in this country study­ing
medicine. Unfortunately, I had to give
up my U.S. citizenship when I was
appointed Ambassador, something about
diplomatic immunity. I got my undergrad­uate
degree in business and economics in
Florida and wanted to study international
studies at either Thunderbird or INSEAD
in France, but my French was not too
good. So, I studied French and marketing
at Thunderbird and, later, was a Nieman
Fellow at Harvard.
T-bird: Do you still keep in touch with
friends from Thunderbird?
Moreno: Two especially. One is Brian
O'Neill of Chase Manhattan Bank, who
was in my class. The other is Victor Eche­verria,
myoid roommate. •
Ambassador Moreno may be reached by
telephone at (202) 387-8338 or bye-mail
at emwas@colombiaemb.org.
THUNDERBIRD 52 1 31 1999 17
'.
18
US. News and
World Report:
Thunderbird #1
for International
Business in U.S.
For the fourth consecutive
year, Thunderbird was named the
number one graduate school for
International Business by U.S.
News and World Report. The
March 29, 1999 issue listed Thun­derbird
in the number one spot
followed by South Carolina, Whar­ton,
Columbia, New York Univers­ity,
Harvard, UCLA, Michigan-Ann
Arbor, Stanford, and UC-Berkeley.
The international business spe­cialty
ranking is part of the maga­zine's
annual survey of graduate
schools.
It is especially noteworthy that
the School was rated #20 in repu­tation
by corporate recruiters.
Aside from the #1 ranking in
International Business, this is the
highest national ranking ever
achieved by Thunderbird! Thun­derbird
was also listed in the top
THUNDER81RD 52 131 1999
\\. \\. \Y . T - B I H J) . E J) r
50 MBA schools, with a 36th over­all
ranking.
The rankings are based on sev­eral
criteria, including admissions
and placement statistics as well
as surveys of institutional reputa­tion
among corporate recruiters
and business school deans.
French Geneva
Center Hosts
Europe Strategy
Conference
As a part of the Thunderbird
Global Business Forum series,
T-bird's French Geneva Center in
Archamps hosted the Business
Strategies Conference in March.
More than 180 business leaders
from the banking, finance, and
consulting industry were invited,
along with all local alumni.
John Muse, founding partner of
Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, one of
the largest private equity funds
with over $29 billion of leveraged
transactions, was a presenter at
the conference. James Downing,
Managing Director, Head of Mer­gers
and Acquisitions for Europe,
Africa and the Middle East at
Chase Manhattan pic in London,
also spoke. Topics included "Buy
and Build in Europe: An Invest­ment
Strategy for 2000 and
Beyond," "Future Mergers &
Acquisitions Opportunities in
Europe," and "European Business
Strategies and Outlook. "
NCA Evaluation
Team Impressed
The North Central Association
of Colleges (NCA) three-person
Focused Evaluation Team visited
Thunderbird in mid.January. The
NC.Ns last comprehensive evalua­tion,
which took place in 1995-
1996, was one of a ten-year cycle
of evaluations during which NCA
people reviewed all of the
School's programs to determine if
accreditation was still warranted.
John Seybolt, senior vice presi-dent
for academic affairs,
announced that "the NCA team
was very impressed with our
School, [and] its programs and
progress since the Comprehen­sive
Evaluation visit over two
years ago."
Passport Ad to
Boost Awareness
Thunderbird placed a full-page
advertisement in the heavily-read
March 29, 1999 school rankings
issue of U.S. News and World
Report. The ad was designed to
enhance the School's brand
image, and boost awareness
among potential MIM applicants.
President Roy A. Herberger, Jr.
said, "As T-birds, our most valu­able
asset is our reputation-the
world's view of what we are-and
what we stand for. To maintain
and enhance our reputation ...
we've developed this full-page
ad ... We wanted to make a state­ment."
The School has also begun a
complete brand awareness/mar­keting
campaign. "I hope you like
our new ad," Herberger said.
"After all, it's your brand."
GLOBAL
BUSINESS
CAREER P T
Thunderbird's MulCt orlnlcmatlonal Managemml De1Jft
Is the AltemaIiW 10 • Tndltiona! MBA.
T-birds Work with
Chinese Students
Via the Internet
Thirty-five Thunderbird World
Business students used the
Internet to solve statistical prob­lems
with students from Wyui
University in Guangdong pro­vince,
People's Republic of China.
Professor Richard D. Shortridge
taught the Wmterim class, during
which, students learned how to
solve problems and communicate
cross culturally. Desktop video
conferencing (DVC) was attemp­ted,
but due to still unresolved
real time communications prob­lems
between the U.S. and China,
video success was limited. Text­based
sessions worked better, and
the class ended with increased
awareness on many levels.
Alunmi Want Web
Contact with
School and Peers
Approximately 2,000 alumni
responded to a recent survey
regarding features that should be
included in a new, state-of-the-art
Web-based Alumni communica­tions
system. Responses came
from 69 countries, and many
respondents agreed that the most
useful feature would be an
alumni search engine that would
allow geographical, class year,
industry, and other searches.
Respondents also said that they
wanted to keep in touch with
other alumni through e-mail, dis­cussion
groups, and message
boards.
The majority of respondents
felt it was important for them to
stay in touch with Thunderbird,
particularly through the alumni
network. They also see their alma
mater as a valuable networking,
job search, and professional
resource. The School expects to
introduce expanded web access
in October 1999.
Event Brings Asia
to Glendale
This year's Asia week event
was successful thanks to many
hardworking students and organi­zations.
The week ran from
March 1 to March 5, 1999 and
events and speakers spanned the
Asian continent. Political digni­taries,
business leaders and politi­cal
scientists participated in
specialized discussions that
focused on doing business in Asia
and global markets.
Speakers included The Honor­able
Qin Hanchang, Chinese
Economic and Commercial Con­sul
to the U.S., Ambassador Rajen­dra
Madhukar Abhyankar, Indian
Consul General to the U.S., Dr.
Norman Neureiter, President of
Geneva
Students
Visit AT&T
the Semiconductor Manufacturers France
Association, and Yung-Hsiang
Chen '74 Director, Commercial Students study­Division,
Taipei Economic and ing at the French
Cultural Office in Los Angeles.
The week ended with a gala Geneva Center
party in the Thunderbird Activity in Archamps,
Center which included live cul- France visited
tural demonstrations and an AT&T France in
Asian food buffet.
February. The
Corporate
Relationships
Emphasized
Over the past 18 months,
Thunderbird has been focusing
on a corporate relationship man­agement
program to coordinate
the relationships between the
School's various entities and the
corporations that are their key
clients. At a recent meeting the
following initiatives were listed
as being a primary focus for dis­cussion:
• Public Policy and Global
Warming;
• Global Business Ethics;
• Global Entrepreneurship; and
• Global Brand Development.
The activities are in various
stages of exploration by corpo­rate
representatives, potential
donors, administrators, and acad­emic
representatives.
visit was one of
several corpo­rate
interactions
planned over the
trimester for the
59 students.
Three AT&T
speakers, includ­ing
two T-bird
alumni, covered
both Global and
European strate­gies
facing AT&T.
THUNDERBIRD 52 1 3 1 1999 19
Scholarship
Donations
on the Rise
Last semester,
Thunderbird
awarded more
than $1 million
dollars in
scholarships to
250 students.
Of those stu­dents
receiving
financial aid,
approximately
77 percent have
loans, 34 percent
are on scholar­ship
or grants,
30 percent are
involved in
work-study
programs, and
2 percent are on
fellowships.
Thunderbird is
committed to
assisting quality
students
whenever
possible.
World Festival
Highlights Culture
Thunderbird and the City of
Glendale co-hosted the third
annual WorldPort and Interfest
event in March. The event helps
break down social barriers by
providing a personal view of
other peoples and cultures.
WorldPort was held on campus
and included booths, food areas,
and cultural demonstrations
designed to give visitors the flavor
of distant lands. People could
wander from Latin Jazz, to Scot­tish
Pipes, to South African
Drums, to a Canterbury Tales
reenactment by 16th century
Pike men from Glendale's sister
city, Memmingen, Germany.
Interfest was a separate but
conjoined event sponsored by
several Thunderbird student orga­nizations.
The event provided
children with realistic passports
and access to booths representing
many lands, where native lan­guage
speakers, often in native
dress, stamped passports, and
provided geographic and cultural
insights. Children also received
foreign coins and stamps, and
other items that helped the world
come alive for them.
20 THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
Organizational
Changes
Armounced
The office of Academic Affairs
has announced a major reorgani­zation.
As a result, John Staczek
and Mary Teagarden have
assumed two vice president posi­tions.
John Staczek, chair and profes­sor
of Modern Languages, has
become Vice President for Facul­ty.
His duties include facilitating
all aspects of the faculty experi­ence
at Thunderbird. Especially
critical is guiding the develop­ment
program to focus on such
critical issues as school-wide fac­ulty
recruiting strategy, faculty
performance review, recognition,
reward, and incentive systems.
The Vice President for Faculty
serves as ex officio member of the
Thunderbird Academic Programs
Committee to help ensure coordi­nation
between the various areas
of the Academic Affairs area.
Two faculty task forces were
also established to help the
department meet its goals. Olu­femi
Bararinde, Associate Pro­fessor
of International Studies,
was appointed Chair for the
DAS TOR PHOTOS
Teaching Excellence Task Force.
David Bowen, Professor of World
Business, was appointed Chair of
the Intellectual Contributions and
Scholarship Excellence Task
Force. These task forces help the
School institute school-wide pro­grams
to foster excellence and
irmovation in its core activities of
teaching and research.
Mary Teagarden, Professor of
World Business, has become the
Vice President for Academic
Programs. Her duties include
oversight of all aspects of the stu­dent's
academic experience at
Thunderbird, from the initial mar­keting
and recruitment process to
the ultimate transition to alumnus
status. Critical to this process is
establishing oversight for the
Office of Recruiting, Admissions
and Financial Aid, Academic
Advising, Student Activities,
Registrar, Career Management
Center, and IBIC. The Vice Presi­dent
of Academic Programs
serves as ex officio member of the
Thunderbird Academic Programs
Committee to help ensure coordi­nation
between the various areas
of the Academic Affairs area.
One Third of
EMIM Alumni
Return
Thirty percent of T-bird's total
Executive MIM alumni popula­tion
returned to campus recently
for a three-day, life-long learning
seminar. That seminar featured a
specially-designed global sourc­ing
case study, a multi-faceted
technology use update, and coun­try
updates provided by alumni
who physically work in those
locales.
Seminar content was selected
by an EMIM committee, in con­junction
with Barbara Carpenter,
who directs that Executive Edu­cation
program. Carpenter said
the Third Annual EMIM Alumni
Learning Weekend increased to
three days this year, at alumni
request, and focused on technol­ogy.
Participants spent the first
day reconnecting with Thun-derbird
and learn­ing
about key
getting up-to-the
minute regional busi­School
initiatives, the second day ness updates from peers.
hearing about technology­including
supply chain manage­ment
software and global
sourcing issues, and the third day
Executive Education also
offers a full range of short- and
long-term open enrollment pro­grams
for non-EMIM participants.
SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS
The past few months have seen the Thunderbird
campus host several renowned business and
political leaders for discussions covering global
and cultural topics. Some highlights have
included:
• Asia Week this year was a phenomenal explo­sion
of expert speakers on the region. To just
name a few: The Honorable Mr. Qin Hanchang,
the Chinese Economic & Commercial Consul to
the U.S., and Ambassador Rajendra Madhukar
Abhyankar, the Indian Consul General to the U.S.,
spoke on "The Big Emerging Markets" on India
and China Night. Rick Johannessen, the Managing
Director of Greater China and VP for Business
Development for AT Kearney Asia-Pacific, spoke
on "Economic Projections." Dr. Norm Neureiter,
Ph.D., an expert in the Japanese semiconductor
industry, spoke on "Negotiating Treaties in
Japan."
• The Global Issue Forum hosted Rafael Sabat,
Chief of Staff, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Export
Promotions Bureau, Chile. Sabat gave an in-depth
talk on "ProChile: A Case Study of Export
Promotion. "
• Modern Languages hosted Dr. Josefa Gomez de
Enterria, Professor University of Alcala de
Henares, Spain, for an all Spanish talk on the
"Importance of Spanish for Business Language
Communication." The doctor spoke on two occa­sions.
• The Entrepreneur Club offered an interesting
technological speaker, Gary Alpert, Co-Founder
and CEO of WetFeet.com Alpert spoke on "Entre­preneurship
and the Internet: Starting an Internet
Business and Maintaining a Competitive
Advantage. "
• Europe Week brought Bradley Birkenfeld,
Senior Private Banker, Barclays Bank-Geneva,
Switzerland, and Hans Ulrich Wegener, Chief
Representative, Deutsche Bundesbank for U.S. in
New York, for Finance and Banking speeches.
• "The Role and Activities of the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development," was the
topic Hungarian economist, Dr. Karoly Attila Soos
chose for an ITFC hosted discussion.
• The British Consul to the Western U.S., Paul
Dimond, spoke on Britain's place in Europe and
its relationship with the U.S., as well as the com­plex
political and economic realities facing
Britain today.
• The Norton Lecture Series featured Retired
U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Grossman who is one of
the foremost experts in the field of human aggres­sion
and the roots of violence and violent crime.
Grossman, who testified as an expert witness in
the Timothy McVeigh Oklahoma City bombing
trial, said that violent television shows and video
games are desensitizing children to violence. His
topic covered "The Ethics of Marketing Violence."
Grossman was later featured on 60 Minutes after
the Littleton, Colorado school shooting.
Latin America
Conference Held
Thunderbird hosted the 10th
annual Association of Academic
Programs in Latin America and
The Caribbean in February at
Glendale. The conference, held in
alternate years, attracts partici­pants
from the U.S., Latin America
and the Caribbean.
This year's event focused on
experimental learning by placing
students in an environment where
theory and practice connected.
Direct encounters in academic
and non-academic settings within
the target culture taught partici­pants
bicultural synthesis.
Consultant Hired
to Boost T-bird
Brand Image
Thunderbird President Roy A.
Herberger, Jr. has announced the
appointment of John H. Willie as
Executive-in-Residence at Thun­derbird.
Willie is charged with
helping the School maximize its
institutional marketing efforts and
Thunderbird brand name. He
comes to the job with a strong
background in consumer market­ing,
having held significant posi­tions
in large advertising agencies,
and a position as CEO of a mid­size
agency. During his career
Willie has provided marketing ser­vices
for such corporations as S.C.
Johnson, Disney, WIlson Golf, and
Borden Snack Group.
THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999 21
22
LET T E H F H () ~I E L S E \V II E H E
B _ • King Hussein
As director of the U.S. Agency for International Development in
Amman, Lewis Lucke '77 attended the February 8 funeral of
Jordan's King Hussein. He also hosted visiting world leaders,
including the four current and past U.S. presidents who paid
tribute to the late king. At Thunderbird magazine's request,
Lucke shared his thoughts and personal perspectives with fel­low
T-birds just days after the emotional event.
Jrdan is a counby awash in a profound wave of grief.
Today, two days after the funeral of their beloved King Hussein,
Jordan's people are only beginning to adjust to and accept the
fact that this most human and unique of rulers-the only ruler
that most Jordanians had known-is indeed gone.
King Hussein returned home last Friday from the Mayo
Clinic to die, finally succumbing to his latest bout with cancer
after a six month struggle. True to fashion, His Majesty inter­rupted
his treatment in November to be at the Wye River talks
between Israelis and Palestinians, speaking eloquently and per­suasively
for the parties to find a way out of the logjam of petty
self-interest-Iending his enormous credibility and presence to
the notion that this struggle for real peace was for the children
growing up on both sides of this conflict. Inspired, Israelis and
Palestinians went back to work.
The King's death came only two weeks after his first return
home from Mayo, supposedly cured of his lymphoma After rid­ing
through Amman to a tumultuous reception standing in a
open car in the cold and rain, his fever returned and he was
rushed back to the U.S. His next return, also in the rain, was far
more somber. His Majesty had come home to die in his native
country.
It is difficult for people outside Jordan to understand the spe­cial
relationship King Hussein had with the Jordanian people.
He had ruled by instinct and by personality-and though he
was more successful in politics than economics-his personal,
innate qualities of courtesy, respect, humility, and humanity
always shone through. This man connected: to the great and
are indelible images in my mind Most of all, the images attest to
the profound respect this man had forged with u.s. leaders­President
Clinton had a particularly warm relationship with the
King-and the determination of the United States to stand with
Jordan in its hour of grief and to provide visible and direct sup­small,
world leaders and Jordan's
Bedouin tribes, to most Palestinians who
sought refuge in Jordan over the years,
even to Israelis, and most of all to the
regular people of Jordan.
I attended His Majesty's funeral, not in
my capacity as director of the U.S.
Agency for International Development in
Amman; rather, to be with and assist for­mer
President George Bush, who came
for the funeral along with President
Clinton, the First Lady, and former
Presidents Ford and Carter. The sight of
the four Presidents together at the ramp
of Air Force One and the picture of them
bowing their heads in respect simultane­ously
before the casket of King Hussein
THUNDERBIRD 52 I 3 I 1999
This man cormected:
to the great and small,
world leaders and
Jordan's Bedoum tribes,
to most Palestinians
who sought refuge in
Jordan over the years,
even to Israelis, and
most of all to the regular
people of Jordan.
port to the new King Abdullah, 37 years old and
the King's oldest son.
King Abdullah, educated in the United
States and Britain, comes from the military,
and by all accounts had no desire to assume
the throne until the King removed his uncle
Prince Hassan as Crown Prince and replaced
him with Abdullah only two weeks previously.
Abdullah, personable, smart and with perfect
English, has impressed everyone with his per­formance
so far. His wife, Princess Rania,
Palestinian by birth, impressive in her own
right and a former Citibank employee, runs an
NGO that cooperates closely with USAIDI
Jordan running a successful microfinance pro­gram
in southern Jordan.
Abdullah, most agree, will be fine, though
this is a difficult period economically for
Jordan. Economic growth has been stagnant
over the past three years, and sanctions
against Iraq have deprived Jordan of its
largest export market. With only eight percent
of its land arable, a population growth rate of
2.8 percent, the direst water situation in the
whole of the Middle East, and few natural
resources, Jordan has its work cut out on the
economic side. Jordan's main problems are,
we say in USAID, that they have more people
than jobs and are running out of water.
Economic reform is needed, such as privatiza­tion,
accession to the WTO, and a number of
other measures to stimulate investment and
private sector growth. The United States is
working with Jordan on all of these points
and more, a measure of Jordan's strategic
position and role in the region, our interest in
helping assure internal stability, and our
desire to help Jordan address its people's eco­nomic
development needs. The passing of the
King and the accession of Abdullah bring focus and impetus to
this effort.
King Hussein's funeral brought together world leaders from
over 70 countries, including presidents, prime ministers and
royalty. In my role with ex-President Bush before the funeral
began, I witnessed scenes of mind-boggling proportion: the
King of Spain huddling with Prince Charles and Tony Blair;
President Bush being warmly greeted by adoring Kuwaiti sol­diers
and the Crown Prince; the Japanese Crown Prince asking
to meet with President Carter; Yasser Arafat slowly working his
FOUR CURRENT AND
way through the room; Jacques
Chirac hugging Hosni Mubarak of
FORMER U.S. PRESIDENTS Egypt; Prince Abdullah of Saudi
JOIN LEADERS FROM OVER Arabia speaking of the need to sup-
70 COUNTRIES IN PAYING port Jordan.
FINAL RESPEcrs TO KING Later at an adjacent palace where
HUSSEIN, WHO WAS BURIED King Hussein's casket lay in state, for-
FEBRUARY 8 IN HIS mer nemesis Syrian President Hafez
BELOVED JORDAN. AI-Assad stood speaking with Presi­dents
Bush and Carter while through
an open hallway, I watched Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
and President Ezer Weizmann slowly walk by on their way to
view Hussein's casket. President Clinton, obviously grieving,
was a major presence in the room.
A procession followed King Hussein's fIag-draped coffin to the
family cemetery on the palace grounds, following the sounds of
bagpipes and drums. Jordanian soldiers lined the way, dressed
in the red Hashemite kaffiyah, either holding floral arrange­ments
or formally presenting their rifles. Many were in tears.
At the cemetery, the body, wrapped only in a simple white
shroud in the manner of Hussein's desert ancestors, was
removed from the casket and laid in the ground. Following rifle
S volleys from Bedouin soldiers and the boom of cannon, the sim­-
f. pIe ceremony was over. The leaders filed slowly through an area
~'" beside the cemetery, offering condolences to King Abdullah and
"C his male family members lined up beside him. Other sons of
~ Hussein: Faisal, Ali, Hashem, and new Crown Prince Harnzeh
~ stood together. In a meeting with Abdullah, the President
afflrmed that the United States would support the King and
LEWIS LUCKE '77 GREETS PRINCESS stand by Jordan with tangible assistance on
both the military and economic sides.
BASMA,THE YOUNGER ffiSTER OF THE It will be a long time before Jordanians do
LATE KING HUSSEIN. AS DIRECTOR the inevitable of picking themselves up emo-
OF THE U.S. AGENCY FOR tionally and moving on. Support for his son
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN is coming from all quarters as could be
AMMAN, LUCKE HELPED HOST WORLD expected, and the prognosis for Abdullah is
LEADERS WHO ATTENDED
THE FUNERAL.
a positive one. Jordan will continue to
inhabit a volatile and sometimes dangerous
neighborhood and must deal effectively with
difficult economic challenges; true, its work
is cut out. In the meantime, it is time for all
of us who live in Jordan-Jordanian and for­eigner
alike-to contemplate the loss of this
most human and special of men who hap­pened
to be King. - Lewis Lucke '77 •
The views expressed in this article are
solely those of the author arul not necessar­ily
of the us. Agency for Internatimwl
Development.
Lucke can be reached bye-mail at
lIucke@usaid.gov
THUNDERBIRD 52 I 3 I 1999 23
NON
WORKING
u.s.
Irmnigration
Issues
Andrew Sagartz '95
Tund.,bITds are lrained to be gIo­betrotting
business managers. As such,
most have faced immigration issues,
many as foreign students or workers. My
first experience eight years ago with the
Immigration & Naturalization Service
(INS) was a disaster that resulted in the
embarrassing cancellation of my wedding
in Japan. Through lack of information, I
inadvertently created a situation in which
my bride, a Japanese national who first
came to the U.S. to study on an F visa,
would not be allowed re-entry until the
INS approved our application. After our
disaster, I vowed to confront the immigra­tion
demon, first with law school course­work
and then in legal practice, so that I
could help others avoid our nightmarish
experience.
This article focuses upon the most
widely utilized non-immigrant visas, rep­resented
by the letters of the alphabet,
which entrepreneurial Thunderbirds
should know.
Conditions: The B-1/B-2 (visitor for
business/pleasure) visa is the most used­and
perhaps the most abused-non-immi­grant
visa. B-1 business visitors may not
engage in productive employment in the
US. They are generally required to have
an overseas employer and must continue
24 THUNDERBIRD 52 1 3 1 1999
to receive their salary from an overseas
source during their temporary visit.
Permissible business activities include
negotiating contracts, consulting with
business associates (this is not the same
as engaging in general consulting work),
or participating in trade shows, confer­ences
and seminars. The most notable
exceptions allowing employment inciden­tal
to a legitimate B-1 business activity
include: (1) foreign nationals coming to
the United States to install or service
equipment within one year after the sale if
the contract specifically requires such ser­vices;
(2) visitors who will participate in a
US. training program; and (3) members of
a US. board of directors. For B-2 visitors
for pleasure, employment is always for­bidden.
/-:-1 T/"{·;I1.\ T";lfll'l's;lIld
E-~ Tn';ll,\ III\('sll11's (I': \ IS;I)
Conditions: E visa holders are entitled
to enter the U.S. pursuant to a treaty
between the US. and the foreign national's
country of nationality. Not all countries
are eligible to confer E-1 and E-2 status on
their nationals. For example, nationals of
Japan are eligible for both classifications;
nationals of Israel for only E-l classifica­tion;
nationals of Egypt for only E-2 classi­fication;
and nationals of Brazil are not
eligible for either.
For E-l status, the US. enterprise must
be engaged in substantial international
trade (more than 50 percent) with the
treaty country. This includes the direct
exchange of goods for money as opposed
to trade through an independent trading
company or on a commission basis. Trade
in services and technology is acceptable.
"Substantial trade" is defined as a continu­ous
flow of items, taking into account
both the volume and monetary value of
the trade conducted. Thus, proof of
numerous transactions, although individ­ually
small in value, might suffice.
Consular officers have vast discretion in
determining substantiality and thresholds
for developed countries are higher than
those for less developed countries.
E-2 status is available to foreign
investors that have invested substantially
in a US. enterprise. "Investment" means
irrevocably committing personal funds
and placing them at-risk with an expecta­tion
of generating a profit. The investment
must be "active" as opposed to sitting
uncommitted in a bank account. Although
there is no minimum dollar amount as to
what is "substantial," E-2 status is gener­ally
denied if the expected return on
investment will only provide a living for
the applicant. The type of enterprise and
the amount normally needed to com­mence
operations are considered in the
determination.
Based upon the nationality of the ulti­mate
owners, the U.S. enterprise must be
at least 50 percent owned by nationals or
corporations having the nationality of the
treaty country. The applicant must also
have the nationality of the treaty country
and qualify as an executive, supervisor or
an individual possessing special qualifica­tions
which are essential to the U.S. oper­ation.
Knowledge of a foreign language,
by itself, is not a special qualification.
Time Limit: E visas are typically issued
for up to five years and can be extended
indefinitely as long as the holder and U.S.
entity continue to qualify.
Sp(I(·jall\ ()("("llP;llj()1\
\\ 'mk('/"s (H-l B \'iScl)
Conditions: The H visa classification
includes several sub-classifications
designed to help employers meet tempo­rary
labor needs. The H-IB "specialty
occupation" is most frequently utilized.
H-lBs have a numerical limit which was
recently raised to 115,000 visas but will
return to its original 65,000 quota in fiscal
year 2002 and thereafter. Some speculate
that the current quota will be met prior to
the end of the 1999 fiscal year.
To qualify as a specialty occupation, the
position offered must require a U.S. bach­elor's
degree or its equivalent. An H-lB
applicant must have such a degree, or
alternatively, foreign education or
employment experience determined
equivalent to the degree.
Employers are required to complete the
Labor Condition Application ("LCA") pro­cedure
with the U.S. Department of Labor
("DOL") prior to submission of the peti­tion
to the INS. They must also create and
maintain documentation in support of the
assertions made on the LCA. The docu­mentation
must support the assertions
that: 1) wages to be paid are equal to or
exceed the prevailing wage for that occu­pation;
2) the position's working condi­tions
will not adversely affect similarly
situated U.S. workers; 3) no labor dispute
exists at the place of employment; and 4)
a notice of the LCA, including a complaint
notification, was conspicuously posted
for ten days. Thunderbirds should care­fully
choose legal counsel to assist with
the HI-B process.
Pursuant to recent legislation, H-IB
employers who are dependent must com­ply
with additional displacement and
recruitment attestations. A dependent
employer is one with 1 to 25 full-time
equivalent U.S. employees with more than
7 H-IB non-immigrants; 26 to 50 full-time
equivalent U.S. employees with more than
12 H-lB non-immigrants; or more than 50
full-time equivalent U.S. employees with
15% or more H-IB non-immigrants. Both
dependent and non-<iependent employers
must also document that they are offering
identical benefits to both H-lB employees
and U.S. workers. Noncompliance with
the LCA procedures can result in substan­tial
civil penalties of up to $35,000 per vio­lation,
in addition to bars from submitting
further applications for a period of up to
three years. An additional $500 fee was
imposed on petitioning employers at the
time of filing an initial petition or exten­sion
of stay.
Time Limit: H-IB visa holders may ulti­mately
remain in the U.S. for up to six
years. Once the maximum stay has been
reached, the visa holder must depart the
U.S. for at least one year prior to reapply­ing
for H or L classification.
T/"<ljl\(I(1 (JI-:j)
Conditions: The H-3 trainee visa is
used to obtain U.S. training unavailable in
the applicant's country of nationality. This
classification is most easily granted where
a formal training program with classroom
instruction and close supervision exists.
The training, however, can be developed
to accommodate a one-time need or even
a "good will" situation. Productive
employment must be limited and no U.S.
workers may be displaced.
TIme Limit: Additionally, foreign nation­als
who remain in the U.S. for the maxi­mum
period of two years must remain
outside of the U.S. for at least six months
before changing their classification.
Illt/";l("(Jlllj l(lll~' Trillls{"(Ij'(I(1
(L-\'js,l)
Conditions: L visas are intended to
help multinational corporations facilitate
international transfers. To qualify: (1) the
applicant must be employed by a parent,
subsidiary, branch office, affiliate or joint
venture of the U.S. petitioner for at least
one of the three years prior to the applica­tion;
(2) such employment abroad must
be as an executive, manager, or in a spe­cialized
knowledge capacity; and (3) the
U.S. position must require an executive,
manager, or specialized knowledge indi­vidual.
The U.S. petitioner must be "doing
business," that is, engaged in the regular
continuous provision of goods or ser­vices.
The mere presence of an agent or
office in the U.S. is not enough.
Time Limit: If the U.S. entity is in exis­tence
for less than one year, it is viewed as
a "new office" and authorized stay is ini­tially
limited to one year, as opposed to a
three-year limitation for established com­panies.
Extensions of new office petitions
can be problematical if the company has
not been successful during its start up.
The 1-1 visa for specialized knowledge
individuals is valid for up to five years;
while managers and executives may
remain in the U.S. for a maximum period
not to exceed seven years.
('elile\( liilllS & \ i('xicclJ IS ('1'\-1 )
Conditions: Pursuant to the North
American Free Trade Agreement
("NAFTA"), citizens of Canada and Mex­ico
engaged in "business activities at a
professional level" are eligible for TN-l
classification. Generally, the foreign
national must possess at least a baccalau­reate
degree or other appropriate creden­tials
to evidence status as a professional
and engage in a limited list of occupa­tions.
The entry procedures vary for Can­adians
and Mexicans. Canadians may
present the appropriate documents
directly at a U.S. port of entry or a Can­adian
preflight inspection or clearance
station. Documentation includes proof of
Canadian citizenship, a letter from a U.S.
employer evidencing employment in one
of the listed professions/occupations, and
evidence of their professional qualifica­tions
and/or license requirements. Con­versely,
applications for Mexican citizens
are filed directly with the INS Service
Center, requiring formal approval prior to
admission.
Time Limit: TN-l classification may be
issued for one year at a time, but is renew­able.
The main disadvantage of TN-l clas­sification
is that acceptable professions!
occupations are limited. Unless the posi­tion
offered and the applicant's qualifica­tions
fit squarely into the acceptable
categories, problems may occur. •
Andrew Sagartz '95 practices immigra­tion,
employment and general corporate
law at the firm of Masuda, Funai, Eifert &
Mitchell, Ltd. with offices in Chicago and
Rolling Meadows, Illinois and Cincinnati,
Ohio.
Sagartz can be reached by telephone at
(312) 245-7500 and bye-mail at
asagartz@masudafunai.com.
THUNDERBlRD 52 13 I 1999 25
Noel "Bud" Robyn has been named Senior Vice President for
Executive Education at Thunderbird. Robyn was Director of
Exec. Ed. at the University of Miami. He has 25 years of expe­rience
in the international divisions of Ralston Purina,
ConAgra and Phone Merieux, and speaks four languages.
26 THUNDER BIRD 52 131 1999
ON THE SPOT:
School Offers
Niche Programs
y", T-bird diploma hangs prorrtinendy on the wall of a
plush, paneled office you're worked very hard to reach. Your
company respects and rewards you. Your future seems secure.
It's just that you want something different. Or perhaps, given
certain market changes, you're just a little insecure. Or, your
prized protege has that secret flaw. Don't worry, one of Thun­derbird's
executive niche programs can help.
"When most people think of Executive Education at
Thunderbird, they're thinking about our Executive Masters of
International Management program," said Frank Uoyd, vice
president, executive education. "The truth is that the EMIM
program only serves about 100 executives each year. Our other
programs, however, reach about 3,000 per year and account for
fully 80 percent of the business we do in Exec. Ed."
Thunderbird has somewhat quietly developed a comprehen­sive
series of continuing education classes for busy execu­tives.
Those classes meet anywhere from one to 13 weeks and
include everything from timely finance, marketing or strategy
classes, to industry-specific or consortium programs, to com-n.~~
SdwI'"
I---.J ""-_
.."-_".."..-'..".."."..". .'-. .'... ., .-1 _9.-1.6.. •-....•-.... ", .-.. _... ..­.........-
*<>- 50 ,.... of ...........
*Ac:clairMd international &why
*30,000 alumni in 9.000
-'<oandl.lO......na
*WorId-da, leami,. &dUlia
*T"I'"....ud pIuuc ad
CllleCUtM cducarion ptapaIft$
*0fT0n intipm.l """' .......
cu"aualobol~
*Eduao ...... 3.500-w...
and ......... ncry,...
Executive Education advertisements like this one are targeted at train·
ing and development personnel. The dual purpose ads must recruit key
executives by educating corporate leaders about the unique value
offered by Thunderbird. By enhancing the perceived value of the
Thunderbird brand, the ads also benefit the school's 31,000 alumni.
pany-designed customized training packages. Cost is generally
about $4,500 per week for standard programs and includes
tuition, materials, accommodations, and meals.
According to Lloyd, 50 percent of that business involves
customized programs, 30 percent serves consortium groups of
non-competing firms that jointly explore relevant issues, and
20 percent flows from open enrollment programs. To date,
most standard programs are held at Thunderbird, with about
45 percent of executives flying in from other lands, but some
20 programs per year are held in 15 foreign countries. lloyd
wants to actively expand those programs during the next five
years.
"Our programs fit several needs. One scenario is for the
business person who changes assignments, going into a differ­entjob
function or country," said Marty O'Toole '96, director,
sales and marketing. "The programs are also great when an
immediate need arises because of some internal change within
a company or when companies lack sufficient in-house
resources for international training. In either case, we provide
a real-world, applicable solution to the global issues people
face."
Executives who take programs may also do individual and
small group projects that are designed to develop immedi­ately-
transferable skill sets. They also gain valuable peer con­tacts
and have the opportunity to discuss specific company
problems one-on-one with the professor(s) who teach their
course.
O'Toole and staff actively market executive programs
through direct mail, telephone, and advertisements aimed at
training and development personnel, as well as those with
global career paths. They also appreciate alumni word-of­mouth
help. "Much of our marketing strategy involves educat­ing
key worldwide business leaders about the Thunderbird
brand, as well as differentiating Thunderbird from other busi­ness
schools that just happen to have an international program
or two," he said. "As executives attend these programs and
learn more about the school, they come to better understand
the real value of a Thunderbird degree. Often, they return to
their company and suggest hiring aT-bird. " •
THUNDERBIRD MAGAZINE
Volume 52, Number 3,1999
A publication of the Alumni Relations Office of Thunderbird,
The American Graduate School of International Management, 15249 N. 59th
Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85306-6006 (602) 978-7135, FAX (602) 978-6814
Assistant Vice President for Communication and Editor:
Nelda S. Crowell
Managing Editor:
Lindsey Michaels
Contributing Writers:
Tina Ashamalla, Rainey C. Christofferson, Lewis Lucke '77,
Jessica McCann, Tatiana Poliakova, Klaus Reinisch, Andrew Sagartz '95
Director of Alumni Communications:
Lindsey Michaels
Communication Secretary:
Belinda Gleason
Design:
Pat Kenny Graphic Design
Associate Vice President & Director of Development:
Richard Tollefson, Jr. '83
Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations:
Joy C. Lubeck '86
Director of Alumni Events & Operations
Michelle Olson
Director of New Alumni and Development Initiatives:
KirnDouwes
Thunderbird Alumni Association 1998-1999
Board of Directors and Officers:
Chairman of the Board:
Christopher P. Johnson '86
President:
Annette A Cazenave '79
Vice Presidents:
Catalina E. Cisneros '97, Bruce B. Olson '82, Eileen Parisi '92,
Michael L. Stitt '89, Frank D. Zanin '86
Board Members:
Beatrice Cueto '87, Suzanne Duvall '95, Marcos R. Garay '79,
Beatrice E. Haechler '90, Alexander Kramer '90, Barney Lehrer '89,
W. Jeff Martin '90, A Lance McInnes '90, Eileen Parisi '92, Alban Schuele '70,
Herman White '86, Micah Joel (TSG President)
Secretary:
Joy Lubeck '86
Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management is com·
mitted to creating a positive educational environment that includes the talent and
diversity that exists globally. In compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972, Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992, the Family
and Medical Leave Act of 1993, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the School
does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, handicap, or age in any of its poliCies, procedures or practices; nor does
the School, in compliance with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967,
amended in 1978 and 1986, and as amended with the older workers Benefit
Protection Act of 1990, and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974,
discriminate against any employees or applicants for employment on the basis of
their age or because they are disabled veterans or veterans of the Vietnam Era.
DIRECTORY
Alumni Relations
(602) 978-7135 (phone) (602) 978-6814 (fax:)
e-mail
Admissions: johnsor\i@t-bird.edu
Alunmi Giving: tollefsr®t-bird.edu
Alunmi Relations: alunmi@t-bird.edu
Career Management Center: martind@t-bird.edu
Communication: michaell@t-bird.edu
Submissions may be sent electronically to Lindsey Michaels
through the Internet: michaell@t-bird.edu; or by fax: (602) 978-8238.
Visit Thunderbird at http://www.t-bird.edu
THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999 27
San Francisco
Chapter Lives
Diversity
Drawing from the diversity of
cultures and the rich background
of the Thunderbird Alumni
Network, the San Francisco chap­ter
holds monthly gatherings
designed to be both a social activ­ity
and an informative evening.
Evenings include speakers on
such diverse topics as regional
traditions, foods, customs, art, lit­erature,
music, etc .. . The first
Cultural Night was held in the
home of Mabtab Beheshti, who
spoke on the subject of Iran.
Since then topics have included
TUrke~ Thailand, Ecuadorand
"making of American food night. "
Shelley and John Walker '78
(right) discovered Robert
Stevens '70 and his family at
the Tango Mar Beach Resort.
Tambor, Costa Rica, last
Christmas when John
noticed the T-bird tee shirt
Robert's son was wearing.
C 11 .\ PTE H S
You Are a Thunderbird Alumni
Association (TAA) Member
An Thunderbird MIM, EMIM, and MIMLA graduates become
automatic members of the Thunderbird Alumni Association (TAA).
They don't have to register. Because of these, T-birds don't seem to
realize tllat they are part of the Thunderbird Alumni Association.
Created in the mid-I980s, the TAA has become more organized
and active in recent years. Elected leaders will represent four
Regional Councils-Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North
America 1\vo representatives from each council will also repre­sent
their region on the Global Board, which is over-seen by Joy
Lubeek '86 Avp, alumni relations.
The Thunderbird Alwnni Association is clwged primarily with
creating more and higher quality linkages between the School and
its 31,000 alumni throughout the world. It seeIcs to better spottight
their accomplishments It also strives to keep School administra­tors
inbmed about alumni needs.
"In the pest, we've had. T-hiRIs netwodebtg "1''''' tbroUgb­outtbe~
but we didn't 8e& tormal., b'ahBmdw-..
28 THUNDERBIRD 52 131 1999
Salt Lake Building a
Better Chapter
The Salt Lake Chapter is work­ing
to build a better chapter by
addressing the needs of its mem­bers.
Vivian Jones '95 and
Michel Benitez '96 are seeking
the input of current Salt Lake
Alumni to shape the future of the
chapter. A questionnaire was sent
out in the last newsletter asking
such things as highlighting
favorite events, initiating an
annual dues plan to pay for chap­ter
activities and leadership
potential. The Salt Lake Chapter
hopes to tailor its club for better
participation and networking
opportunities with survey results.
Sami Jalai '79 and John Cook '79
reunite in Bahrain. Jalai talked Cook
into studying Arabic when they first
arrived at Thunderbird. Jalai is
Director of his family's business,
Mohammad Jalai & Sons, which
represents international companies
in Bahrain. Cook has his own invest­ment
business, W.J. Hopper & Co.
ltd. in Switzerland. It was the first
time the two had visited in 19 years.
CTAA Website Links
Chicago to the World
All T-birds now have a quick
and easy way to access events in
the Chicago area. Thanks to the
efforts of Mike Muth '86, the
Chicago chapter and any
T-birds visiting Chicago can
network on-line as well as in
person. The website located at
http://www. bigfootcoml-cgot­bird
is now up and running and
new infonnation is being added
all the time. Currently visitors can
access basic infonnation includ­ing
contact infonnation for the
chapter, 1999 board members and
events for 1999.
Latin America
Chapter Key to
Road Show's
Success
Bob Garrison '61, Ricardo
Smith Estrada '93, Fernando
Ferre '94 and Bea Cueto '87 in
Argentina, Tripp Sickler '95 and
Nick Walker '98 in Chile, and
Russel Evans '95, Ricardo
Mirando Silva '89 and Claudia
Brun '95 in Brazil, helped make
the March Latin American Road
Show a resounding success by
integrating "First Tuesday" and
other aspects of the "T-bird net­work"
to promote the event to
local alunmi. The turnout in each
country was great and the suc­cess
overwhelming for Thunder­bird's
International Trade Finance
Center's Global Forum event.
T-birds from around Latin
America had an outstanding
opportunity to meet each other
in an infonnative and thought
provoking environment.
European Alurrmi
Hit Barcelona For
Reunion
June 3 to 6 will see the peace­ful
streets of Barcelona, Spain
teeming with Thunderbird
Alunmi from around Europe in
this year's Gala Reunion. The
event planned by alunmi Sharon
de Alwis '87 and Yolanda
Bassat '90 will coincide with the
Global Forum presentation of
"Global Brand Marketing," on
June 4. The reunion will include a
Gala Ball and door prizes donated
by ClubMed and Delta Airlines.
Eight T-bird alumni who work for
the American Soybean Association
gathered at a recent industry confer­ence.
They are from back row, left:
Rick Row '79, Cyprus, John Lindblom
'74, Singapore, Jim Echle 72, Toyko,
Tom Brennan 79, Vienna,
Jim Hershey '84, st. Louis, (front row
from left) Craig Ratajczyk '9S, St.
Louis, Chris Andrew '97, Instanbul,
and Phil Laney '71, Beijing.
Finland Has New
Chapter Leader
The Finland Chapter has been
revitalized with the election of
new chapter leader, Phillip
Matthi '75. The group meets in
Helsinki, and soon plans to incor­porate
more elaborate meetings
with local T-birds to exchange
thoughts, ideas and friendship.
All Finland alunmi are encour­aged
to contact Matthi for
updated infonnation at e-mail:
matthai@wider.unu.edu.
Forum 2000
Takes on Phoenix
Dr. Robert Conklin '91 is the
founder of the Phoenix Chapter's
Forum 2000, whereby speakers
with topics concerning the new
millennium. The first series took
place on February 27 in Scotts­dale
where the Rev. C. John
McCloskey discussed "Truth and
Faith in the Marketplace in the
Third Millennium. '
Ahmet Toygar '77, Assistant General Manager
for TAT Conserve, a company that is among the
five most recognized brands in Turkey, meets
with current student Humberto Faraco, of
Mexico, who was in Turkey doing research for
Sunkist as part of an InterAd project. Erol
Moran '63, Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather in
Turkey also met with InterAd students.
• Class NetwortciI'9
~No""'"
• Thunderbird Balloon 0assIc
• Tee-Bird Masters golf
tournament
• 3rd Annual International
Graduate Business School
Rugby Invitational
• T-bird Tennis Tourney
• Campus Tour
• Gala Reception and Dinner
Dance
Sunday, November 7
• Thunderbird Balloon Classic
• 3rd Annual International
Graduate Business School
Rugby Invitational
• Farewell Brunch
THUNDERBIRD 52 /3/ 1999 29
'47·'59
Alfred G. Eriksson '47
started a business deal­ing
with prints and maps.
He lives in New York City.
Wilbur Robert Marisa '47
translates for the North American
Trentini Tyrolean Association, and
advises H.&J. Export Co. of South
Africa He lives in Ventnor, NJ. Henry
C. Wbiting, Jr. '47 retired from
Texaco and eJ\joys living in Daytona
Beach, FL. Chester (Chet) Beaman
'48 retired from 23 years in the U.s.
diplomatic service and 22 years as a
management consultant He lives with
his wife, Mary, in Alexandria, VA and
has 2 children and 7 grandchildren.
Donald J. Lenertz '48 has retired after
57 years in business and the military. He
and his wife, Dorothy, live on a 35 acre
country site. Joseph Bender '50 is
leisure manager with Travel Pros in
Dallas, TX. James W. Clarke '50
retired ten years ago. He has visited
over 20 countries and lives in Ocala, FL.
Robert M. Frehse, Jr. '50 is executive
director for the Hearst Foundation. He
had been with Citibank overseas for 24
years. He lives in Bronxville, NY. Harry
G. Hovey '50 has retired and lives in
Montecito, CA. Barker D. Bates '51
celebrated his 88th birthday in October
1998. He and his wife, Marjorie, live in
Longview, WA. Corinne (Hohn)
Milton '51 works for the University of
Arizona and as a real-estate investor.
She lives in Tucson, AZ. Roy C. Strom
'51 and his wife, Eva,live in Cloverdale,
CA in the winter, and in Eugene, OR in
the surruner where his 3 children and 7
grandchildren live. Richard Johnson
'52 was featured in the November­December
1998 issue of Harvard
Magazine. He is an associate in mala­cology
at Harvard's Museum of
Comparative Zoology. He resides in
Chestnut Hill, MA. James Valentine
Kauft'man '52 operated feed lots in
Queretaro, MexiCO, but is now retired.
He lives in Mexico, where his three chil­dren
and nine grandchildren are.
Clarence R. O'Neal '52 is retired and
lives with his wife, Tamara, in the
Vienna Woods in Austria Ray Voisard
'52 is a professional artist in Northern
California. He and his wife, Dorothy,
live in Hopland, CA. Benson I. Hattem
'53 has retired from the San Francisco
Redevelopment Agency after more than
40 years of public service. He is known
for his fight against discrimination. H.
R. Harris '54 is retired from DuPont
E.I. de Nemours and Co. as a manager,
export sales. He resides in Jacksonville,
FL. Dale L. Sheets '55 is retired and
has traveled around the world. He lived
in Brazil for seven years. He and his
wife, Lourdes, live in Sunnyvale, CA.
Robert (Bob) Milton Cottam '56 is
brand marketing manager with River
City Petroleum, Inc. He lives and works
in West Sacramento, CA. Virgil F.
t · PI>.\TES
- -
Carlson '57 retired from Coldwell
Banker Richard Smith. He lives in
Georgetown, TX. Jerome Firsty '57
owns Firbeck Inc, an office and school
supplies company. He has no plans for
retirement and lives with his wife, Ruth,
in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Parker
McLaren '57 has retired and lives in
Brunswick, ME with his wife, Barbara
Joaquin Gil del Real '58 is retired, but
serves as director of Patronado Panama
Viejo, trying to safeguard ruins of
Panama Viejo. Juergen R. Goldhagen
'58 has retired and lives in Sleepy
Hollow, NY with his wife, Suzanne.
David G. Hogan '58 retired from
Mercy Hospital as manager/plant engi­neer
and now lives in Houlton, ME.
James A. Magoun ITI '58 is a certified
public accountant in Maumee, OH. L.T.
Osborne '59 has retired and lives in
Southern California
'60·'69
William S. Poston '59 retired as inter­national
sales manager of Daniel Prod­ucts
Company. He currently resides in
New York City. Eugene (Gene) Miller
'61 is chief of party for a USAlDlNicar­agua
project that assists associations
and small farmers hit by Hurricane
Mitch. Ralph G. Hanning '62 is bro­ker/
owner of Prudential Hanning
Realtors. He was just elected Tennessee
Association of Realtors 1998 Realtor of
the Year. He and his wife, Maureen, live
rna. frtestYIe relay.
in Hendersonville, TN.
Theodore F. (Ted) Ryan
'62 is president of
Longevity Concepts
Corporation in Dallas, TX.
Lawrence W. Knapp '63 is
self-employed and lives in Morro
Agudo, Brazil. D.K. Lutz '64 is working
in the Office of Ingpector General at the
U.S. Department of State. Garry S.
Moore '64 is self-employed, offering
export marketing assistance to small
companies in Sweden. He and his wife,
Berit, reside in Harnoesand, Sweden.
Joseph Nawrocki '64 retired and
became an international courier, giving
him the opportunity to travel the world
for little or nothing. He also operates a
consulting business. Douglas B. Cool
'65 has retired and lives in Carpinteria,
CA. George M. Dykes '65 is director
for major donor and government rela­tions
with Mercy International USA, a
non-profit organization. He lives in Alex­andria,
VA. Robert W. Gowland '65 is
regional sales manager with Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Co. He and his wife,
Mary, reside in Chagrin Falls, OH.
Lawrence Prager '65 is sales manager,
Asia Pacific for GSI International in
Fallbrook, CA. GSI supplies technology,
mechanical devices, and steel structures
for grain storage. Franco Michelato
'66 is a research officer for Touring Club
of Italy in Milano, Italy. George R.
Mueller '66 owns Mueller and
Mctntyre began swimming In high school and continued this pursuit
as a student at DetroIt: IristItute of Technology. At the • of 35, he
joined the US. Masters Swimming Assodation-a member of
Federation Internatlonale de Natation Amateur, which is the Interna­tional
organization that governs aquatic sports. Mcintyre is a member
of the Gold Coast Maters Swimming Team, and is currently planning
to take part in the next U.S. National Championship this summer in
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Mcintyre credits his education at Thunderbird as a major ingredient of
his professional success, including his career as an International
Marketing Director for Seven
Up, Inc. He resides in Miami,
Florida and now works in the
field of commercial real estate.
30 THUNDERBIRD 52 I 3 I 1999
Associates in Boca Raton, FL. Mack B.
Shaw '66 had his own restaurant busi­ness
in the Canibean for the past 30
years. He retired in 1994 and resides in
Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Ralph
D. Ferguson '67 is a sales manager
with British Telecom in Fullerton, CA.
David G. Fisher '67 retired after teach­ing
28 years at the International Educa­tion
Center in Tokyo, Japan. Gary J.
Gwizdala '67 is general manager, cus­tomer
support with Panasonic in
Torrance, CA. Richard E. Ragsdale
'67 retired as chairman of Community
Health Systems, Inc., which he co-found­ed
in 1985. He and his wife, Anne, live in
Nashville, TN and became first-time
grandparents in February. Richard R.
Austin '68 is a strategy planning manag­er
with EDS (Electronic Data Systems)
Corp. He lives with his wife, Lisa Ann
(Belsito) '83, who also works for EDS
in Plano, TX. Ernest F. Koch '68 is a
consultant with Nordberg Sales in
Milwaukee, WI. Richard C. Krunun '68
has spent 30 years with Banque
Nationale de Paris in New York City and
s assistant vice president, operations -
payment services. He plans to retire in
January 2000 and return to his home­town
of Missoula, MT. B. Allen Lundy
'68 is president, ACM International in
Muntinlupa City, Philippines. David R.
Mcintyre '68 is a competitive swimmer
with the U.S. Masters Swimming
Association. He and his team recently
set a new world record for the 200
meters free style relay and the 200
meters medley relay for men over age
50. He lives in Miami, FL. John W.
Unruh '68 is director of sales and mar­keting
with The Military Beat, a maga­zine
for the Puget Sound region. He lives
in Everett, W A. Brian GauIer '69 is
program coordinator, export develop­ment
program with the Outreach and
Extension office of the University of
Missouri and Lincoln University in
Columbia, MO. Timothy R.H. Jones
'69 is international marketing analyst
with John Deere Consumer Products in
Charlotte, NC. Thomas F. Krill '69 is
international training manager with
Clark Material Handling Co. He lives in
Lexington, KY. Michael O. Murphy '69
is a consultant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Sanford J. Stone '69 retired from the
Department of Defense after 31 years of
service. He is a consultant to the U.S.
State Department in the Bureau of Latin
American Affairs and lives in
Alexandria, VA. James L. Wtlson '69 is
senior vice president and chief operating
officer with First Data Bank, Inc. He
lives in Los Altos, CA.
'70·'73
Christopher J. Barltrop '70
is senior program manager
with Chemomics International.
He resides in Oakton, VA.
Lynne Towle Cumming '70 is
marketing director with the
Larson Group in Colorado
Springs, CO. Oliver G. Jakob '70 is
business manager for the Windsor
Northwest Supervisory Union, a con­glomeration
of seven public school dis­tricts.
He lives in Fairlee, VI'. Robert J.
Kerner '70 is a labor relations/safety
division manager with Caterpillar Inc.
John Murphy '70 is CEO of Jennett
Investment in Corona Del Mar, CA. Gus
Nixon '70 is director, ocean imports
with Circle International in Irving, TX.
R. Mason Truluck '70 left Standard
Communication Corp. in 1994 to start a
satellite and cable TV equipment com­pany
named Digitrans, which supplys
products to major broadcast networks
and cable companies. He lives in
Huntington Beach, CA. Oscar B.
Cerallo '71 is president and founder of
Tops and Bottoms Internacional, C.A.,
the exclusive licensee for Levi's jeans
and related products in Venezuela He
and his wife, Elizabeth Garcia, live in
Caracas, Venezuela Dave C. Dreblow
'71 obtained a real estate brokers
license to combine a career of real
estate, relocation, and mortgage bank­ing
all under one umbreUa Jon
Dwinell '71 is director of international
credit for Paccar Financial in BeUevue,
W A. He spends much of his time work­ing
in Mexico. Dr. Stephen J.
Johnson '71 is a clinical neuropsychol­ogist
and a clinical assistant professor
of rehabilitation medicine at Emory
University School of Medicine in
Atlanta, GA. He and his wife, Marianne,
live in Atlanta, GA and have two chil­dren
in coUege. William H. Murphy
'71 left HealthSouth Corp. to start his
own company, Nationallmaging
Affiliates. He and his wife, Renee, live in
Dallas, TX with their four children.
R.C. Russell '71 is an audit manager
with the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation in Dallas, TX. William L