Two Worlds Colliding

By: Paul Suter Issue: Resource Management Section: Community

The Center for Immigrants & Immigration Services

Nine years ago, Augustin Niamkey came to Colorado from the Ivory Coast on a church mission. In the midst of his journey, word came that war had broken out in his homeland and that he would not be able to return to his country. It was devastating news, but Niamkey accepted the challenge and focused on making a new life in Colorado.

Niamkey’s story is not uncommon. In fact, every year scores of African immigrants—many of whom have survived torture, rape, war trauma, human trafficking, and other forms of human rights abuses—find asylum in Colorado. They come here with little more than the clothes on their backs and the hope of being able to establish a new life in the modern world. For some, that prospect can be as overwhelming and as frightening as the conditions they escaped in their native countries.

Fortunately, these African immigrants are not alone. A local organization, the Center for Immigrants and Immigration Services (CIIS), is helping to make the transition from third world conditions into the 21st century easier for these immigrants and is finding incredible support from the local community along the way. Individuals, companies and organizations have become familiar with the work of CIIS and have donated time, money and resources to CIIS’s important and life-saving work.

One of the more significant challenges for CIIS and the incredible survivors it supports is the ability to adapt to modern society and understand the technology that fills most of our daily lives. While searching the internet, finding friends on Facebook, enjoying YouTube videos, or getting LinkedIn is commonplace for many of us, the immigrants who come to CIIS sometimes don’t know the difference between a television screen and a computer monitor. They are decades behind the technology revolution.

According to Frederick Jayweh, an immigrant from Liberia who established CIIS in Colorado in 2009, it is critical for the immigrants to learn about modern technology for many reasons, including everything from finding a job to avoiding the scams that are rampant across the internet. “Many of the immigrants who come to CIIS don’t know how to turn on a computer, much less how to use technology to its full capacity,” said Jayweh, who was a practicing attorney in Liberia before coming to the United States. “They want to learn the very basics so they can complete job applications online and better adapt to modern society. Our greatest challenge was finding a person or group who could provide the essential technology training to the people who so desperately want to learn.”

In December 2010, Jayweh submitted a request for a grant from the Rose Community Foundation’s Roots & Branches Program. As part of the process, he and some of the staff of CIIS were interviewed by a review committee that was charged with the responsibility of awarding the available grants. One of the committee members was a gentleman named Yosh Eisbart, a technology expert and co-founder, along with his business partner Michael Pytel, of the fast growing, Denver-based tech company, NIMBL.

Jayweh continued, "Following the review process, we were awarded the grant, and a few days later, I received a call from Eisbart saying that he wanted to help us with our technology needs,” said Jayweh. “It was like the frosting on the cake to get that call!"

“Before I knew it, Pytel, Eisbart, and the NIMBL team had established a new database for us and had recruited the help of Evolution Marketing Group to create a new website for CIIS. They also committed their technology experts to come to CIIS twice a month and instruct computer classes. We feel very fortunate and are incredibly grateful.”

“We deal with very complex technology issues on a daily basis, so this is a great way to not only help people, but also return to, and appreciate the very basics of what technology can do for all people,” explains Eisbart, whose company helps small businesses, as well as Fortune 100 companies maximize their business operations via technology. “Our team includes some of the world’s brightest tech minds, and yet they all love the opportunity to teach these courses and explain how to double-click on an icon, attach a document or search Craig’s List. It’s somewhat of an escape for them, but they also appreciate being able to help these new students of technology.”

So far, Niamkey has attended about a dozen classes at CIIS. He started his own janitorial services business a few years ago, and wanted to learn more about technology and how he could apply it to his business. He also wanted to avoid internet scams, like the one he had previously fallen victim to.

“My countrymen were in need of automobiles to transport war refugees from the Ivory Coast border to refugee camps in Ghana,” Niamkey begins his story. “I was here in the United States, and worked to find cars that could be purchased and delivered to my friends in Ghana. We found three cars on the internet that were perfect for our needs and paid a total of $12,300 for all of them. They arrived safely in Ghana, but when my friends tried to start the cars, nothing happened. They opened the hoods, and there weren’t any engines!” Niamkey smiles about the mistake, but also points out that many people—immigrants and longtime U.S. citizens alike—still get taken by unscrupulous characters who victimize people via the internet.

“I want to learn about and better prepare myself for the dangers of the internet,” he says since he fell victim to a fraudulent check scam not too long ago. “I’m trying to learn as much as I can.”

The technology classes at CIIS began in early summer of 2011, and so far nearly three dozen immigrants have been attending on a regular basis. All of the individuals have experienced extreme hardship and welcome their new home in Colorado and the world of technology with open arms. One of the students who recently arrived from Libya has already learned how to use Skype. He made it a priority, as his wife and three young children are still in Libya and hope to soon join their father in Colorado. In the meantime, they can still enjoy an attachment to one another thanks to another amazing advancement in technology.

“The work that the NIMBL team is doing is highly essential to the integration and settlement process for the immigrants,” said Jayweh. “The immigrants have as few as nine months to prove that they have the skills necessary to find work in the United States, and computer skills are obviously high on that list. Because of these classes, they are learning how to create Word documents, network, develop resumes and generally become computer literate. Many of these people are the survivors of terrible atrocities and are thankful for the opportunities in the United States. The work of the CIIS and of NIMBL is helping them to discover an entirely new world for themselves and their families.”

Niamkey has already learned a great deal at the computer classes, and on a recent snowy day was settling in to better understand Excel. However, he freely admits he is not the most advanced computer student, even in his own family. His two children, Fidele (8) and Emmanuel (14), have been taking computer classes of their own at school, and like almost any parent, he is finding that his children are much more adept at computers than he is.

“They’re more advanced than me! I’m not sure I can keep up with them anymore!”

About CIIS

The Center for Immigrants and Immigration Services was established on October 1, 2009 to provide curative and rehabilitative services to all immigrants and their families in Colorado who are survivors of torture, asylum seekers, war trauma survivors, and victims of other forms of human rights abuses including human trafficking victims. CIIS works with those who have treatment options or recuperative centers to help them recover and heal from the wounds of torture. CIIS provides immigration and legal services, social support and community resources, health care, mental and counseling, and research and multicultural training services. Please visit the new CIIS website at www.ciisdenver.org.

About NIMBL

NIMBL is a leading SAP consulting firm focused on nimble delivery and SAP specialized solutions. NIMBL's business- driven initiatives provide recognizable ROI for their clients and best-in-class SAP services. With expert consulting focused on enhancing customers' SAP platform, companies across the United States are actively seeking engagement with NIMBL. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Denver with offices in L.A. and Chicago, NIMBL serves both Fortune 500 organizations and the small to mid-sized marketplace. Privately held with annual growth of over 400 percent, NIMBL has quickly become one of the industry's hot new SAP stars. For more information regarding NIMBL, visit www.benimbl.com.

Communication, Art, and Resources

By: Maria E. Luna Issue: Resource Management Section: Business

Creating a Deeper Meaning

Art as a means of communication between artists and viewers is basically about the experience. It serves as a method to grow one’s spirit. Today’s art content and form tends to be glazed over by most viewers. The popular perception of beauty takes art back to the days of painted seashores, Parisian boulevards and umbrellas at outdoor cafes. Or perhaps, one might recall the Pop Art genre of Lichtenstein—fragmented musical instruments or comic-book-like paintings. However, today’s modern artist is likely to bring discarded objects into acknowledgement as a means of social awakening or as a way to comment on social irresponsibility.

The role of art has become a social adventure—more than one of aesthetics. And, the most important resource an artist uses is an art journal to guide their work. The journal becomes a tool to the artist as it records the art process. The process of using a journal in conjunction with creating art can increase the benefits for the artist, as well as give the viewer a more expressive artwork to view. There are reflective exercises an artist can follow to help produce work which fully develops ideas.

In society, artists have many roles and thusly, their work can be considered as a perspective into and of society. They are known as inventors, creators and maintainers of culture, said Kathryn Grushka, Ph.D. and senior art and design lecturer at the University of Newcastle. Artists can create work, and once an audience sees the work, it becomes an expression of the artist’s life. And, it can go beyond creative expression and be a method for healing or growth. If art is used in this way, it can change lives.

Art work often reflects four different areas of an artist’s life—individual, family, society, and world. The art work may represent these areas by metaphor or other modes of expression. What makes the difference is the artist taking note of the process. By taking note, the artist is able to make a record of successes, failures, and ideas. These notes will help the artist grow by giving the artist a basis for later reflection—and later inform understandings of truth.

Often, the artwork becomes a statement of the artist’s life—an example of their social, personal and cultural stances. And, the audience validates the work. Art can be used to express oneself and serves as a language between people. In some circumstances, speaking an expression or opinion can be difficult, painful or too emotional to verbally express. In addition, physical disabilities can also limit verbal expression, and art can become a device for expressing complex thoughts. “Art is a language unto itself helping us say the things we don’t have words for,” said Jeanie Lerche Davis of WebMD. If someone has a limited vocabulary, art can be used as an alternative means of expression. By using artwork to say something, the artist can express ideas with some self-reflection. Self-reflection can be done by taking note of the process in a journal.

The recording cycle process

Participating in any of the arts helps the artist find their voice and way. When done within a journal to track voice and way, meaning is created. The expression then becomes communication between two or more people. The process is the initial thoughts that form an idea of an artwork to the final stage of the audience’s reaction. This can be done through journal techniques geared towards art-making. There are many techniques to use, three of which will be mentioned later. Writings about a possible idea are the beginning thoughts in forming an artwork. The artist should keep in mind the journal is being used as an idea and development journal.

Creating art is receptive. It increases self-awareness and confidence in the creator. In addition, it can help heal physical and mental illnesses. In one case, a depressed patient found creating artwork released emotions and focused thoughts. The depression gradually lifted. In another case, a teenager learned to control impulses when he began to learn how to draw. Creating art was a form of meditation for the patient. The patient also experienced increased focus, quieter impulses and learned control. In other cases, creating art increased self-esteem; it became a way to release anger, gave focus, decreased stress and created happiness. Creating art as a way to heal is about expression and not skill. The work created for the purpose of well-being can be done at any skill level. “Art allows people to express those things for which they have never had words, but which currently affect their lives,” said Davis. If someone is an artist and can use their skill to increase well-being, then their ability has touched their individual, family, society and world areas of life. It touches the individual by physically increasing healing. It touches the family by mentally settling their lives by knowing a person they care for is healing. It touches society by the artist being able to create work for viewing. It touches the world by becoming communication possibly between multitudes of global viewers.

Creating art has benefits for the creator by providing a link to past and present experiences. By exploring past experiences, the artist can introspectively build on strengths. Artwork can serve as life’s review which can create significance in one’s life by honoring the artist’s life experiences.

An artist’s education and skill makes a better artist. Creating a journal can teach an artist to have a deeper connection to their artwork. The journal can be a teacher to the artist. The artist will find the journal will refresh “creative foundations because one is alive to the process, risk taking and the power of choices and mistakes; provoke deeper questions of oneself and art-making; circumvent cynicism because of fostering and witnessing, awe, wonder and the raw power of artistic engagement on a regular basis,” said Eric Booth in the Teaching Artist Journal. Combining the art process and reflection will refine an artist.

Artists are not the only ones to benefit from art-making. In fact, art plays a role in society and the world by being part of “the fields of education, community revitalization, health and healing, urban design and creating sustainable environments,” says Debra Ingram in Why Invest in Creativity.

The following three exercises aid the process. An icebreaker warm-up can be done before each exercise.

The classic method of gaining focus is finding a comfortable place, closing one’s eyes, taking a slow, deep breath and holding it—and releasing it; then the person repeats the process until completely relaxed and focused on the exercise.

Exercise One

Create a time capsule by adding embellishments to a journal. Each embellishment adds to creating a cohesive story. Depending on how many embellishments are added, they can become an entire collection of works. Think of artist Bruce Conner’s piece Looking Glass, 1964—a sculpture piece comprised of mannequin arms, a dried blowfish, magazine photographs, a shoe and other seemingly unrelated objects. It’s important to date the adding of embellishment. To add writing to the embellishment, the writer can note the emotions, people, places, time of life, atmosphere, colors and perspectives associated with the object. Adding embellishments enhances a journal through adding tangible objects, making the journal more factual and more than a one person perspective. Embellishments add a sense of bringing the journal to life and three dimensional.

Exercise Two

One technique in journal writing that can help an artist is prompts. This technique can help an artist get past creative blocks and develop ideas. The following exercises can be used in a journal and carry over into an artwork. An artist can ask themselves questions in a journal. These questions can be about any event the artist can remember. Possible questions include: What are my visual memories of the event? What colors are standing out in my particular memory? What shapes are present? What are my overall impressions of the topic?

An artist can also assist another person by asking the questions to someone who will want an event recorded. The event can be recorded by any medium with which the artist is comfortable.

Exercise Three

To reveal one’s true nature, the artist must reflect on their values. An exercise using photography is taking four values and writing a reaction to those values. One example of this is taking the value of faith and photographing religious buildings. Start this exercise with the following prompts: My values are…, Values I would like to have are…, I think values are…, I get my values from…, and I use my values by carrying out…

Then, the journalist numbers a paper from one to 100. A list of 100 thoughts related to this list is created. The values can repeat themselves. The writing of thoughts must be done quickly so that the writer does not think too long on any one value. After making the list, the writer reviews the values and picks four that stand out the most. Those four values will become the basis for the next art project. The values can be photographed, drawn, painted of sculpted. The artist may want to select more than four values and representations of those values.

To achieve a balanced life, an artist can use a journal to combine their life and art-making. There are many ways to go about writing in a journal, and there are just as many ways to use a journal to express the self. Journals are often thought of as a tool for a writer, but it can be a tool for developing art work. Art work is the final product. However, the artist has many benefits to using a journal that goes beyond creating artwork. Using the aforementioned process, artists can oftentimes bring their work to a new level. It will do this by giving the artist the opportunity to develop original ideas of the self. Many times artwork is developed from a thought without an awareness of how the artist’s background and values played into the process. The process of using a journal creates the background, thus giving the artwork a deeper meaning.

Information Technology

By: Stan Sellner and Darryl WatsonIssue: Resource Management Section: Business

The Systems Aren’t the Only Resource

Corporate and organizational technology groups are not typically viewed as a source of supply or support, as it relates to resources. Instead, the information technology (IT) groups in many organizations are seen as very expensive cost centers, a detriment to budgets and even as black holes with a life of their own. However, as companies learn how to foster cooperation and collaboration with the IT department, the likelihood of attaining the company’s goals increases proportionately.

Usually when technology groups are referenced, IT is the first type of group that comes to mind. The reality is that most companies have multiple departments that utilize or have an element of IT within them, making the group the de facto center for defining collaborative solutions. These IT groups also play various key roles in the continued viability of their companies, assisting company leadership by helping to define solutions as they are presented within departments.

As the state of the economy continues to fluctuate, technology groups have been tasked with assisting business leadership in laying out a coherent and actionable strategy that leverages increasingly scarce resources. Therefore, doing more with less has also become a constant challenge for the leadership of every company and the IT groups that support them. And, as this business climate continues to evolve and adapt, leaders will begin to recognize that their technology groups are truly valuable resources that can help the company to achieve better market advantage. To be effective though, the direction and focus of these groups needs to be in alignment with the company’s overarching business strategy and goals. Once specific business goals have been identified, the strategy to attain these goals becomes a joint responsibility across the entire company. This represents a call to action for the technology group to collaborate with others to define the potential business focused technology solutions that support the organization and move the business plan forward. The IT team then becomes a significant resource, helping a company achieve its goals, contributing to its success and creating the intellectual capital to sustain and grow its endeavor.

The New Frontline of Information Technology

Today’s business environment is substantially different than it was 10 years ago. While salary is still a motivator, it is job satisfaction, team successes, and a stimulating working environment that now figures prominently in growing human capital. The original top-down style of command and control, which presumes that employees are obedient, regimented and focused on their narrow roles, fails to consider the advantages of employees who form collaborative, independent teams. A team that is dynamic, adaptable, and easily re-directed may seem chaotic to the unversed, but this new regimen has proven to be a hallmark of success for pioneering teams.

This type of collaborative environment has become a cornerstone in building the intellectual capital needed to deliver innovative solutions that separate one company from another within the marketplace. No matter how much is invested in technology, the greatest influence on the effectiveness of any IT resources is its people. Managers who encourage and foster collaboration between departments tend to build better teams and enhance the ability to use IT as a resource for the organization.

An encouraging byproduct of collaboration is that it has the possibility to uncover disparate talents and hobbies that each of its team members possess that may not fall within the realm of their daily responsibilities. These talents can also be leveraged to help provide support for the business' goals. By fostering a culture of innovative ideas, efficient work processes, honest communications, team collaboration, realistic expectations, and an ethic of high quality, a company has the ability to maximize the effectiveness and contributions of its technology teams. Concurrently, these same employees can then develop a sense of ownership to the overarching business objectives of the company by providing their own unique contribution to successfully accomplish those goals.

Within most organizations, managers have traditionally viewed IT’s hardware, software and personnel as overhead or expenses rather than as key assets or resources. While systems are expensive to acquire, customize, develop, implement and maintain properly, they become even more expensive, wasting valuable resources when they do not help fulfill a stated company goal or strategy. When the IT group is engaged in building and deploying the best value solution to align with a company’s defined business requirements, it leverages the IT systems investment as a resource.

As companies assess their businesses processes, it is important to take a structured approach that will allow the IT group to understand what the individual system’s needs really are. This is vital because the proper system's solution leads to business intelligence insights that help foster collaboration across the organization, which in turn shortens the feedback and correction lifecycle that results in a more nimble and successful company.

But in many cases, once a solution has been deployed, companies make the erroneous assumption that it will run unattended. As automation continues to grow and businesses rely more heavily on IT, the proper tuning and systems adjustments are essential to the life of the business if they intend to remain focused on their goals. A nimble IT platform that can function as a delivery resource necessary to help meet a business' next market challenge is the product of a collaborative and engaged technology team.

As the costs of data acquisition and retention continue to fall, IT departments end up holding and managing vast amounts of uncategorized data. And as the emerging business intelligence sector has demonstrated, this data can be used both to measure past successes as well as to drive new activities. Therefore, information such as customer needs, preferences and location gathered via a company’s business system is another major asset housed within the IT arena.

While much of the data is relevant to the current business environment, it can also be relevant for future business initiatives. Collaboration and sharing business objectives between the business units and IT can result in capturing previously untapped business intelligence from the collection of information. Additionally, the data collected can be retained to provide insights about product successes and to refine the business strategy and goals.

As with any endeavor that first maps out its direction, strategy and goals before deciding on a technology solution set, companies that are in a better position to achieve success are using technology as a resource to actively leverage their full potential.

Invest in People, Improve Profits and the Global Economy

By: Diane IrvinIssue: Resource Management Section: Business

Conserving Resources, Saving Money, Doing Good

Every business, regardless of size, is impacted by, and in turn impacts the global economy. As business leaders focus on rebuilding to pre-recession status and improving the bottom line, their successes are inherently part of the solution—a resource—for what ails the global economy.

The workplace is an organized system, and much like an organism, it is a vibrant, dynamic human ecosystem. To get past the challenges that most companies face today, to positively impact their local economy, and to expand their financial success to the state, the nation, and beyond, organizations must operate at peak performance. Investing in people to retain, reward, and develop quality, committed, employees—the human resources of a business—will shorten the road to pre-recession status, and beyond that, to growth, while also improving profits.

People are the biggest budget item for many companies. As managers rise to higher positions, they know less of the employee experience and how it impacts workforce effectiveness. For decades, organizations have conducted employee satisfaction surveys to get “the inside story” on how employees perceived specific organizational dimensions that impact productivity (i.e., feelings about the immediate supervisor, top management, compensation, and related factors). After seeing the survey results, managers then target areas for improvement and make adjustments with an eye toward improving employee satisfaction, partly to reduce turnover costs.

The pre-recession theory was that satisfied employees are more productive and do not leave. Instead of spending human resource (HR) dollars on recruiting, selection, hiring, boarding, and training replacements, in an organization with satisfied employees, HR could focus its resources on achieving business objectives. This would theoretically result in growth, and HR could recruit for new positions, with new challenges in ever-expanding organizations.

The theory that increasing employee satisfaction would reduce turnover, however, was not as real as expected, particularly in service industries and for high performers in most industries. Why were satisfied employees leaving? The easy answer was compensation. In most cases, low pay was one of the top three reasons, but rarely the first reason for employee attrition. Surprisingly, money was not the reason satisfied employees became disengaged and began job-hunting.

In 2007, the economy trembled, and managers implemented process efficiencies to reduce labor costs. As sales dropped, layoffs replaced efforts to stem turnover. From 2008 to 2009, management cut mid-and upper managers who no longer had enough direct reports to justify their salaries. By 2010, the survivors—top talent who are needed for their experience, innovative thinking, customer retention, and ability to develop others—were feeling overworked. Now, in 2011, they wonder if the grass is greener. They are now less excited about rebuilding organizations where their valued co-workers were expendable than they were when they were hired to take the company to “the next level.”

The road to recovery is one that management cannot travel without top talent being not just satisfied, but committed, focused, intent on the mission and vision of the organization—fully engaged in their jobs, with the vision of a brighter future, and the firm resolve that they themselves will create it.

Satisfaction vs. Engagement – The ROI

What are the behavioral and financial differences between employee satisfaction and engagement? Employee retention authority Rim Yurkus, CEO of Strategic Programs, Inc., says, “Any seven engaged employees will do the work of ten satisfied employees. What’s more, employees attract their own kind.” Do the math. If ten satisfied employees at X-dollars is reduced to seven employees at the same rate—that improves profits! Therefore, it is worth investing in engagement research to learn how to improve productivity in organizations.

Employee satisfaction surveys measure exactly what they propose—satisfaction. Hiring people with skills and ability will get the company a satisfied employee who can get the job done in full compliance. But to move a company to economic recovery and then to growth requires investing in and developing a workforce whose level of engagement includes the employee’s heart and mind, as well as eyes and ears, skills and ability that are aligned with the mission, vision and values of the company.

When a major contract that could have catapulted a company forward falls through, engaged employees are foul-weather friends who have no time to cry about it. Driven by a sense of urgency and their commitment to find an even better piece of business, engaged employees will go through long hours without complaining, based on their determination not to survive, but to thrive! Managers know an engaged employee when they have one, but how do they measure engagement? Employee engagement surveys ask feeling, values-based questions, not the just-satisfied queries of pre-recession days. It takes experience and skill to measure what is invisible at work—loyalty, vision, commitment, trust, self-motivation, and more. To measure engagement with the degree of accuracy that produces dependable data for driving crucial business decisions, the survey and its implementation process must include several things.

First, outsourcing the assessment process to a reliable human resource research and consulting firm is the only way to get “the inside story” from internal employees, especially if they feel insecure about their employment or employer. Research shows that respondents tend to answer questions based on their perceptions of the organization that is sponsoring the survey, if they know who the sponsor is, rather than providing their own honest responses. This phenomenon, known as auspices bias, dilutes the quality of the research when conducted internally to save a few dollars. This savings is a high price to pay for less than optimal data on which managers must base data-driven decisions for allocating limited resources.

Second, to get the most accurate data, the right questions must be asked. The questions must be reliable and communicate exactly what they intend, and they must be organization-specific, using the jargon and acronyms of the organization. The extent to which respondents quickly understand the questions prompts automatic, unfiltered responses. The greater the quantity, the more reliable data sorts can be reported.

Third, the process for data collection and reporting must consider current issues like the history of previous assessments and how that data was used, how the data will be used this time; who will see the results; how comments will be reported; and the extent to which confidentiality is assured. This, and more, will impact participation and the quality of the responses. Fourth, for cost-effective time efficiency, results should be easily interpreted. This will save scarce, expensive management time discussing what the data means when comparing engagement survey results to other HR and OD data like exit interviews, performance reviews, and customer satisfaction scores.

And finally, the data must be actionable. If the questions are complex or if there is not enough data for reliable conclusions, some responses will be of no value. So it is imperative that there is enough data for “deep dives,” especially if managers want to know more about a question that is reported by departments. For instance, they may want to see if there are differences when a question is sorted by gender or tenure. Interventions targeted to small subpopulations are much more cost-effective than one-size-fits-all interventions, especially if the broad solution has unintended consequences for subgroups. When action plans have been outlined and accountability for results is assigned, it is time to sort engagement data by high performers.

Retain High Performers

HR performance reviews or managers’ observations can identify employees who are essential to driving an organization forward. Letting them know their value to an organization’s success can be an important part of an overall human capital retention strategy, but communicating it verbally is not enough.

If high performers are asked how committed they are, only if they are committed will they reply honestly. They may not be looking for greener grass today, but in the war for talent, an organization’s competitors may attempt to lure high performers away. High performers do not often leave for compensation reasons, unless a personal situation requires it, or if compensation is how they “keep score.” They are more likely to leave for professional development or a better career opportunity. Identifying this pool of talent, along with identifying competent employees in hard-to-fill positions is essential to an organization’s recovery strategy.

Internal professionals cannot get accurate, candid information from this group. Third party HR research firms can design client-specific stay questions—a wise investment in this human capital group. These firms are trained to conduct sensitive interviews, and depending on the job level of the high performers, stay interviews may be effectively conducted in person or by telephone. Questions are in the organization’s language and are both quantitative and qualitative. Information that helps managers forecast how engaged this group is and what will keep them engaged is priceless. An extended professional development plan may be the best insurance to keep the best and brightest invested in the organization and to continue to attract other quality employees. This also brands an organization as a great employer—the best weapon against competitors.

Exit Interviews, Lessons Learned

What does it cost to lose one competent employee? The conservative formula is 1.5 times an employee’s salary. Do the math. Losing a single $40,000 employee per month is $60,000 times twelve, or $720,000 per year. And consider this, just ten percent of that will buy years worth of good research and action plans for retaining employees.

What can managers learn from people who are already out the door? Very little from internally conducted exit interviews, but a great deal from skilled third party interviewers who may be seen as welcome confidantes.

Responses like, “personal reasons” or “retired” is what exiting employees give internally as reasons for leaving. The same employees told strategic programs interviewers they were leaving “Because the DM was taking merchandise out of the store, and I didn’t want to get involved,” or “I took an early retirement because I hated my supervisor.”

Good exit analysis research will compare exit data to other HR or organizational assessment results. Dividing data by manager to learn who is losing more people and who is retaining and developing people is immensely valuable. Comparing this information to performance reviews can show which managers could benefit from coaching or training, and which ones may be either reassigned or become part of a “turnover management” strategy. Investing in a year of exit interviews and using the data to reduce turnover by even one or two valued employees can more than pay for the research, reduce turnover costs, and increase profits.

Sorting exit data for high performers will show where they are most at risk. A comeback campaign for rehiring can readily offset the cost of this research. Skilled interviewers can link a broken relationship to HR if there is a misunderstanding, and reassignment to a different site or supervisor may be a cost-effective alternative—with an ROI. Whether exit interviews are used for retention or not, there is no more candid data available about the workplace. Despite low turnover in a down economy, most companies continue this service because of “the inside story” that is not available from any other source. Employees who experience unsafe work conditions, potentially litigious situations, policy or procedure errors, or violations of ethics want to tell someone. And they often leave because they do not want to get involved in controversy by reporting their experience. Eager to make a difference for their former co-workers, they readily unload their experience confidentially to a third party expert interviewer. Investing in former employees, perhaps rehiring them, or learning how to avoid one lawsuit or improve workplace safety is worth far more than the cost of exit interviews.

Every business, regardless of size, contributes to the human and financial global ecosystems. When business leaders develop and grow the pool of human resources in their organizations, they improve not only their profits, but their very lives, those of employees, their employees’ families, and the surrounding community, which ultimately contributes to the global economic climate that impacts everyone.

Boyer’s Coffee

By: Graham RussellIssue: Resource Management Section: Business

Conserving Resources, Saving Money, Doing Good

Founded in 1965, Boyer’s Coffee is based in Denver, Colorado. When Jim McManus took over as CEO from founder Bill Boyer in 2009, the business was struggling to deal with a 140 percent spike in the global price of coffee beans, and McManus realized he would have to initiate major changes to set the business back on the road to prosperity.

The company had always tried to do the right thing, especially with respect to its employees, most of whom had been there for many years. The company, however, did not have any green programs in place. McManus had no special predisposition toward sustainability either, but he knew that it was becoming the norm in the coffee roasting business. Moreover, Boyer’s was a supplier to WalMart in much of Colorado and parts of Wyoming. McManus knew WalMart was ramping up its green supply chain initiative. He saw that sustainability could be a key driver of the new strategy he needed and settled on the idea that the company’s activities must always, “Benefit consumers, benefit the company and benefit the environment.”

Boyer’s first called upon local sustainability consultants Renewable Choice Energy, which measured its carbon footprint but determined that the company was generally fairly energy efficient, recommending only that an air curtain be installed at its loading dock. They did, however, identify significant issues concerning the amount of waste the company was paying to dispose of its waste in landfills. McManus formed a green team and called in Boulder-based ClearGreen Advisors to help identify priorities and create a sustainability action plan.

WalMart and Sam’s Club represent a significant percentage of Boyer’s business, and Dan Hayes, who handles the account, felt it made sense to show that the company understood WalMart’s green supply chain initiative and was proactively seeking ways to “get ahead of the curve” and build a productive relationship around sustainability. Boyer’s policy is to ship coffee within a few days of roasting using large cardboard cartons to deliver coffee bags to stores. The practice was for drivers to restock the in-store display units, break down the cartons, and leave them for WalMart to recycle—a one-time use of the cartons. Even though WalMart gets paid for the cardboard it recycles, Boyer’s persuaded store managers to let the company bring the delivery cartons back for reuse. This change increased the number of trips a box could make before wearing out from one to an average of five or six, reducing the company’s carton costs by over 50 percent, an annual savings of $50,000. Many of Boyer’s office coffee customers are now also allowing drivers to restock their cupboards and bring the delivery cartons out for reuse.

McManus realized that the company’s packaging should be a major part of an effort to rebrand the company’s coffee and that its packaging processes were inefficient, using no less than 11 different types of film for its coffee bags. Len Smith, operations manager, and Mark Morrison, roastmaster, attacked these issues, and by eliminating the material-intensive 16 ounce bags and working with a package design firm to redesign the remaining bags, they were able to reduce the number of film types from 11 to just four. Each time the packaging machinery is switched from one film type to another, 12-15 bags are wasted, so the longer production runs of each new film type not only cut the labor involved in the changeover process, but drastically reduced the volume of wasted film material. Converting over to the new film types is still a work in progress, but the company estimates that the combination of lower prices on larger orders for each film type, labor savings, and reduced film waste will eventually reduce packaging costs by 20-30 percent. Moreover, inventory carrying costs have been reduced by at least $200,000. The new films also allow the machinery to run at temperatures 50 degrees lower than formerly required, thereby generating a measurable energy saving.

The reduced volume of film waste, coupled with a program to recycle worn out delivery boxes, as well as cartons holding incoming supplies, has reduced the volume of trash Boyer’s is sending to the landfill. In fact, trash pickups have been reduced from three to two times per week, which Smith estimates saves the company an additional $2,000 a year. Another small but effective energy-saving move was to replace the company’s in-store display cases with new ones made out of local beetle-kill pine that each hold 50 percent more coffee bags and thereby reduce the number of truck trips required to replenish store supplies.

Building upon its successful effort to achieve multiple uses of the delivery cartons, the company recognized that there might be boxes made of sturdier material that could be re-used many more times for coffee delivery. It eventually located Technology Container Corporation (TCC) of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts which manufactures corrugated plastic boxes that can be used as many as 300 times and assemble and collapse quickly with a simple arm movement, eliminating the labor-intensive process of tape assembling and disassembling cardboard cartons.

Although each one costs about five times as much as a cardboard carton, TCC estimates that the new cartons will save Boyer’s $450,000–$500,000 over a five year period. The return on investment on the initial $50,000 order—scheduled for early 2012—will therefore be just a few months. Further, the dramatic reduction in the total number of boxes manufactured by TCC and shipped to Boyer’s over the five-year period will reduce energy consumption by an estimated 87 percent or 5.8 billion BTUs, eliminate over 400 tons of CO2 equivalent, and reduce solid waste disposal by 97 percent or more than 70 tons.

In keeping with the principle of working closely with WalMart on sustainability initiatives, McManus and Hayes attended WalMart’s Annual Sustainability Summit in February 2011. Casting around for a use for waste coffee bag film, it was here that they found ITW Angleboard, a leading manufacturer of products used for sustainable protective packaging. ITW agreed not only to remove—free of charge—six tons of old packaging film which had been taking up badly needed space in Boyer’s warehouse and would have cost a great deal to dispose of in a local landfill, but also to take waste film from Boyer’s plant on an ongoing basis, further reducing the volume of waste going to the landfill and perhaps eventually enabling the company to drop down to one weekly trash pickup.

Boyer’s commissioned Maine-based designer Jill Dugas to redesign and reconstruct an on-site coffee shop using as much recycled wood and other material as possible to visibly demonstrate the company’s commitment to sustainability. Old gymnasium flooring and bleachers were purchased from a local high-school undergoing renovation at a fraction of the cost of new lumber. Even after accounting for the labor cost of refinishing, the final cost of the flooring and shelving made from the recycled wood came in no higher than it would have been if all new materials had been used. And the serving counters were constructed from old cabinets from a Denver bank that was also undergoing renovation. Recognizing that community service is also a part of a sustainability-based strategy, Boyer’s created a conference room above the coffee shop that is open for use, free of charge, to any company or nonprofit organization in the local community.

Boyer’s employees have responded with enthusiasm to its sustainability initiatives, and the Green Team is constantly receiving new ideas for enhancing them. The company is working on persuading their office coffee customers to collect the empty two-ounce “pillow packs” used in coffee machines so that they can be picked up by drivers, added to the waste film generated at the plant and recycled by ITW. While this won’t generate or save any money for Boyer’s, Phil Harbison, who is responsible for the office coffee business, explains that many of his customers are interested in starting some green initiatives and respond eagerly to this type of suggestion. It reinforces Boyer’s ongoing efforts to be a responsible company and, in any case, reduces the volume of waste the customer has to dispose of. Another example of how Boyer’s sustainability thinking inspires customers to expand their own green initiatives concerns Oppenheimer & Co., a major mutual fund and financial brokerage house that has a large operation in Denver. In discussions with Harbison, the company recognized that it could cut waste and save money by providing its employees with reusable drinking mugs, thereby significantly reducing the volume of disposable cups it was purchasing.

Another developing initiative is to make use of the chaff, or waste organic material from the roasting process, which amounts to about 100 pounds per week or over two tons annually. Possible uses would be for wood stove pellet production or as compost material for organic soil production. Either way, it will further reduce the volume of waste Boyer’s is paying to dispose of in the landfill. Management also thinks that replacement of old fluorescent lighting in the production shop with LED lighting will yield an excellent ROI, and that is on the agenda for early 2012. With all of their initiatives and cutting-edge efforts, Boyer’s Coffee really is conserving resources, saving money, and doing good.

In Our Quest to be Environmentally Friendly, Are We Alienating Our Own Economy?

By: Emily HaggstromIssue: Resource Management Section: Business

Impacts, Implications and Rare Earth Oxides

Criticism is necessary and useful; it is often indispensable; but it can never take the place of action, or be even a poor substitute for it. The function of the mere critic is of very subordinate usefulness. It is the doer of deeds who actually counts in the battle for life, and not the man who looks on and says how the fight ought to be fought, without himself sharing the stress and the danger. - Theodore Roosevelt - 1894

In the last 20 years, some developed and emerging markets around the globe have taken to the environmental movement hatched from the Kyoto Protocol. These countries have increased money flow through a quasi-capitalistic growth spurt created under government command and are lavishing in the new luxuries of productivity formulated from modernization.

For example, the proclivity for advancement within the green movement helped to implement e-readers to stop deforestation, electric vehicles (EV) to slow dependence on foreign oil, and wind turbines to harness “clean” energy. The digital revolution spawned innovation and development of new technologies to increase efficiency through the use of smartphones, ultra-slim LED televisions and lightweight laptops. Similarly, governments from various nations have excelled using satellites in space, radar systems on the ground, and sonar transducers underwater.

Societies thrive off these advancements and continue to stock pile these products through profligate spending. Whether they make people feel connected or provide a sense of morality, societies have become dependent on them and the uses they provide. While we've limited the need for printed publications and oil where its deemed relevant and regulating the businesses that produce them; society has traded one perceived and quantified evil for another.

These vital technologies exist and function due in part to the rare earth elements (REE) that support their systems and infrastructure. The growing demand for these products and others like them, together with continuously imposed export quotas from China, has slowly decimated the rare earth mining industry, which in turn will create chronic shortages of minerals by 2014.

RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

While deposits of rare earth ore were originally believed to be a rarity—giving the elements their name—it is a historical misnomer, with persistence of the term reflecting unfamiliarity rather than true rarity.1 Rare earths elements and rare earth minerals (REM) are a combination of 17 elements found on the periodic table that are used in hundreds of applications around the world. China is known to have the largest reserves and also controls the lion’s share of the market with between 95-97% of production. Other significant mines exist across the globe to extract these abundant elements from the earth’s crust, but finding them in “concentrated mineable ore deposits is rare.” Geologists are constantly searching and sampling the earth’s core to find new locations to mine for these elements. However, once these reserves are found, it is typical for a site not to start production for five to 10 years as a company establishes infrastructure and receives proper permitting or subsidies dependent upon the location and the regulatory environment.

MINING RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

Beginning in the early 1950’s, Molycorp began business as the sole rare earth oxide producer in the Western hemisphere, extracting and producing rare earths in its Mountain Pass, California facility as the Molybdenum Corporation of America. The company remained a leader in the industry, through various corporate acquisitions, supplying the majority of the world’s rare earth elements until the mid-1990s. During this time, the lucrative commodity industry was turned upside down with the emergence of the Chinese trading their rare earth elements in the export markets. “From 1990 to 2004, there was a systematic underinvestment across the commodity spectrum,” said Anthony Young, an analyst for Dahlman Rose & Co. Investment banks and other financiers were focused on the upward trend of oil and gas exploration and development. Mining companies, especially Molycorp, couldn’t find the funding to update their aging facilities. Between high costs of maintenance, labor, manufacturing and other business expenditures like insurance and excise taxes, the cost to run the Mountain Pass facility became overwhelming, leaving them unable to compete with the cheap labor market and subsidized manufacturing costs in China.

Prices for rare earth elements surged again in 2011 after the Chinese nearly doubled its export quota from what it was a year ago.2 In addition to manufacturing, mining in China has exploded, using coal as a cheap source of energy. Because China produces roughly 97 percent of rare earth elements, these export quotas will prove to be severely detrimental to the United States and others who rely almost exclusively on the communist nation for their mineral export.

SPIKE IN DEMAND

Whether through systematic avoidance or by slow integration of environmental controls, China’s economy sustained steady growth across every industry. The lack of labor laws, along with a market flooded with devalued currency, allowed the Chinese to compete at an advantage over other markets.

This market advantage has also led to sustained growth domestically for the Chinese, only fueling the burden of internal demand, with Chinese citizens amassing more familial wealth and spending it more freely on consumer products. “Consumers have no direct need for the commodity itself as a consumer good. As a result, the demand for rare earth elements depends on the strength of the demand for the final product for which they are inputs,” said energy policy specialist, Marc Humphries in a September 2011 report to Congress.

Government commodities include aircraft components, guns, missiles, helicopter blades and satellite systems, much of which is used by the Department of Defense. Business applications include medical x-ray units, cancer treatments, magnets, wind turbines and batteries; they are even used to reduce carbon emissions from exhaust gas.3 Plus, final consumer products include: hard drives, televisions, headphones, hybrid engines for cars, iPods, cellphones, and more. Some families don’t just have one product; they may have a collection of these things. As innovation and demand continue to update these products, the desire for the latest and greatest will continue to support the need of mining globally.

It is because of the growing need for these products and their applications that industry insiders like Mark Smith, President and CEO of Molycorp, believe that greater domestic production will be needed to sustain worldwide demand. “China has no intention of remaining the world’s major supplier of rare earths and will gradually shift focus to domestic demand,” said Smith in submitted testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, “We should focus on moving as rapidly as possible to a position where our economy and security interests are no longer tied to declining Chinese rare earth exports.”

The need has been recognized by hundreds of geophysicists, scientists, commodities insiders, government officials and businesses. While the near-term trends indicate a strained market, the long-term trends look favorable. However, Mike O'Driscoll, editor of Industrial Minerals, said in an interview with the UK Guardian’s Tom Bawden, "Most experts in the industry think we are going to reach a crisis point in 2014 and 2015. There are 200 to 300 developers trying to bring new projects on-stream to increase supply, but many of these are in the early stages."4

IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS

The countries growing unrest concerning environmental regulations accompanied by the lack of understanding about the mining industry and its processes have only added pressure to the current situation. U.S. businesses are facing enough restrictions and financial limitations as it is without having to be a mining company on top of it. As it stands, some American businesses are already outsourcing jobs or relocating to countries with less stringent Federal policies.

Currently, the Chinese are offering their own domestic manufacturing incentives while systematically cutting back on exports to remain the dominant source of rare earth oxides and metals. Between increasing tax burdens, insurance requirements and regulations, the cost to do business in the United States is much different than in China. These expenses have led these same businesses to cut costs in foreign markets as corporations recognize the need to produce returns for their shareholders while adversely bruising the already tarnished U.S. job market. Because the cost of labor is much lower in many foreign markets, the domestic economy risks losing highly needed jobs and domestic investment.

Regardless of business practices and policies, it is the American market that stresses the need for increased efficiency and advanced energy sustaining products, which require many rare earth oxides. Currently, China’s ban is said to last into 2015, intensifying near-term global prices of rare earths, which will concurrently affect bottom-line consumer pricing. Whether skyrocketing prices lead to a decrease in the number of products made or the manufacturer's suggested retail price increases, nobody can be quite sure what the consequences will be. One thing is for sure—consumers, governments and business from North America to Europe will ultimately feel the end result.

MOVING FORWARD

Although the situation seems bleak, it is not insurmountable. Worldwide exploration continues to reinforce the world’s need for alternate production sources outside of China. There have been two recent geological discoveries in Greenland and in the Pacific seabed, roughly 1.5 to 2.5 miles down. However, while the discovery in the Pacific is interesting, the extraction technology, cost implications and the certainty of the deposits are not feasible at this time.

Weighing in on the possibilities of production in Greenland, Young said, “I think that there are some interesting targets in Greenland, but it will take a long-time for this production to commence. Climate conditions aren’t impossible. But it will require a higher long-term price before a company will be willing to make the capital investments that are necessary to bring on production in this jurisdiction. I don’t think the prospective deposits in Greenland change the medium-term supply and demand fundamentals for rare earths.”

In the interim, investment strategy lies mostly with near-term producers, particularly as new mining projects like Molycorp’s Project Phoenix and Lynas Corp’s Mt. Weld are set to start production in 2012. Molycorp is positioned to do well when mining commences at its new facility, with expected annual production to reach roughly 20,000 metric tons by the end of the year. If Australian producer, Lynas, meets the Malaysian’s industry regulation demands, the company, whose advanced materials plant is undergoing inspection, should open in early 2012 with much anticipation.

Nobody, however, is anticipating the commercial production more than the Japanese, who are asserting external pressure within the industry in an effort to eliminate its dependence on Chinese supply following a trade embargo imposed on the nation after it detained a Chinese fishing boat captain. Currently Japanese companies such as Sumitomo and Siemens are lining up to sign joint venture agreements for manufacturing to maintain corporate production schedules of new hybrid technologies in addition to current high-tech devices. Japanese investments to secure supply will surely help companies like Lynas and Molycorp establish themselves as stronger worldwide players within the rare earth industry, providing for more competitive advantage, market stability and jobs in the places where they do business.

Is TIME a Resource?

By: Maggie CroninIssue: Resource Management Section: Business

Is it Shifting Towards Small Modular Reactors?

We’ve all heard the old adage, “Time is of the essence.”  But, how often have you heard about “time” being a resource? Time is a resource just like any other “tool” we use to get from point A to point B. The mind, money, physical tools (cars, computers, etc.) are all resources, but if not used in conjunction with time, what can be accomplished?

Time is an intricate part of everything we do or that we accomplish. It is as essential as food and water. Without time, having other resources is a moot concept. No one can drive without time, have a child without time, or work and earn money without time.

Time isn't usually considered a resource because unlike resources such as energy, food, minerals, it can’t change. A person can't get more time within a business or within one’s life. Unfortunately, not everyone will recognize that time is indeed, a resource. Other resources are freely exchangeable or replaceable, in whole or in part, for another of like nature or kind, but not time. If a person loses money, he can make more money. But if time is lost, it’s gone forever.

Use of technology

Whatever one’s role in any organization may be, everyone is affected by time management. Every day we encounter time wasters. Every day we have to manage tasks in a timely and efficient manner. Every day we try to manage our own personal time well, in order to gain personal time. But with more types of mobile media now available, things and “times” are changing—and changing fast. Common Sense Media gives this perspective, “Today — 20 years after the birth of the World Wide Web, 13 years after the launch of Google Search, eight years after the start of the first social networking site, six years after the first YouTube video, four years after the introduction of the first touch-screen smartphone, three years after the opening of the first “app” store, and a little over a year after the first iPad sale—the media world that children are growing up in is changing at lightning speed. Fifty-two percent of kids under age eight have access to mobile media.” And, if our children are using so much of their time on new technology, one can only imagine how much this new technology affects our everyday business and personal lives.

What’s to be done? Pay ATTENTION!!!!!

At the heart of time management is an important shift in focus—a concentration on results, not on being busy. Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little because they are not concentrating on the right things. This is neatly summed up in the Pareto Principle, or the 80:20 Rule which argues that 80 percent of unfocused effort generates only 20 percent of results. The remaining 80 percent of results are achieved with only 20 percent of the effort. While the ratio is not always 80:20, this broad pattern of a small proportion of activity generating non-scalar returns recurs so frequently as to be the norm in many areas says a study by Mind Tools-Time Management.

By applying various management tips and skills, one can optimize time and effort to ensure concentration on as many high payoff tasks as possible, further ensuring achievement with the greatest possible benefit. As Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi notes in his bestselling book “Flow,” People experience the deepest satisfaction in their work when they are “marshaling full attention toward the work at hand.” Csikszentmihalyi claims that people report higher satisfaction in their work—even when the work itself is less intrinsically interesting—when they achieve the flow state, which is characterized by feelings of being “in the zone” and “losing all track of time.”

It’s hard, if not impossible, to lose all track of time when one’s overscheduled. It’s also hard to give full attention to one task when you feel that the task list is out of control.

The Four Types of Time

Many time experts agree that there are four types of time during our working hours, including boss-imposed, system-imposed, self-imposed, and subordinate-imposed time. • Boss-Imposed: when meetings run over and cut into other work time • System-Imposed: when you should automate some of the repetitive stuff. • Self-Imposed: spending time getting “lost” in thought or research on the web • Subordinate-Imposed: not empowering your subordinates to solve their own problems, instead of allowing them to add to yours.

Managing Time

Everyone is busy. Because of the daily rush, it’s tough to find the time to plan and strategize career development. Job seekers who are in this mode make the mistake of simply relying upon a resume to do the job for them, instead of finding the time to develop a list of networking contacts or attend local networking events. Dave Jension of Science says, “When you get home tonight and wonder where all of your time went, perhaps you should consider analyzing your day. You will never be free from the demands that people and circumstances place on you during any given time period, however, there are always some ways that you can find more time for those tasks that are of utmost importance. Imagine what you could do every evening if you had two extra hours.” Managing time by prioritizing tasks is key—and that includes the need for rest, thought processing, physical tasks (meetings, writing documents, preparing slide decks, etc.)—and those priorities can be a fluid throughout the day. When you need to eat—eat; if you have a deadline—plan to meet it; if you need a mental stretch—take it. Managing time is like managing anything else, it’s based on priority, ability, need, and cost.

Conclusion

In the age of the Smartphone, the iPad, the PC, and other technological breakthroughs, the world is more connected than ever.  We are connected to emails, phone calls, text messages, the Internet, and social media sites—all of which give the perception of people having more time, when in reality, these devices may actually take valuable time out of our already hectic schedules.  Because of these connections, we are expected, as a society, to meet more and more demanding deadlines. But using basic time resources and the right tools will help us all work smarter not harder. “Time evolved life at a very slow pace, and it probably had good reason. We have made a huge impact with the Internet, and everything is changing at a ferocious pace. We are building, demolishing, and then rebuilding at such a fast pace that we may not have the time to learn from our mistakes. We work and think and play fast, so much so that our lives are just units of time; we are negating our own time because everything is expanding today, with only one exception: time,” says author Gerry McGovern. He argues that inventiveness gives us more tools and ways to use our time and to save our time, and yet the process of learning to use each new tool means that we have less time now than we ever had. We squeeze so much learning, leisure and evolution into these modern times. We may be missing the time to enjoy, the time to live, and the time to relax and to adapt.

A Nuclear Renaissance

Is it Shifting Towards Small Modular Reactors?

Uranium ore is the product of a massive star explosion that happened millions of years ago. It is a naturally occurring element found in soil, rock, water, plants and even our bodies. The basic makeup of uranium allows it to be discovered with modern technology due to gamma radiation from the nucleus of the atom. Discovered in 1789, uranium ore is now widely mined and enriched to higher concentrations for use as fuel in nuclear reactors. Of the three naturally occurring uranium isotopes (U-238, U-235 and U-234) only U-235 is capable of maintaining a sustained chain reaction, which produces the energy for nuclear power.

Second only to coal, a baseline fuel for electricity, nuclear power accounted for almost 20 percent of total electricity generated in 2008.1 With electricity demand set to increase dramatically by 2030, researchers, scientists, engineers and policy makers are working to forge new energy paths. Proponents of nuclear power contend that the energy produced from uranium is not only clean but an abundant resource that could meet our country’s energy needs far into the future.

Like other sources of energy, nuclear power’s public perception image is long on opinion but short on facts. Now, in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, the fragility of public opinion on the subject of nuclear power continues to weaken, and the industry’s nuclear stigma has become its own worst enemy. In Japan, contaminated adults have been alienated and children bullied as if radioactivity is contagious like an infectious disease.

However, hold a Geiger counter near tile, kitty litter, a granite counter top or even the banana display in the produce section and it’s sure to click a few times; but that’s because like uranium, they all hold elements that naturally decay. It is society’s lack of knowledge on the subject that continues to fuel the fear brought on by media outlets and fringe environmental groups. Without a true understanding of current regulations and safety standards, we stand to stall further energy generation efforts, intrinsically increasing all energy prices.

Currently, in the United States alone, there are 104 nuclear reactors in 31 states, operated by 30 different power companies, generating 805 billion kWh of salable power.3 Most of this power comes from large nuclear power plants operating either boiling water reactors (BWR), which use the heat from fission to boil water into steam, or by pressurized water reactors (PWR), which takes heat from the fission core by one water loop being used to heat water to steam in a second loop.

These large reactors are called light water reactors (LWR), because they use regular water, as opposed to deuterium enriched, or “heavy” water, as a moderator. “The average nuclear power station produces enough energy to provide for the needs of about 650,000 Americans,” said nuclear physicist, R.J. Peterson. And while these large-scale reactors supply a significant amount of energy to the grids that are located nearby, the cost structure, electrical systems and demand associated with them aren’t practical for every city and town. In addition, it is the above ground structures combined with natural occurring hazards such as tornados and hurricanes, as well as the man-made elements, that make these plants susceptible to the man’s inherent nature of uncertainty and fear.

“All methods of power generation involve trade-offs, a balancing of risks against returns,” said author Todd Tucker.5 Nevertheless, accepting mistakes and learning from them is the nature of innovation and unfortunately an unintended consequence to advancement. But science and technology continue to progress, and current methods are being more defined. Once the technology is instituted, then the regulations ensue. But regulating an industry, especially the nuclear industry, is difficult, due to the disparate sizes, fittings and technologies in 440 facilities across the world.

Demand for these large facilities will not stop; the trend will be ongoing, and the search for renewable energy sources will continue right along with demand. But for now, renewable energy sources can’t provide enough viable electricity to meet that demand. Therefore, it is crucial for society to continue to use traditional energy sources while the search for new innovative technology continues. It is for these reasons that there is a new market for nuclear power; although, it really isn’t that new. In 1951, 45 kW of electricity from nuclear energy was generated from a reactor with a low electrical output in the high desert of southeastern Idaho.6 These units, more commonly known as Small Modular Reactors (SMR), have been used in remote military installations, submarines and Arctic markets. They are noted for their portability, standardization and ease of control.

While there are many idea prototypes, the scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) conceptualized a mini Fast Neutron Reactor. The intellectual property was eventually licensed to The Altira Group LLC, a Denver-based venture capital firm funding Hyperion Power Generation Inc., which is currently seeking credible engineers to complete a detailed design of the concept for manufacturing. The Hyperion Power Module (HPM), without its steam plant, is roughly the size of a MINI Cooper and was designed to fill the unmet need of clean electric power for mining, oil and gas operations, government facilities needing secure power and remote communities. The transportable, HT-9 steel encased module is a clean, sustainable and cost-efficient alternative to medium and large-scale nuclear plants, as well as diesel-fueled generators.

Designed as an underground silo with a 30-year lifespan, the system protects against worst-case scenarios and tampering. To ensure this, the 30-ton reactor vessel is sealed at the factory before it is transported and stored underground to “virtually eliminate any potential radioactive contamination.” The system is complete with a steam plant that sits above ground to convert the heat into electricity. “This system emits no greenhouse gases and could supply the steam and the power for oil and gas extraction operations over the entire span of a drilling contract license. It is a clean way to provide electricity in very remote locations,” said Bob Prince, CEO of Hyperion Power Generation.

During its 10 year lifespan, each individual HPM is designed to deliver 25 MW of electricity, which is comparable to the electric demand for over 20,000 U.S. homes, during its 10-year lifetime. After 10 years, when the fuel is depleted, operators insert another fully fueled HPM underground, next to the first one. Because the HPM is sealed, the vaults are designed to allow the decay heat to diminish in situ before it is removed and transported when the HPM system is decommissioned.

While most large-to-medium scale PWR plants use uranium fuel with U-235 enriched to three to five percent, requiring them to refuel on average every 18 to 24 months; the fuel for the HPM system is enriched to 19.75 percent, allowing it to operate for 10 years without refueling. This attribute has several unique advantages. It requires no fuel shipments, it is an economic logistical plus for companies and a proliferation safeguard for society at large; it locks in a fuel price for 10 years, it has an economic advantage unheard of in the energy sector; and the reactor is permanently sealed at the manufacturing facility, providing for zero maintenance within the reactor, another safeguard against proliferation.

“Natural uranium is made up mostly of the isotope U-238, with U-235, the easily fissile portion. Uranium enrichment is increasing the ratio of U-235 to U-238. Because U-235 is fissile, you need more of it to easily generate a chain reaction. Fission breaks the bond of the atom, and when it splits, it releases energy as gammas, betas and alphas,” explains Prince. The important by-product of this release is heat, which is captured to create steam and then converted to electricity.

The Fukushima Daiichi meltdown occurred because external power from the earthquake and the tsunami dismantled the grid, shutting off power to external pumps supplying cold seawater to the cooling ponds where the spent fuel rods were being stored. As the rods began to overheat from lack of water, the fuel assemblies actually began to melt. In an emergency situation, the underground steel containment vault housing the HPM system does not need pumps or electricity to remove heat, instead cooling by natural circulation of the lead bismuth mixture. This allows safety crews up to two weeks to tend to the system if an emergency occurs.

Other scenarios are presented discussions about the use of water within a reactor. All LWR plants use water to moderate the reaction, which slows down the neutrons enough to allow a chain reaction from the uranium. The HPM system uses a “fast reactor” because it is easier to control and can be made much smaller, although higher enrichment is needed. A fast reactor does not need water because it has enough uranium atoms so that the neutrons do not have to slow down to hit the atoms, eliminating the need for water within the reactor and the assicated dangers.

The fast reactor also uses a lead bismuth solution as a coolant instead of water, which allows the fission process to occur close to atmospheric pressure, eliminating the high-pressure water-to-steam process used in larger plants. The lack of high pressure in the reactor, coupled with less uranium than larger plants, makes for much simplified accident scenarios that must be dealt with. By using lead bismuth instead of sodium, a more traditional liquid metal coolant used in fast reactors, the HPM eliminates accident scenarios generated from violent reactions between air and water with sodium. Combined, these attributes greatly lessen both the threat and severity of most accident scenarios and will alleviate many of the longstanding nuclear proliferation concerns around the globe. Appropriately, the licensing process for a new design of nuclear reactor is exhaustive and time consuming. Currently, Hyperion is looking to seek approval from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Hyperion does not foresee the licensing to happen until 2018 but is optimistic about using the time to ensure the design is complete and that all questions are answered to avoid delays in the regulatory process.

The markets Hyperion intends to serve are predominantly powered by diesel powered electrical generation. Based on today’s diesel prices and Hyperion’s cost projections, the HPM will deliver electricity to those applications at nearly half the current cost for diesel systems, and will produce zero greenhouse gas emissions. The price, capacity and inherently safe design makes it ideal for remote locations underpowered or developing parts of the world, those lacking transmission infrastructure and even in the U.S. where on-site, dedicated, base load power is mission critical. In an age where no country’s energy future is certain, while renewable resources are still being improved and properly scaled, and where generation and transmission infrastructure is not available, the HPM is a cost effective, clean, and safe option to carry the nuclear industry into the future.

Financial Resources for Small Businesses

By: Jesse Golland Issue: Resource Management Section: Business

Funding for America’s Backbone

In May 2011, during National Small Business Week, President Barack Obama recognized small businesses as the “backbone of America’s economy.” According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses provide just over 50 percent of private sector employment.

Small business owners these days have plenty of concerns. Will there be demand for their products in a sluggish economy? Can they afford insurance for their employees? And most importantly, where are they going to find the funding to weather slow periods, support their growth, or help them get started? The SBA’s 2011 fiscal year recently ended September 30th, and they had a record lending year. According to the New York Times, the agency supported $30.5 billion worth of small business borrowing in 2011, up 35 percent from 2010.

However, there are a few concerning trends that accompanied this increase in small business lending. The number of 7(a) loans (a popular SBA loan program that can be used by small businesses to finance a variety of general business purposes) of $150,000 or less fell by about 13 percent, and the average traditional 7(a) loan nearly doubled to $624,000. It’s reassuring to know that more and more small businesses are getting the financial assistance they need. Yet, the average size of traditional 7(a) loans may overwhelm the financial needs and repayment capacity of the typical mom-and-pop stores. Many neighborhood businesses like laundromats, hardware stores or barber shops need smaller loans to manageably operate and grow. What about the landscaping business that needs $10,000 for equipment? Who is going to lend to the stay-at-home mom looking for $2,000 to sell concessions near her house? Or the flea market vendor who only needs $500 for more inventory? Who is serving these entrepreneurs?

Microfinance

The concept of microfinance, or the provision of small loans to the unbanked or under-banked, gained prominence in the 1970s when Muhammad Yunus, future Nobel Peace Prize winner, promoted the use of micro loans to pull families out of poverty in Bangladesh. On the other side of the globe, ACCION International, a nonprofit microfinance organization, was experiencing success in its microlending efforts in Latin America.

In the early 1990s, concerned about growing inequality and unemployment at home, ACCION International decided to bring its model back to the U.S. After a successful pilot project in Brooklyn, ACCION International helped establish a network of five organizations in the mid-1990s that today is the largest microfinance network in the U.S., providing loans nationwide through over 20 field offices and an online lending platform. The lending model was similar, and at the same time, quite different from the international model. Lending in Latin America was primarily to rural women entrepreneurs. Traditionally, in international microfinance, a group-lending approach was used where social pressure would encourage repayment and help mitigate for a common lack of collateral among borrowers. Loan sizes were often no more than a few hundred dollars or less.

Microlending in the U.S. has evolved to reflect the unique realities of American business owners. The dollar amounts required to open, operate and expand microenterprises and small businesses are typically larger in the U.S. Most American entrepreneurs have some form of collateral. Credit scores are easily accessible. Credit cards applications get mailed in bulk to many Americans, even those with low credit scores or troubled borrowing histories. The ACCION U.S. Network and other domestic microlenders have adapted the international model to a system that is working well and on an increasingly large scale in the United States.

Access to Capital

So, how does the ACCION U.S. Network differ from traditional financial institutions such as banks? Members of the ACCION U.S. Network are nonprofit organizations that have the ability to tailor their underwriting criteria to meet the needs of many entrepreneurs and small business owners who do not typically qualify for traditional business credit. These organizations provide credit to small businesses along with financial education and training. While ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado’s loans range anywhere from $200 to $300,000, the average loan is approximately $6,500. Domestic microlenders typically differ from traditional financial institutions by displaying flexibility in the following ways:

Working with Lower Credit Scores: If a person’s personal credit score is below 650, it can be difficult to obtain credit from traditional financial institutions. ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado can work with credit scores of 500 and up. The organization can even provide loans to individuals with no credit score or with just an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Does this mean that an applicant with a 500 FICO score can receive a $300,000 loan? No. They likely will not receive a loan larger than a few thousand dollars. However, this loan offers these individuals the opportunity to start building their credit, establish a relationship with a lender and get some initial working capital for their business. For business owners who have taken a financial hit due to unprecedented economic turmoil, these small loans offer a chance to rebuild.

A 2009 FDIC survey found that 25 percent of U.S. households are unbanked or under-banked. That same study found that minorities are more likely to be unbanked, with African-American households coming in at 21.7 percent and Hispanic households coming in at 19.3 percent. Under-banked and unbanked clientele can use domestic microlending programs to build their credit and become familiar with the lending process.

Start-ups: While every bank has different lending policies, many banks require two years of operating experience or an established banking relationship before they will consider lending to a business. While members of the ACCION U.S. Network differ in the start-up loans they offer, 36 percent of the loans ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado issued in 2010 went to start-up businesses. Collateral: Collateral is an essential component of most loan applications. As a sign of a borrower’s commitment to repayment, collateral can be especially important for microlenders working with start-up businesses or entrepreneurs with credit scores lower than a bank would require. Reflecting the flexibility of many microlenders, the items pledged as collateral can oftentimes have more symbolic or practical value than liquid value. In its 17 year history, ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado have accepted horses, an exotic snake collection and a saxophone as collateral! Lena Carris was an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker in New Mexico who needed a little capital to complete a project. She was reluctant to offer anything ACCION usually accepted as collateral, such as a vehicle or equipment. However, she did have something of deep value to her, a traditional Navajo dress woven by her mother. While it was difficult to assign a monetary value to the dress, Lena’s ACCION loan officer knew the pledging of the dress meant Lena was completely committed to repaying her loan.

Financial Education and Business Development Training: The ACCION U.S. Network offers additional services to its clients to help foster business and personal success, often at low- to no-cost. These services can include mentorship programs, educational workshops and free marketing opportunities. But more than anything, ACCION loan officers serve as an open ear to their clients’ concerns or questions. They’ll take time to listen to their clients’ issues and connect them with the appropriate community partners who can help solve their issues.

Success Stories

Seven years ago, Jennifer Brown was selling homemade soaps with loofah sponges at fairs and festivals. One day, she decided to sell soap with a rubber duck in it. After numerous customers inquired where they could buy just the duck, a light bulb went off. Jennifer and her husband Steve began traveling around the state of Colorado in a bright yellow vehicle with thousands of rubber ducks. In 2008, they decided they wanted to open a rubber duck store in Denver, Colorado. Brown, a former hedge fund manager and Kudron, who ran sales teams at a media group’s newspaper, were no slouches when it came to business know-how. However, they found it difficult to obtain financing to open their store. ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado provided them with a loan which helped them open their store and increase inventory.

Since 2008, Quacker Gift Shop has gone on to achieve over $1,000,000 in sales, and the couple has opened their second store in Manitou Springs, Colorado. They have been featured in CNN Money and have provided ducks to be used in a movie. The store sells ducks of the president, pirate ducks, surfer ducks and dozens of additional varieties. With a lot of talent, vision and passion on the part of its owners, and a little microcredit, the business has been extremely successful.

Yashoda was working as a certified public accountant in 2000 when she decided it was time for a change. She was inspired to recreate her favorite childhood dishes from India, so she quit her job and began a food delivery service out of her kitchen in Albuquerque.

Naidoo approached ACCION with her mission statement and target customers written on a napkin. She wanted to open a restaurant. She refined her business plan, and ACCION provided her with a loan for $20,000 to lease and renovate space to open her first restaurant. Since that initial loan, Naidoo has gone on to open three of her restaurants, Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café. Two are located in Albuquerque, and one is located in Santa Fe. She has built a business that employs 45 people and had sales of $1.5 million in 2010. Naidoo will never forget that ACCION took a chance on her and her start-up restaurant. In fact, she has gone on to commit over $15,000 in charitable contributions to ACCION so that the organization can continue to support entrepreneurs. “ACCION is a place where success is available to anyone with the passion, commitment and character to realize it. ACCION is the window through which entrepreneurs can envision a future of prosperity, regardless of our stations in life,” she said. Additionally, Naidoo has volunteered as an ACCION mentor, offering guidance to other business owners.

Fernand Loumouamou has been a farmer since 1975. Living in his native Congo, Loumouamou cultivated fruits and vegetables to sell. Everything changed in 1999. As the Second Congo War ravaged his country, he lost his family to the war. Forced to flee for his own safety, he had to start over in a Benin refugee camp where he lived for nine years. Loumouamou was once again resettled in 2008. This time, however, he would have to start over on a new continent, moving from Benin to Tucson, Arizona, with the support of the International Rescue Committee. He was eager to return to farming, but had no resources. Through the care and support of Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona, Loumouamou found ACCION. His request to ACCION was simple. “I wish to request some materials to start gardening or farming work, in order to take care of myself,” said Loumouamou in a letter. ACCION provided him with a $200 step loan in the fall of 2009 for materials to start a landscaping business. Now with a fourth ACCION loan, he owns tools, his own truck, and a blossoming business.

A Growing Industry

Skeptics often think that with a flexible approach to lending and a client base that many perceive as risky, many of these microloans go bad. But that’s far from the case. ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado’s historic repayment rate is over 93 percent. Other organizations in the ACCION U.S. Network have had similar repayment success. The ACCION U.S. Network has provided over 42,000 loans for over $305 million to support entrepreneurs, and the network continues to widen its reach. What started in San Diego, Chicago, New York, Texas, and New Mexico has expanded into many more communities and states and continues to grow. As ACCION continues to grow, it increases its impact in difficult economic times. This year, in Colorado alone, the number of loans ACCION issued through September has increased 138 percent over the same period last year. As the ACCION U.S. Network increases its growth, it hopes to support small businesses everywhere.

Alberta’s Oil Sands

By: Michael Connors Issue: Resource Management Section: Business

An Energy Journal

The United States gets 20 percent of its energy from Canada, and of the 18 million barrels of oil Americans use every day, approximately 1.4 million barrels comes from the Canadian Oil Sands of Alberta. Demand for oil is expected to double by the year 2035, and oil sand production is expected to more than double in the next 10 years. Most Americans want to see more Canadian oil in the United States since Canada is a long-standing ally with many shared cultural and historic traits and is a stable, free-market economy; but there are many misconceptions about the oil sands here in the States. For every oil sands job, there are three more created in Fort McMurray, the nearest municipality to the oil sands, two in Canada and one in the U.S. At a time when people, communities, states and countries are struggling, development of the oil sands fulfills many needs. But to do so recklessly and without concern for the environment is in no one’s interests. I have heard stories about the oil sands of Alberta, namely that they are environmental nightmares and that the oil sands themselves are a gooey mess that sticks to anything it touches—in short, an environmental, political and social "tar baby." So naturally I jumped at the opportunity to visit the mining and extraction sites in person and speak with those directly involved with the oil sands. Sponsored by the Canadian government, this tour was intended to expose people like myself to the realities of the oil sands and oil sand development and help dispel the myths and preconceptions that seem to consume the topic. We met with representatives from the government of Alberta, Syncrude, Connacher, CAPP (Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers), Woods Buffalo Environmental Association, the Pembina Institute, Shell and Suncor. In many ways I came home more conflicted than when I left, but I feel much more qualified to discuss the topic and to introduce a general audience to what the oil sands are, how they are developed, the challenges surrounding this development and the collaborative highlights that give me hope that this resource will be handled in a responsible way.

The oil sands are essentially a large deposit of a mixture of sand, water, clay and a heavy oil known as bitumen that lies under 55,000 square miles of land situated in north eastern Alberta. The bulk of the mining and extraction takes place in the Woods Buffalo region, an area northeast of Edmonton, and the hub of the activity lies in Fort McMurray, a small community of 80,000 which is undergoing a boom that is as dynamic as it is intense. Needless to say, the resource is vital to Canada’s and the United States’ national interests, and as the government of Alberta notes, “Alberta has proven oil reserves of 171.3 billion barrels, consisting of bitumen (169.9 billion barrels) and conventional oil (1.4 billion barrels). These reserves make up the third-largest proven crude oil reserve in the world, next to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.” Expectations are that both demand and production will double by 2035 and this expansion means that cities like Fort McMurray are fast becoming a flash point where environmental, economic, social, technological and political interests converge and, is in many ways, a proving ground for regulatory, environmental, municipal and economic policy.

Processes

Extracting the oil out of the bitumen is accomplished primarily by two processes: surface mining and a heat extraction method known as in situ (Latin for “in place”). Our first tour was of the open pit mine and processing facility owned by Syncrude, one of the largest and oldest producers in the Fort McMurray area. This operation extracts about 300,000 barrels a day, and I can attest to the fact that these open pit mines are massive in scale and are nothing like the smaller coal and gold mines I am familiar with in Colorado. Essentially, a fleet of 400-ton haul trucks are loaded by enormous shovels and then they truck the oil sand to a large crusher that begins the process of separating the bitumen from the sand and prepares it for further processing. Most bitumen in the area needs to be processed to a heavy crude state so that it can be piped to refineries in Canada and the United States. There are currently four upgraders in the region that help process the bitumen and make it suitable for pipeline transfer; a fifth is under construction. Interestingly, surface mining of the bitumen is actually required further north of Fort McMurray because the resource is only a few hundred feet from the surface—in situ steam would only punch through the ground. Only 20 percent of the recoverable oil in the region is accessible through open pit mining because south of town, the bitumen deposit moves deeper into the crust, necessitating in situ recovery. The advantage of open pit, however, is that 90% percent of the resource is recovered versus 30 percent from in situ. In situ mining is a technologically advanced method of extraction using a process called SAGD (steam-assisted gravity drainage) where steam is used below ground—ideally around 800 feet—to heat the bitumen to a viscous state that is then recovered by a second piping system and brought to the surface for separation and further processing. The Connacher plant that we visited produces about 10,000 barrels of oil a day. While there is less obvious damage to the surface, some argue that the overall land disturbance is about the same as open pit when seismic lines, drill pads and roads are taken into account. The advantages are that these smaller operations are easier to finance and build, but they typically only recover up to 30 percent of the oil. However, due to the absence of tailings ponds and relative ease of construction and financing, many believe that open pit mining will eventually be phased out completely in favor of in situ operations.

Challenges

The Alberta Oil Sands are a nexus, a focal point of conflicting interests that share in the reality of the costs and benefits that oil brings. While there are certainly legitimate concerns associated with air and water quality and the much larger issue of greenhouse gasses and whether the oil sands should be developed at all are too broad in scope for me to deal with here. The environmental, technical and political challenges associated with tailings ponds make them a useful lens with which to amplify the overall issues associated with oil sands development. With open pit mining, one of the most concerning of the land issues is the creation of the tailings ponds. Tailings ponds can be found in any mining operation around the world, but oil sands tailings are unique due to the fact that the fine clay that is produced is very difficult to break down and integrate into the ecosystem. This fine clay is referred to as mature fine tailings (MFT) and is difficult to break down because the clay is suspended in molecules of water. It takes decades for this material to settle on its own. To this point, only two tailings ponds have been reclaimed -one from the Syncrude site and one from Suncor’s mine. The PEMBINA Institute, a leading third-party environmental think tank, assesses the lack of progress in a current oil sands press release, “Although Suncor’s Pond 1 has achieved a revegetated solid surface, this represents less than 1 percent of the total area occupied by tailings ponds today.” The Alberta government has taken the issues so seriously that they have instituted Directive 74 which mandates a much faster schedule for tailings pond mitigation. David Sands, spokesman for the government of Alberta described the policy as, “A measure implemented by the Energy Resources Conservation Board, aimed at tackling one of the bigger environmental issues that we have with oil sands development, and that’s tailings ponds. Our government directed the regulator to put this measure in place to ensure that all resources are brought to bear on the biggest problem we are facing right now.” The industry responded and has come together to form an Oil Sands Tailings Consortium (OSTC) that works together in collaborative ways to innovate and create new technologies and techniques for ramping up tailings reduction operations (TROs).

Collaborative Solutions

One of the top priorities for the government of Alberta, environmentalists and the oil sands industry is the reclamation of the tailings ponds. Companies like Syncrude, Shell, and Suncor have taken the lead and work together through the Tailings Pond Consortium. As noted in a recent Canadian news wire, “The membership of the OSTC is comprised of Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Imperial Oil, Shell Canada, Suncor Energy, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Teck Resources and Total E&P Canada.”  Following a landmark agreement announced in December 2010, member companies pledged to share existing tailings technology and research and to work together to accelerate the pace of reclamation. Suncor even has a trademarked TRO process that implements new technological breakthroughs in order to hasten the breakdown process. As noted in their 2011 Sustainability Report, Suncor states that, “In this process, MFT is mixed with a polymer flocculent, then deposited in thin layers over sand beaches with shallow slopes. The resulting product is a dry material that is capable of being reclaimed in place or moved to another location for final reclamation. This drying process occurs over a matter of weeks, allowing for more rapid reclamation activities to occur.” The benefits, thusly, of the OSTC is that it provides a platform where other producers have access to this technology and can then improve upon it. In a meeting with John Broadhurst, chairman of OSTC and vice president of Heavy Oil Development for Shell, he noted, “We put the Tailings Consortium together because we really wanted to create an environment where we could foster open collaboration... attempting to break down the barriers that existed previously. Finding the best solutions will always involve a partnership of industry, government and academia, and will likely including some of our critics because that’s how you get the best feedback in terms of where people see the best opportunities to improve." Echoing this sentiment was Steve Douglas, VP of Investor Relations at Suncor, “We are able to find common ground without co-opting. I think PEMBINA is the best example because you’ll hear them criticize us quite vocally... You take a step back in your criticism when the relationships are there and when you recognize the good faith in the other party.” So not only are new relationships forged that bring together disparate and diverse viewpoints, there are also opportunities for those involved to help shape and guide future policies, regulations and goals that instruct oil sand development. Therefore, collaborative models like OSTC create a mechanism whereby technological advances, experiential knowledge and a diversity of relationships can benefit all involved in the organization, and by extension, the society at large. In this special place, the Buffalo Woods region, there is a cacophony of voices both for and against the development of this vital resource. They all agree, however, that the resource will be developed to meet demand—ultimately, the question is how. Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake has seen her community double in the last 15 years and expects it to do so again in another 10 to 15 years, and is facing infrastructure challenges rarely seen by most cities. She has been involved in the dissuasion from the beginning and has lived many sides of the debate. Perhaps she says it best, “Above anything, I believe in the human capability of overcoming challenge and in no place is that more prevalent than my community.” Her optimism and hope is emblematic and encouraging, for after talking to even the most pessimistic of environmentalists, they still have great faith in their fellow Canadians to come together and solve some really tough problems.

To learn more about the Canadian Oil Sands: www.pembina.org www.syncrude.com www.junewarren-nickles.com www.alberta.ca www.wbea.org www.suncor.com

Maptek

By: Jane Ball Issue: Resource Management Section: Business

Innovative Technology Solutions for Mining and Engineering

Maptek is a leading provider of software and solutions for the mining and engineering sectors. Listening to customers and responding to their needs underpins Maptek’s development philosophy. Maptek products have emerged as the benchmark in the industry. Products include Vulcan software for 3D geological modeling and mine planning and I-Site hardware and software for 3D laser scanning and imaging. They are in use at most major operations. The company provides technical and professional support to customers at the local and regional level, while drawing on a pool of global specialists for complex projects.

Early Beginnings

Maptek was established in 1981 by Dr. Bob Johnson, a geologist in Sydney, Australia. Today, Maptek employs more than 300 people in a network of 14 offices across Australia, Europe, South Africa, Asia, North and South America. Headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia, Maptek maintains a global structure with regional sales and support. A vigorous expansion policy began in 1986, in order to deliver local services to customers. In the first 20 years, offices opened in the USA (1986), the UK (1989), South Africa (1992), Chile (1994), Brazil (1997) interlaced with the Australian network in Sydney (1981), Perth (1989), Adelaide (1990), Brisbane and Newcastle (2001). Products are also represented in Mexico, New Zealand, India, Japan and Canada.

Maptek is fundamentally a software company. Vulcan 3D modelling and mine design software, a pioneer in the industry, has more than 6000 users worldwide. Vulcan accounts for about 30 percent of the global market for mine planning software. I-Site Studio software emerged onto the market in 2000 and has since revolutionized the modeling and analysis of 3D laser scan data. In 2004, Maptek entered the surveying equipment market with the I-Site integrated 3D laser scanning and digital imaging instrument. So successful was this move into laser surveying that Maptek has subsequently released a long range I-Site 8800 laser scanner and a medium range I-Site 8400 for routine topographic survey applications.

The Maptek Vision

The Maptek vision is to help companies realize the benefits of implementing new technology. As Barry Henderson, Maptek chief executive officer explains, “We see our role as creating innovations for our mining customers, helping them develop their resources in a safe and efficient manner.” Aiming to be the first choice of customers and to maintain a leading reputation, Maptek continues to develop applications that address issues facing customers. By understanding customer challenges, the company is able to deliver targeted products while building value into their deliverables. This has cemented Maptek as the leading provider of innovative technology solutions to the mining and engineering sectors.

Local support is important to customers. Maptek’s hallmark is providing quality training and responsive services. Each of the 12 offices operates as a sales and business support unit, backed by networked product and development units in Australia the USA, and Chile. Close contact with customers promotes a collaborative relationship. Every year, the company invests almost 20 percent of revenue back into research and development, allowing for continuous evolution of existing products and commercialization of new ideas.

Emerging Strongly From the GFC

“In 2009, the economic climate forced us to re-evaluate how we did business. We looked to achieve greater revenue diversification,” said Barry Henderson. “Our strategy proved successful and positioned us to emerge strongly from the global downturn.”

Aggressive goals are pursued for all regions, aiming for continued growth in traditional mining markets and developing a presence in new areas. In fact, the company is currently adding staff in Calgary, Canada to address the needs of the Oil Sands. The North American mining market has always been strong and continues to do a lot of business in this region. In South America, Vulcan design and scheduling tools are widely used by mine planning engineers. The emerging market in Brazil is expected to represent a large amount of business for the company in the future. In addition, Maptek will increase its focus on other countries in the North American region such as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. A new office in Delhi is tapping into the huge market in India, which has a well-established industry mining commodities including iron ore, copper, nickel and coal. Sales and marketing of Maptek products into central Asia is also being ramped up in response to the strength of mining activity there. And a significant customer base in Mongolia is serviced by the Denver and Australian offices. The Australian mining industry leads the way in applying technology solutions to mining. Since mining represents a significant portion of Australia’s GDP, it is no surprise that this is Maptek’s biggest market.

Africa is another region where Maptek sees the opportunity to expand its operations. The team in Johannesburg has been strengthened to move beyond the current customer base with a renewed emphasis on services and training.

The company continues to partner with universities the world over, training students to use modern mining software systems and sharing technology insights. Students will then graduate with the skills that will equip them for working in the real world of geoscience. New Maptek scholarships were established in several regions in 2011, as one of the initiatives undertaken to commemorate 30 years in business.

A Bright Future

Technology is continually evolving and improving the mining industry; Maptek’s technology will be incorporated into ongoing development agendas. A customer’s need for integrated applications that share a single source of data across networks, sites, and operations will drive planning going forward.

Henderson comments, “There is certainly a positive uptake of technology in the mining industry. My attendance at APCOM, an international symposium on the Applications of Computers in Mining, held in Wollongong, Australia recently, reinforced our assurance that technology is the answer to increasing productivity and enhancing operational efficiencies. The challenge for us is to continue to innovate and deliver products that anticipate and more than meet their needs.”

The 2010 release of the Maptek I-Site 8800 laser scanner, followed by the I-Site 8400 system in 2011, highlights Maptek’s success in diversifying into quality hardware that matches its software products. The I-Site 8800 was developed in response to customer demand for a robust and reliable long range scanner integrated with powerful software. Concomitant enhancements to the I-Site Studio modelling and analysis software give surveyors even more tailored tools to deliver data and models for planning, design and feasibility studies.

Earlier this year, Maptek unveiled a customized truck to showcase the I-Site laser scanning system to U.S. mines. The team embarked on a five state roadshow in late March. Site personnel were able to see how the I-Site 8800 mounted on a vehicle with an integrated laptop running I-Site software could obtain near-instantaneous data and how results are processed while scanning continues. “It’s a very powerful demonstration of the benefits of the technology when mine staff can see the surveyed results, and fly-throughs of their data, virtually in real time. The venture has been a huge success, with inquiries and follow-up work still underway,” added Henderson.

The rapid uptake of the I-Site 8800 laser scanner and the proliferation of sites with multiple scanners for different purposes pointed Maptek toward another market. The recently released I-Site 8400, an entry-level scanner, will appeal to specific sectors of the survey market and is aimed squarely at quick turnaround for topographic, pit and stockpile survey tasks. Onboard controls, extendable memory, and removable scan storage are just some features of the new survey instrument.

Maptek is continuing to develop Vulcan software to streamline the processes that geologists and mining engineers use every day. Ongoing redesign of Vulcan modules will introduce new mine planning and scheduling functionality and strengthen existing tools. Vulcan will run more efficiently on 64-bit systems which will allow the development of a platform for mobile applications and tablets. Seamless data import/export will make Vulcan multi-compatible.

New software solutions are being developed as a result of direct collaboration with customers. BlastLogic is a comprehensive system for collating and analysing drill and blast data and performance. Input from a large Australian mining company will ensure BlastLogic meets the requirements of modern operations. An exciting new product, Eureka, is expected to set best practice standards for exploration work, another market which the company hopes to explore further. These products are set for release in early 2012.

All solutions, even those addressing specific requirements from individual companies, are developed with the global customer base in mind. The world’s expanding needs will drive operations to become more efficient at finding and developing resources. Maptek intends to work alongside the mining industry to provide solutions to the complexities they will face going forward.

Learn more about Maptek at www.maptek.com, or contact them at [email protected].

The Galápagos Diaries

By: Nick Wolfe with Osea Nelson Issue: Resource Management Section: Business

An Ecuadorian Energy Odyssey

Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources that account for more than half of its export earnings and 75 percent of the primary energy mix. As the smallest producer in OPEC, around a third of the country’s revenues are derived from the 500,000 barrels per day it produces in the mainland near the Amazon Rainforest. Hydroelectric power represents 22 percent, and renewable energy production remains small, but continues to grow, mirroring similar trends worldwide. While the United States and other areas of the world are developing unprecedented natural gas shale plays to power their economy, these unconventional options are not available for the small Latin American nation.

Starting in 2000, the caring people and history of Ecuador carved a special place in my heart, and I became interested in learning more about its future. On my third journey some nine years later, I spent a month in the Galápagos Islands to analyze their current energy dilemma and learn about their future plan to transition to 100 percent renewable energy. The following dialogue chronicles my personal experience.

OFF THE COUCH

It was the summer of 2009 when I watched a segment of Dan Rather Reports. Little did I know how much that program would influence my life in the coming months. The veteran newsman was broadcasting from the legendary Galápagos Islands, located 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The purpose of Rather’s journey wasn’t to sail the path that Darwin once took or snorkel with the abundant sea life. He was there to report on an issue that parallels the greatest crisis of this century—too many people have moved to the islands, putting a severe strain on resources available to support the increased population. Soon after viewing the Rather report, I began learning more about the specific problems facing the delicate Galápagos Islands, a location designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the endemic species found in their “evolutionary showcase.”

One fact little known to the outside world is that the amazing natural paradise experienced the ugly side of energy when a tanker ran aground in 2001, dumping 150,000 gallons of fuel into the delicate ecosystem. Fortunately, the accident had minimal harm on the environment thanks to strong currents that carried the fuel away from the islands. The near-catastrophic event, however, prompted policy officials to carefully re-examine their energy practices and priorities. After days of meetings and assessments, they decided to set an ambitious goal of meeting 100 percent of the islands’ electricity needs with renewable resources by 2015.  I began contacting organizations working in the Galápagos and brainstorming how I could become involved with the project. Galápagos I.C.E.(Immerse Connect Evolve) and its President Emily Pozo offered me the opportunity to work with them and conduct my research.

I knew I had to experience the islands first-hand in order to research solutions for what seemed to be an improbable goal. I also needed to understand the broader implications of the global energy crisis in the context of what the Galápagos was experiencing. I booked my flights for December 2009 and invited Osea Nelson, a long-time friend and colleague, to join me on the excursion. Nelson is an energy development consultant with Lafayette, Colorado-based Next Generation Energy. A flight departing Denver and connecting in Miami took us to Quito, the capital of Ecuador—the second highest administrative capital in the world.

Hours after touching down and clearing customs, Nelson and I spoke to locals who revealed that energy was in short supply in this ecologically diverse Andean nation. Several factors were contributing to the shortage. The region was dealing with the most severe drought in decades, with dangerously low dams unable to supply hydropower for daily power demands. Rolling blackouts and periods of two-hour electricity rationing had become a part of everyday life for Ecuadorians. Generators and their constant low-end humming could be seen and heard on almost every block in the capitol city. Ice cream vendors scrambled to sell their products along the avenues before their products fell victim to the power outages. In short, daily life had become much more difficult for citizens and businesses alike.

PARADISE CHALLENGED

We had pre-arranged a meeting in Quito with some of the individuals involved in the Galápagos energy projects that were already underway. After visiting the ERGAL (Energia Renovables Galápagos) offices and listening to the perspectives offered by officials there, Nelson and I had a greater understanding of the five-year renewable plan and the Galápagos energy situation. The next day we departed Quito for the sacred islands to the west. For us, it was an unprecedented journey into the same landscapes that have graced the covers of National Geographic and created timeless memories for those fortunate enough to see this magical place first-hand.

After a quick layover in Guayaquil, we touched down at the Baltra Airport, a former U.S. military base. We passed through the Galápagos Immigration Office of INGA and cleared a quick security screen to ensure no non-native fruits, vegetables, or animals become introduced species. Then it was on to a bus that took us one step closer to paradise. It soon became clear to Nelson and I, that despite the awesome beauty of the Galápagos each twist of the road served up, environmental challenges were as daunting on the islands as those of the mainland.  As we peered out the windows of the bus charging towards the main town of Puerto Ayora, we wondered if the five-year renewable energy described to us earlier would even be possible. Could this magical group of islands have a fighting chance to preserve their heritage and, at the same time, deal with a future population projected at 30,000 residents?

Our apartment for the month was nestled in the highlands of Buena Vista, a few miles inland from the main port city of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Each day the journey into town provided breathtaking views of a boundless ocean and miles of pristine coastline. Though mesmerized by attractive vegetation, lush forests, and enticing clear waters shielding vibrant reefs, Nelson and I remained devoted to the question before us—how realistic is ERGAL’s energy goals for the Galápagos Islands?

ERGAL’s master plan is to have large utility-scale installations on three of the islands. Currently, a variety of smaller distributed generation systems exist on the main island. The first solar photovoltaic (PV) project sites we visited included the Naval Captain’s port headquarter building, Charles Darwin Research Station, and the Japanese Marine Station, JICA. Upon arrival, we toured the naval headquarters and inspected the ground-based PV array. While holding a very prominent location visible from the main tourist pier downtown, it appeared to be in good working condition. However, the naval officers would not allow our investigation to go deep enough to collect actual performance data from the 4-kW of power it provided.

Next we traveled to the world-famous Charles Darwin Research Station, which boasts several different PV installations at the compound. A small 1-kW array is set up near the tour entrance, featuring an inverter mounted in a clear display box so that the output can be viewed by station visitors. While the array served as a nice technological demonstration, it was not well-maintained and proved not to be a substantial source of power output. Nelson observed some of the administration buildings and living quarters equipped with various small PV arrays. The main office complex of Charles Darwin Research Station featured a very nice 6-kW array mounted on the front entrance of the building—a system installed by the same Japanese researchers responsible for the Marine Station site next on our list. A bus ride across town ended at JICA. As we ventured out towards the long and beautiful boardwalk to the main beach, we inspected a pole-mounted 4-kW PV array. Like the arrays we discovered elsewhere, we were unable to precisely find out the exact output from the panels. Back in the apartment, Nelson and I compared our observations from the day. It was clear that while the handful of solar PV arrays on the island of Santa Cruz are a noble starting point, they are not nearly expansive enough to provide the utility-grade solar necessary to completely overcome the diesel generation by the 2015 deadline. The following day we traveled to San Cristobal Island to meet with the directors of the provincial electricity company Elecgalápagos SA to discuss the operation and performance of their wind site. Transportation to San Cristobal required a choppy three hour boat ride from Santa Cruz over open water in a cramped watercraft. We remained happy and hungry for adventure while diesel fumes and equilibrium challenges left several other passengers seasick. Upon arriving at the main headquarters, we gave attention to several topics regarding the energy crisis, including the government’s role in the expansion of clean power and overall thoughts from the community on the positive effects of clean energy.

In October 2007, the first wind energy project in all of Ecuador began operation on the second-most populous island of San Cristobal. The United Nations Development Program and members of the E8 Group funded more than half of the 2.4-MW project while the other portion came from national government funds and voluntary contributions. Located in the highlands of the island, the site consists of three on-shore mounted turbines that together contain the highest consistent wind-capacity factors. It is currently owned by the private entity EOLICSA which will transfer its assets to Elecgalápagos SA in 2014. The three 800-kW wind turbines generate 6,600 MW/year and reduce diesel consumption on the island by 52 percent.

The discussion with Elecgalápagos SA revolved around the obstacles in achieving energy independence for the islands and also outlined some of the unique challenges to the Galápagos Islands. Questions to the speakers were followed by a tour of the five main diesel generators on the site. This impressive and noisy set of heavy duty Caterpillar machines provides the majority of the island’s daily electricity. One of the main obstacles here is wind intermittency—the island experiences relatively zero wind three months out of every year. After touring the local site, we traveled up to the highlands to see the wind turbines firsthand. Precipitation prevented a full view of the site, but we were astonished by the array we could distinguish through the thickening clouds and fog. To complete our site tour and data collection, we ventured to one of the operating turbines and observed the internal electronics and generation systems modeled inside.

To raise additional awareness of the benefits and applications of renewable energy, the 100-foot MS PlanetSolar Tûranor yacht visited the islands in January. PlanetSolar’s Tûranor is the world’s largest solar-powered vessel, floating an expansive breadth of 500 square meters of solar photovoltaic panels, and it is aiming to be the first to circumvent the entire globe.

The PlanetSolar crew met with officials from the World Wildlife Federation to help develop clean energy for use in transportation, tourism, electricity generation, and fishing on the islands. Because the sun’s rays are strongest at the equator, solar energy seemed a clear choice for the Galápagos - they receive upwards of 5.5 kW per square meter each day and can reach inhabitants who live in rural off-grid areas. With earlier support for the small solar applications at the Charles Darwin Research Station, an additional $10 million donation was received from the Japanese International Cooperation System Company in July 2010. The funding will be used towards implementing a 1400-kW system on Baltra, with interconnection to Santa Cruz.

A SKEPTIC PUBLIC?

The town of Puerto Ayora has now grown to more than 10,000 people, and it will continue to be a nucleus of growth for all of the islands. While the plans to implement the projects are strong, there are little to no developmental incentives for small businesses or homes to integrate their own renewable sources. Introducing electric vehicles in Santa Cruz would also greatly benefit the reduction of fossil fuels; unfortunately, this is not currently on the drawing board.

Overall, the San Cristobal project established the first utility-scale renewable source for the islands that set precedent for future projects and continuing wind developments on the main island. We discovered that, although many of the local residents are cognizant of the importance of protecting their environment, attempts at displacing the diesel generation with renewable energy brings its own public relations battle to San Cristobal. With the slow and gradual process that is social change, residents are quick to blame the turbines for problems with the generators or any other part of their electrical grid. New technologies are frequently met with skepticism and possibly with resistance. In our experiences communicating with local residents and workers, many were critical of relying on these new energy sources. We really couldn’t help but wonder how the community’s apprehension might affect Ecuador’s energy future.

We’re impressed by continued progress on the islands, particularly given that many of these plans and promises were formulated in the months prior to the global recession. Though impressed with the initial installations, based on our findings in 2009, we remained skeptical that the plan to eliminate 100 percent of fossil fuel for electricity would be possible by the 2015 deadline. A determining factor in whether the overall project is truly successful in the long term will be whether citizens of the islands embrace the efforts to eradicate fossil fuels, or if this goal is simply a lofty dream of the international community.

Sustainable Careers

By: Karen Newman Issue: Resource Management Section: Business

Work for the Long Run

Ron arrived for his last day of work as usual, before anyone else was in the office. He tried to ignore the knot in his stomach as he turned on his computer and prepared for his first conference call of the day. Ron had risen through the ranks of his international consumer products company, stayed current in his field, become a manager, and participated in many projects that had been very profitable for the company.

It made Ron physically ill to think about this being his last day at work. True, he was past retirement age and was fully vested in his retirement program. True, he was no longer striving for promotions. Yet he still had plenty to offer. Unfortunately, the company didn’t see it that way. Ron wanted to keep working, but wanted to dial back his hours. But the company’s philosophy was “all or nothing” – employees are either fully engaged or are not employed here. The truth was, Ron was being pushed out, and he didn’t like it. “I’ll show them,” he thought to himself. “I’ll take my know-how and my business relationships with me tonight when I leave. To heck with them.” Yet no matter how much indignation Ron tried to muster, he still had that knot in his stomach. He didn’t want to leave. We all know a “Ron.” The 78 million Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 in the U.S. have challenged us as a society for over sixty years. We built new schools to educate them, new suburbs to house them, and new industries and jobs to challenge them. Women’s widespread entry into professional positions is a Baby Boomer phenomenon, as are 401(k) retirement accounts, credit card debt, dissolution of the nuclear family, and increasing reliance on science and technology for a better and longer life.

Baby Boomers in the U.S. are currently between the ages of 47 and 65. The sheer size of the generation is going to place tremendous strains on Social Security and Medicare, and the reliability of 401(k) accounts for retirement is questionable, at best. In addition, with life expectancies in the 80s, it is unreasonable to assume that any pension plan could affordably support this large population for 20-30 years of retirement. Finally, Boomers are not very good savers. They cannot afford to retire. Baby Boomers have changed many things about life in the U.S. since their births, and they are not finished.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 10 percent of the labor force was age 55 or older in 2000. By 2015, 20 percent will be 55 or older. And a recent survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that 39 percent of respondents plan to retire after age 70 or not at all. How do we productively engage the aging workforce in work now, and how do we craft careers for younger employees that will serve them well through all stages of their adult lives?

The Aging Advantage

Contrary to common beliefs, older employees are not stubborn, rigid, low performing liabilities. Numerous researchers find older workers to be more engaged, more loyal, less likely to quit, less likely to be absent voluntarily, more willing to work hard, and just as adaptable when given the opportunity, compared to their younger colleagues. This is especially true for jobs in which the physical requirements of work are not a limiting factor.

Older employees are better qualified, more interested in accomplishment, more interested in doing meaningful work, more motivated by autonomy and flexibility and less interested in promotions than their younger co-workers. Older employees hunger for an opportunity to make a difference, to bring their years of experience to bear and help others. They want to make a contribution and be respected for their wisdom and expertise.

Sustainable Careers

“It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” ~ Charles Darwin

Sustainability implies preserving and enhancing human capital rather than depleting it. It implies restoring and maintaining balance. To be sustainable throughout life, careers must have three features. They must include renewal opportunities, times when employees pause briefly to reinvigorate themselves. They must be flexible and adaptable. Half of what we think we know now will be obsolete in a few years. Individuals and firms need to be continuous and flexible learners, ready to travel new roads as conditions dictate. Finally, sustainable careers must include opportunities for integration across life spheres and experiences that lead to wholeness, completeness, and meaning. Let’s look at each of these in more depth.

Renewability

Renewability implies replenishment in a reasonable amount of time. It implies the ability to refresh, to extend, and to be available indefinitely. The renewability feature of careers prevents burnout, akin to allowing time for muscles to recover after a rigorous workout. Renewable career practices provide periods of time for consolidation, reflection, rethinking and retooling. The case of Nancy Tuor of CH2MHill is an example.

Nancy was the project executive for CH2MHill charged with cleaning up a highly complex hazardous waste site that was littered with radioactive waste. She and her team completed the estimated 60-year job in less than 10 years at a cost of one-fifth the original estimate. The project was a quintessential high visibility, high stakes, fast moving and extremely successful experience in her career. After completing the project, her career trajectory took her to a less visible, less turbulent assignment as vice-chair in which she developed future revenue streams through project proposals. She was not stagnated or plateaued, as might happen in another firm. She was investing in the future. After her time as vice-chair she went back into another high visibility job as the company’s project executive for building a carbon neutral city in the Middle East.

Nancy’s story is not unique in engineering firms, yet it is also not common. Too often we move ourselves (or our employees) rapidly from place to place, assignment to assignment. A lull in the action is an indication of a problem, not an opportunity. Not so at CH2MHill. While the firm certainly keeps its billable hours at a reasonable level, it also has a practice of asking people to contribute from time to time in a different, less turbulent, less visible role, as Nancy did. The company benefits, as do its employees.

Flexibility

Flexibility means being easily shaped and reshaped, adaptable, agile and capable of change. Flexibility implies range of movement, elasticity, and the ability to bend without breaking. Flexibility produces resiliency and confidence, two key components of positive psychology. Careers of the future must be flexible and adaptable, characterized by continuous learning both in response to change and in anticipation of change. We know things will not be the same next year as they were previously, but we do not know how they will be different. At Intel and many other technology-based companies, the majority of profits in any one year are from products that did not exist two years previously. Continuous learning is akin to tennis players always keeping their feet moving. The best players may not know where the ball will be, but being in motion helps them get to the ball more quickly.

Daniel started his career in the financial services industry, working in operations – the backroom activities that keep the system working. It was not a job that led to trading or investment banking or wealth management, yet these were the types of jobs Daniel wanted. He continued his education, learned the fundamentals of investing, and achieved professional certifications necessary for advancement in investment analysis and wealth management. He made himself available for task forces and special projects that gave him visibility among investment professionals; he learned everything he could about the business on the job; and he found a mentor who straddled his world (operations) and the other functions in the firm to which Daniel aspired.

After several years in operations, Daniel was asked to lead a project team that gave him great visibility among investment associates. When the project was completed, he was asked to manage the new activity – located in the investment management part of the firm. He is now a managing director in a prestigious investment bank.

Daniel’s case illustrates one person’s tenacity and flexibility. Even better are examples of employers who have flexible, on-demand talent management strategies so that many “Daniels” can develop simultaneously. These firms are likely to be young and doing business in rapidly changing fields, firms such as Google, Zappos, and Apple. Their flexibility and adaptability are part of the reason for their success—being able to deploy the right talent at the right time on the right task. And these firms attract talent that is excited about flexibility and not worried about a lack of fixed career paths.

Integration

Integration implies completeness, wholeness, consistency between values and actions, and connectedness. From integration comes meaning. Older adults seek meaning in their lives. They are asking the question, “Have I lived a meaningful life?” and “How can I make a positive difference in the time I have left?” Older adults have perspective, see connections and draw conclusions from disparate bits of information more readily than younger adults. They see patterns and networks younger workers often do not see. Imagine engaging experienced employees as one company did.

Sam, a long-time employee at a mid-sized international engineering firm, had become marginally productive and difficult to work with. He was isolated at work, both physically and interpersonally. At 65 years old, he was as sharp as ever mentally, showed no signs of wanting to retire, but had lost his ability and willingness to work effectively with others. As a result, he was given tasks that reinforced his isolation and that were not at the cutting edge of the business.

His new supervisor, Tony, realized that Sam’s talents were wasted in his current job. Taking advantage of Sam’s years of experience and solid customer relationships, Tony created a customer quality assurance role for Sam, representing projects holistically to the customer rather than contributing as one of the project engineers. Because of his years of experience, Sam was able to evaluate project quality and integration as a whole and was able to be the go-between with customers.

Tony also moved Sam to the front of the office area in a prominent and visible space, paid attention to him, and ultimately honored Sam’s experience. He supported Sam’s job activities. Sam completely turned around his performance. Where previously Sam was a troubled, even dysfunctional employee, he became productive, valued and respected by his peers. This is an example of adding integration opportunities to talent management practices. Not everyone can be a “Sam,” but how many “Sams” are pushed prematurely out the door with a gold watch, or relegated to trivial work at the margin of the company? Sustainable careers engage the “Sams” of the world in ways that are appropriate to their stage in life, building on and using their need for integration.

The Business Case for Sustainable Careers

The aging Baby Boomer Generation presents an opportunity to reinvent personal and organizational career strategies. For 40 years, society has made only incremental changes around the edges of traditional career practices in response to more women in the workplace, advances in information technology, and the rise of knowledge-based work. Vestiges of old assumptions remain—employment policies that punish or prohibit flexible work; promotion patterns that punish child-bearing and child-rearing; job descriptions that require face-to-face work when not necessary; and retirement plans that push people out the door based on age rather than engagement and value. The time for change is long overdue. As has happened so often in the last 40 years, it may be the large Baby Boomer Generation that triggers significant and lasting change in the way society engages people in work throughout life. Sustainable careers can help companies in at least five ways.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge retention and knowledge transfer, huge issues now for companies, can be enhanced with continued engagement of more experienced people who have stayed current, who have not burned out, and who possess unique knowledge. As work in the U.S. becomes more knowledge-based, the need to manage knowledge will increase. Employees who have experienced periods of renewal in their careers are less likely to feel burned out, more likely to be current, and more able and willing to stay engaged productively. Employees in firms that have flexible, adaptable talent management practices are more likely to stay engaged in their work, particularly if they can go to more flexible work schedules. And, employers that incorporate integration into their talent management practices will define new roles for their elders that facilitate knowledge transfer. Older employees can find meaning out of chaos that less experienced employees often cannot.

FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION

Integration across functions, activities, products, and time is facilitated with older employees who have the perspective to see how the pieces and parts fit together. As the pace of change increases, organizations must become more agile and adaptive. To do this, they must decentralize and delegate so that individuals on the front line are empowered to solve problems and take action. But who will bring the decentralized bits and pieces back together? Who will look across functions and businesses to find synergies and opportunities for coordination and integration? Older employees can, particularly if they have had flexible careers and experienced continuous learning. As work becomes more complex and change more rapid, the pressure to delegate and decentralize is stronger, creating a counterbalancing need for integrators—roles well-suited to the wisdom held by older employees.

Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching younger employees is more possible with seasoned veterans on board who are still fully engaged. As with knowledge management, older employees can show younger employees the ropes, give them advice about work relationships and career strategies, and support them as they meet their needs for fitting in and getting ahead. Modern mentoring relationships are really co-learning, as young people bring technical knowledge to the workplace that can be valuable to older employees. Mentoring relationships represent continuous learning opportunities for both parties and may represent renewal or integration or both for older employees.

Employing Millennials

Though the Baby Boom Generation is large and influential, the Millennial Generation is just as large and likely to be just as influential. People in the Millennial workforce, those born between about 1980 and 2000, though different from others in fundamental ways, are compatible with Boomers. Both generations want meaningful work, personal growth, flexibility, and balance between work and non-work arenas. The Millennial cohort craves mentoring, a role that can be filled by Boomers. Millennials are completely comfortable with using technology at work to facilitate meetings, maintain relationships, and support an anytime, anywhere approach to job performance. They place a strong emphasis on personal growth which is enabled by the renewability feature of sustainable careers. They value life balance, a likely outcome of career flexibility. The opportunity to embrace the demographic facts of life by re-inventing work and careers will be a competitive advantage in hiring and retaining Millennials in the years ahead.

Employment Costs

Finally, sustainable careers lower employment costs by reducing turnover. They meet the development needs of employees and the adaptive talent management needs of employers. Sustainable careers are adaptable, flexible and changeable, which reduces the risk of obsolescence and stagnation. They include positions that use the unique talents of more senior employees. And they support flexible work arrangements which can be cost effective for employers and satisfying for employees.

Conclusions

The sheer size of the Baby Boomer Generation will force changes in talent management practices. Sustainable careers represent a viable, attractive future that will benefit employers and employees alike. The desire for flexibility coincides nicely with the changing needs of employers for talent over time. Many Boomers do not want promotions when they age, but they do want meaning in their work. They may not need big salaries and significant responsibilities in their later years, but they appreciate engagement, usefulness, and respect. Sustainable careers can help subsequent generations enact careers that sustain and nurture, that change and adapt, and that integrate and complete. The Boomer and Millennial cohorts represent an opportunity to rethink how society develops and deploys human capital over time, over employment opportunities and across generations.

Full Radio Programming

By: Eric Reamer and Angel Tuccy Issue: Resource Management Section: Making Airwaves

Full Radio Programming

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child. If that's true, then perhaps we can agree that it takes many villages, lots of repetition, and a solid foundation to create a revolution in the way people treat other people in business. To this end, the Experience Pros Radio Show and ICOSA work every day to provide listeners across America with compelling stories of philanthropy, business development, advances in technology, and extreme customer service.

The show, recently named "The most positive business talk show in America,”* offers listeners a well-rounded cornucopia of resources covering a wide range of elements essential to building a collaborative business model. From developing sustainable business practices to exporting to a world full of eager buyers, guest experts and regular segment hosts provide information over the airwaves that challenges business owners and managers to take a hard look at how their business really operates. "We are the catalyst for the internal combustion that leads to revolutionary change in business", says Eric Reamer, co-host of the radio show.

James Fischer hosts the Monday segment, "Navigating the Growth Curve." During his time on the air, Fischer guides listeners through the seven stages of business development. His practical approach, called the Growth Curve, allows him to teach business owners how to identify issues that cause problems and to literally be able to predict the future of a company's growth regardless of economic environment. He has served more than 750 companies ranging from the solo-preneur to the Fortune 100. He helped one company go from $0 to $30 million in only 18 months. Fischer's training follows the principles written about in his book, Navigating the Growth Curve, available for free in digital format from www.SustainableBusinessGrowth.com. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Scott Barclay, who joins the show every Tuesday morning, offers listeners a rare look inside the investment business from a (reformed) stockbroker's perspective. His segment, "Investing in You" offers candid insights surrounding all types of investment opportunities without the motivation of using your money to make money for himself. This approach to financial education—minus the less-than-altruistic motives of most broker/managers—yields an ROI that is in the best interest of the most interested party when it comes to investing—YOU. Barclay's book, audio tips, reports and workshops can be found at www.HowTheInvestmentBusinessReallyWorks.com.

Dentists, by the very nature of their work, are predisposed to be low on the list of people whom others wish to visit. And yet, one dentist in the Denver suburb of Centennial, Colorado has a long line of people bringing their business to him—and an even longer line of current clients literally singing the praises of a customer experience that transcends expectations. Dr. Camillo DiLizia offers this explanation for the virtual flood of clients his practice serves, "I do my best to live life on the bright side." His regular Wednesday radio segment of the same name allows many thousands of listeners a glimpse into what makes this dentist special. Sure, he's formally trained and has over 25 years of practical experience, but it's his uplifting, positive attitude, spiced with a little left-over New Jersey flavor, that drives people through the doors and motivates them to outperform all of his marketing efforts. Get to know "Dr. D" yourself at www.DentalWellnessDC.com.

Few people have ever been able to say that they've lost more than a million dollars, because in order to make that claim, one must have had a million dollars to lose. Australian serial entrepreneur Michael Russo has not only lost millions, but now makes a living helping others avoid the mistakes he made in business. His Wednesday morning segment is called "Up and Over from Down Under," and though he calls in live in the middle of the night, his business tips and marketing prowess is a favorite feature of the show. Russo is currently producing a television program called "Bankruptcy Rocks TV" which hopes to launch early 2012 in Australia, and then here in the U.S. later the same year. For more information on Russo and his program, please visit www.BankruptcyRocks.com.

Jan Mazotti, editor of ICOSA and host of the "Connect + Collaborate with ICOSA" segment of the radio program assembles a who's who in the business community to appear as guests during the show. From inventors to Nobel Laureates, educators, to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Mazotti connects collaborators with a national audience. "We love bringing stories of high-impact world-changers to listeners all across the country," she says. "The issues we discuss on the show affect all of us locally, nationally, and even globally."

The Experience Pros Radio Show, hosted by Angel Tuccy and Eric Reamer airs daily for two hours in Denver, Colorado and nationally for one hour on WXJC (850 AM and 92.5 FM) in Birmingham, AL and KJSL (630 AM) in St. Louis, MO, as well as for an hour a week on KFNX (1100 AM) in Phoenix, AZ.

*"Most positive business talk show in America" - Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder, BNI Networking Groups.

Why Don’t We Lead By Example?

By: Kim DeCoste Issue: Resource Management Section: Opinion

Why Don’t We Lead By Example?

There is little doubt that the future of children in the United States and around the world is one of the most pressing “resource” questions we must address. Educating and nurturing young minds so that we cultivate future leaders, workers, thinkers and citizens is essential to sustaining the nation and the planet. That is not a hyperbole.

Never mind chauvinistic concerns, though some people approach the issue that way. Focus instead on the idea that if we do not determine where our children’s education ranks on the long list of priorities, it will be too late for many of them to recover easily. Perhaps it is already happening. When focusing on the United States, an interesting paradigm emerges. It’s not entirely clear when and how this started, but young Americans are losing the competitive edge—right here in this country, and in the universities.

Current data substantiates the fact that a large percentage of students in our universities are international students. So, on the one hand American universities are attractive to foreign students—which is a good thing. But on the other hand, we face the issue that we are educating foreign students and then either letting them go back or in some cases forcing them to return to their home countries and not benefitting from the wisdom and knowledge they gained here, a point we highlighted in our October 2011 story “The Broken System of Immigration.”

The Institute of International Education (www.iie.org) reported last year that though international student enrollment only rose “modestly” at an overall rate of three percent in the previous academic year, it was driven, for example by a 30 percent increase in Chinese student enrollment to a total of nearly 128,000 or more than 18 percent of the total international student population. Then, consider the two percent increase in Indian students last year (total of 105,000), which represents 15 percent of all international students in U.S. higher education you get a better picture. States most impacted by foreign students are California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Illinois. Another consideration is that these international students are some of the best and brightest in their own countries. They endure a lifestyle of academic rigor unfamiliar to most American students—so when they arrive here, naturally, most are smart and motivated. And, they are raising the bar or changing the academic curve, even for entrance to college, in those states specifically. It has become harder for American students in those states to get into their state universities than for those in other parts of the country and the world.

“The United States continues to host more international students than any other country in the world,” according to Allan Goodman, president and CEO of the Institute of International Education. “Active engagement between U.S. and international students in American classrooms provides students with valuable skills that will enable them to collaborate across cultures and borders to address shared global challenges in the years ahead.” Of course, we absolutely want to see future generations collaborate, as Mr. Goodman suggests, but increasingly we worry that the American students will come up short. Is that really possible in the long term?

Certainly there is increased pressure on U.S. public colleges and universities to do more with less. How can they compete? Underfunded by many states, they have become creative in raising funds. Alumni, generous donors, foundations and other private sector benefactors provide capital improvements and other university projects. The pressure on institutions of higher learning to continue to contribute in a meaningful way through their research and writing has increased exponentially, as tuition continues to rise. They are competing for the best students, the best athletes, the best professors, and the highest achieving academic and thought leaders. And with international students, they are competing for students who are not only bright, but who are also fully funded at the “published rate.” International tuition is much higher than state tuition, and it is in the schools’ financial interests to enroll them.

Another consideration: There is also a significant trend in proprietary—private, for profit—universities to accept international students if these students have the financial resources to pay for their education out-of-pocket. Many of these open enrollment institutions allow any person who can provide proof of high school equivalency completion and a functional knowledge of English to enroll in the university. The school’s position is that the institution is filling a need—in this case a business need—for international students to get educated in the United States. They are regionally accredited, which makes them legitimate institutions of learning, and they are often better able to help foreign students make their way through the programs because the for-profit institutions are revenue driven, so they do go out of their way in many cases to help students succeed. They are also not constrained by the funding issues that hamper traditionally funded schools. They can be quite flexible with faculty who are mostly adjuncts—employed elsewhere and “teaching on the side.” There is no tenure. No big pensions. No faculty housing. No need to publish or do research. These colleges and universities, some would argue, are very pragmatic. They just teach.

For profit vs. not-for-profit institutions is a very hot topic. Currently there is rigorous debate about the way the for-profit schools recruit and draw funding through the federal government’s financial aid programs for U.S. students. There have been challenges to the use of GI Bill funding for former military students, and there have been challenges on the basis of resulting “gainful employment” to the work these institutions do. On the one hand, they are serving a demographic that would otherwise likely not be supported in a traditional setting. Open enrollment means there really are few if any roadblocks (such as admission requirements) to enrollment. Proof of high school education, sometimes a writing sample, transcripts, English proficiency and sometimes a background check are all that is usually needed. So, on the one hand, the for-profit schools have leveled the playing field—anyone can go to college now. On the other hand, is going to college enough to be successful in these competitive times?

Maybe that is the underlying question. Is traditional college necessary? Or, would society be better served to focus on vocational education for some students? The American educational system is unique, based on the size of the country and the number of students served. In the U.S., the educational system purports to educate every student through grade 12 if they want to attend school. Unlike many countries who push all children through to a point and then distinguish educational tracks that will limit later options for them, Americans say no child will be left behind in the United States. But then, are we really doing them all a favor if the best we can offer is a mediocre education? The consensus seems to be that U.S. public education is in a crisis, both at the K-12 and higher education level. Arguably, an honest conversation about higher education must begin with an in-depth look at a child’s formative years and the rigor (or lack thereof) of instruction that a child receives before he/she enters college.

It is a fact that more time is being spent in the first year of college remediating freshmen. That means that parents and students are paying college tuition so that deficient enrollees can learn educational skills that should have been mastered in K-12 schools.

Further, with the economy as rocky as it has been, college enrollment is way up. More people are out of work, sometimes chronically, and they believe getting more education will help them. That might be true in some cases, but accruing debt while out of work is a risk. It’s important to note that some schools remind students that if they enroll and seek federal financial aid, they can also get a stipend through financial aid to cover cost of living expenses. There are many people in this country living off of unemployment or social security and a college stipend. Some are working on advanced degrees just to stay in school and keep the money coming. Never mind that they are doing nothing to make themselves more marketable on the employment front from a practical standpoint. Many do not work outside jobs; they become full-time students. They are not constrained by age, so they can be at entry level or post retirement levels of schooling. Is this what we want the American higher education system to look like?

Finally, we must look at the ultra-success stories. Yes, there are exceptions. But the truly incredible success stories are often told by people in the most dynamic and challenging industries who want to share their stories of academia. Oftentimes, their stories include tales of being struggling students and/or dropouts. An example is Dale Stephens, chief educational deviant and poster child for Generation Y, who at 19 years old states, “College isn’t just an idea or a website. It’s a movement. It’s a lifestyle. We believe that college isn’t the only path to success.” (www.UnCollege.org).

Dale’s website goes on to explain that he is not “against college” but that he and others are paying too much to learn too little. Stephens says, “Hacking your education means deciding how, when and what you want to learn. Hacking your education means bending institutions to your reality. Hacking your education means making the most of the best years of your life.” (Yes, we know some would say those college years were the best years of their lives! But we don’t think that is what he’s referring to here.) Maybe they’re right—for some kids.

There isn’t an easy answer to the questions surrounding this tricky topic, but we need to ask the question to American adults: How important is supporting public higher education to you?

I would speculate that the prevailing answer is that supporting education is very important.

The direction of education in the United States must be a collective decision. It’s not just about increasing education funding or raising taxes—it’s about a generation needing a direction in the education process for our country to remain competitive.

Yes, but we might need something more fundamental. We need them to focus on what they want to be and what they want to do with their lives. Then we need them to figure out the best path to their own vision of success, and then we need them to search for that success. As the Nike slogan says, “Just do it.”

Society needs to find a way to begin to talk about the “elephant” in the room with respect to public education: tenure in higher education as well as in K-12. What is the old adage? “If what you are doing isn’t working, stop doing it.” The system is limping along and it is not in the system’s best interest to fix itself. Like most things, change will be imposed from the outside by forces willing, or not, to continue to support—through funding or enrollment—the work being done. An example is what Geoffrey Canada is doing in Harlem, or what Michele Rhee at StudentsFirst. These people are using innovative strategies that need to be presented in a national conversation on education. These innovators want to see change in the way educational institutions conduct business.

Without a steady stream of funding, the colleges and universities will begin to disappear. It is already happening in some small rural areas—community colleges and land grant institutions in rural areas are really struggling due to a lack of funds. Problems are further exacerbated by lack of human resources or facilities and dwindling enrollment. At the end of many programs, there are not enough jobs available in many fields. This cycle can continue for some time to come.

So what can society do to fix the current education dilemma? U.S. citizens need to find a way to dissect this massive problem and start tackling it from multiple angles. Everyone needs to roll up their sleeves to find ways to make institutions be relevant and flexible in their approaches to education. We need to help institutions be relevant and nimble. Issues relating to international students must be addressed so that the collective best interest of the American public is met. A bigger picture must come into focus whereby the melting pot that is America can do right by international and “homegrown” students. Action must be taken quickly so as to bolster the American educational experience.

Every nine months or so, the next generation of leaders moves up a grade in school. They are inching toward their futures and we, as a society, have an obligation to help them see the world as it is, to help them imagine how it might be when they “arrive” at adulthood, and then make sure that they are educated in a practical way so they can accomplish what they set out to do, whatever that is. We can’t be certain what the future will bring, but we can still prepare them for the many possibilities and opportunities that may arise. They need imagination and skills. They need the confidence to believe they can make a difference. And they must have the flexibility to change when change is demanded. We need to lead by example.

A Closer Look at the Bee

By: Rebecca Kersting Issue: Resource Management Section: Inspirations

A Closer Look at the Bee

The last issue of ICOSA focused on the importance of infrastructure, symbolized by the spider and its web, as the foundation for collaboration. However, infrastructure is only one of five components necessary for true collaboration to occur. In this issue, we will look at how effective resource management can be exemplified by the bee.

Commonly known for their honey-hoarding behavior and their use as a domesticated species, honeybees are among the most studied and best known insects. Their operation, as well as their social nature, makes bees a fascinating specimen.

As eusocial insects, honeybees live in large colonies that consist of strictly defined castes. Each individual bee depends on the colony and can survive only as a member of the social community. The hive consists of queens, workers, drones and soldiers—each with specific roles. Although they are individually weak and tiny, they use the power of their critical mass to execute monumental tasks. The hierarchical infrastructure of honeybees equips them with advanced problem-solving capabilities. Using a simple yet effective colony structure, thousands of individuals with different various job functions are able to align. Bees cooperate to find food, build their hive, take care of the young, and defend the colony. The hive is built to be the core infrastructure for honeybee colonies. Each worker has special glands on the underside of its body that secrete a waxy substance, which they use to construct their elaborate honeycombs. Each honeycomb is comprised of a collection of hexagonal shaped chambers. This shape allows the maximum number of chambers to be packed into the smallest area. These cells are multi-functional, storing and protecting the colony’s most valuable resources—honey to feed the colony when flowers are scarce and protection for, and the numerous developing larvae—the key to the next generation of the hive.

Bees collectively gather and relay information very quickly throughout the population without dependence on a central repository or command center. However, in the middle of a colony where the density of bees is very high, there are thousands of bees whose sole purpose is to convey information. They communicate using complex dances, pheromones, and direct contact. Bee dances are able to transmit information regarding direction, distance, and abundance of food supply. They release pheromones that distinguish one bee from another and when two bees meet, they communicate through the use of their antennae. Every time a bee meets another bee, a new message is conveyed. There is a constant flow of information in and out of the hive, even though some of them will never leave the hive. Utilizing their innate communication skills, bees have constructed an impressive communication system. All bees, from drones, to workers, to the queen, have a specific duty inside the hive. Each bee has an individualized task explicitly designed to fit its strengths. By each fulfilling its duty, each bee does its part in fulfilling the goals of the hive as a whole.

Collaborative organizations are created to provide some sort of value—whether it is a service or a product. Creating a unique collaborative output is dependent upon the availability of resources, combined with the ability to work together and communicate toward a common goal. In this issue we will look at real examples of groups who, like the bee, are finding, organizing, managing, and capitalizing on resources in a unique or exemplary way.

Remembering Noel Cunningham

By: Jan Mazotti with Gayle Dendinger and Mitch Jelniker Issue: Resource Management Section: Remembering Noel Cunningham

December 16, 1949 – December 1, 2011

Giving is something our parents teach us when we are small children. We are reminded every day to give and share with others. And it is easier to give when you can see someone and look at the difference you made in his or her life.

Making an impact and reaching out to people is tried and tested every day. But how do you give to people you can’t see and who you may never know, or the impact you might have in their life? Who are these people, how do you reach them, what do they need and how long can you realistically give?

I doubt Noel Cunningham ever thought twice about what he could give. He just did. His inspiration stemmed from being a serial entrepreneur, always figuring out new approaches and strategies for business. His skill was being able to combine what he knew about business with the fundamentals of being a good and decent human being; and he always kept these two characteristics in balance. Work was never work for Noel; it was always interesting and fun.

When I think of him now, three words immediately resonate in me; elegance, humility and impact. Forever seared into my memory, I will always remember Noel walking with his head tilted down slightly, graciously humbled by those around him. When you were with Noel he was always polite and made you feel like you were the most important person, because to him, you were.

As an entrepreneur, Noel constantly surrounded himself with people. When he started his restaurant, Strings, it was the relationships he forged that ultimately saved his fledgling business. Today Strings is a neighborhood staple and a place where friends gather to share in the truly aesthetic experiences of life. Strings helped him to be recognized as Businessman of the Year during one of the most desperate economic times, but his ingenuity and passion ambitiously pushed him through, weathered but not broken.

Noel, without prejudice helped launch ICOSA by sharing his ideas, his wisdom, his guidance, and offering his moral support. He let us use his restaurant as meeting space, and graciously displayed our magazines for patrons to peruse.

As a “newbie” in the community, I was a little apprehensive to meet Noel, but what I quickly learned was that Noel was everyone’s friend. He was visionary. He was resourceful. He was a connector. He was a collaborator. He was a doer—he got it done. No excuses!

We lost that dear, dear friend on December 1, 2011 to suicide. And while we're troubled and saddened by his death by suicide, we know the way he lived touched thousands of lives in a positive way.

Noel and Tammy Cunningham

are known globally as much for their humanitarian work as for the amazing dining experience they offer at Strings Restaurant and 240 Union. As if elegance and indulgence needed a balance, the couple turned much of their attention over the years to the poorest of the poor—they focused on the children of Yetebon, Ethiopia, most of whom can’t get clean drinking water, much less a decent meal or a pair of shoes.

The Cunningham Foundation was founded in 2003 with the mission of helping the courageous people of the impoverished areas of Ethiopia to help themselves. The Foundation was the vision of the Cunningham’s who were struck by both the poverty and the amazing resilience they witnessed in a visit to Project Mercy in Yetebon, Ethiopia nearly 10 years ago. Since its inception, the vision has grown beyond belief.

Cunningham had a genial face, graying beard and kind eyes, and was an icon in Denver. Born in Dublin in 1949, raised in Los Angeles, trained at the Savoy Hotel in London, Noel once worked as a chef at Touch, an exclusive supper club in Beverly Hills.

In 1984, when there was a famine in Ethiopia, the idea was raised to hold a benefit for the victims, but the owner refused. Noel vowed that when he was in charge, things would be different—and they were. The Cunningham’s, married since 1990, were passionate about all of the projects they took on. Tammy went to Ethiopia in 1998 with Project C.U.R.E., where she was moved and motivated by the need and poverty she saw all around her. As a result of that visit, the Cunningham’s sponsored a container of medical supplies for Ethiopia through Project C.U.R.E. and so began a long-term relationship with the organization. Says W. Douglas Jackson, Project C.U.R.E.’s CEO and president, "There was a unique joy that Noel Cunningham found in giving to others. I watched that joy light up his warm Irish eyes as we sat together at a shabby wooden table in some little village in the middle of Ethiopia. We talked about solutions to poverty, about the importance of compassion, about healing and caring—and giving. It energized him. Noel used his restaurant and his reputation as a weapon in the struggle against need and unfairness. When he thought a connection between people would change the future, Noel would ignite his network, without guile or greed and never expecting anything for himself in return. When that happened, things moved. The world became a different place. American presidents and African paupers were all treated with dignity and respect because Noel Cunningham's eyes of joy peered into the soul of others. I will cherish the time we had to work together, the drop of difference we made in a sea of need. And I will grieve what might have been. Beyond his effectiveness and his example, Noel was a friend. I will miss him. We all will."

Or, there is Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® the premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid grows up hungry. Each spring and summer, the nation’s hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at nearly 40 events across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind—to raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger. So with the help of many of his close friends, including restaurant critic Pat Miller, Noel launched the program which has raised almost $80 million for 450 groups in the U.S. focused on ending hunger. “Noel and I became friends 12 years ago when he approached me about chairing Share Our Strength, a grassroots fundraiser which was supported through the efforts of local restaurants, Coors Brewing, and other community volunteer organizations. Through the years we grew the event and eventually moved the venue to Coors Field where we welcomed over 2,000 patrons. As a result of us working together we became very close friends. My husband, Leo Kiely and Noel immediately bonded because of their big Irish hearts and great senses of humor. Through the years Leo and I have shared many a wonderful evening planning and dreaming about Noel's latest way to save the world. Noel has never said ‘NO’ to anyone who has asked for help. I know that he is in heaven looking down and asking God to bless the efforts of those who must carry on with the good work that he began in Denver,” said Susan Kiely, the founder of Women With A Cause Foundation.

In 2001, on a tour sponsored by Share Our Strength, the Cunningham’s fell in love with Yetebon, a village in Ethiopia. Yetebon, at almost 8,000 feet, is the home of Project Mercy, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency relief aid, operates a school, an orphan support program, and now, a well-staffed community hospital.

Project Mercy is run by Marta Gargre-Tsadick and her husband Deme Tekle-Wold. When Marta and Tammy met, they bonded quickly, and since 2003, the Cunningham’s have used their Foundation to help “the courageous people of the impoverished areas of Ethiopia help themselves.” The couple was struck “by both the poverty and the amazing resilience of the people.” At first, Noel was impatient with the speed of change in Yetebon—he wanted to change things quickly. But stepped back and let things happen at a pace more comfortable to the families there, all the while rallying support for the area from people all over the world.

In 2003, the couple took their first group trip to Yetebon. Working with Cindy Brown, owner of www.cindybeads.com, the group decided to teach the Yetebon students to make limited edition bracelets. This project would teach the students a skill, while helping them maintain some quality of life. In year one, the group returned to the U.S. with 500 bracelets that raised $50,000 for the Medhane-Alem School. Since then, the bracelets have generated more than $500,000 with the generous support of volunteers across the U.S. and abroad. In fact, the 2008 bracelet sales generated enough money to complete the building of the orphanage dormitory and move over 100 students from a rickety cow shed.

Brennan Boehne was part of the 2010 trip to Ethiopia and he swears it changed his life. At just 18 years old, he says he was spoiled and, “Only cared about becoming rich. Typically, I would only work with community service organizations because it looked better on my resume and made me look good.” What Boehne learned after his trip with the Cunningham’s is what is so meaningful. “All of these heart-wrenching experiences took a toll on me emotionally. Most people don’t think I am emotional whatsoever. To be honest, I probably cried more than any other person there. I even cried more than the girls. The other thing that I loved there was the love, that was spread by everyone. The Cunningham’s and Ethiopia changed my life,” he said.

As a result of the bracelet project, some of the Yetebon students learned the art of glass bead making, enabling them to make a living. At the urging of Jeannie Ritter, wife of former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, the heart beads would be made in school colors to sell to high schools across the country. At $25 each, the multi-year project has been highly successful, raising over $75,000 for U.S. students to visit Ethiopia.

Because of the grassroots efforts of the Cunnigham’s, the school in Yetebon has more than doubled in size—to 1,200-plus students from first through tenth grade—many walking up to five miles to receive an education, meals, books, tuition and shoes. As Noel always said of his travels to Ethiopia at the holidays, “It is an amazing place, where there is a lot to be thankful for. It is all around us.” These HOPE bracelets were recognized by renowned jeweler, David Yurman, who awarded Noel with the David Yurman Humanitarian Award for his efforts to help children, an award that had been previously received by Steven Spielberg and Elton John.

Marta  Gabre-Tsadick and Deme Tekle-Wold, on behalf of all the children and staff at Project Mercy in Yetabon, Ethiopia said at the news of Noel’s death, “Over 13 years ago Noel and Tammy visited us in Yetabon, Ethiopia while on a fact finding trip for international relief. Since then, they have visited annually at Thanksgiving. In the spring they coordinated students and teachers from Regis University, Johnson and Wales University and Denver Metropolitan high schools. He has held fundraisers to support various Project Mercy endeavors. He and Tammy have brought skilled artisans to Yetabon and they have taught many of our students how to produce beautiful one-of-a-kind bracelets. Over the years these bracelets have been sold at Strings and through the internet. Noel has been passionate in his efforts at Project Mercy and this is his legacy. We will miss him dearly from the bottom of our hearts.”

“I would describe his time and progress there as pure joy. Listening to the stories of the time he spent there made his eyes sparkle and his heart shine,” said ICOSA publisher Gayle Dendinger. “For over 10 years, he traveled back and forth, noting progress each time he returned, but it was after one trip specifically that he told me he noticed something different. At first he couldn’t put his finger on what had changed but then it came to him—there was no more crying." After years of determination, Noel and the friends who had accompanied him finally saw the enormously positive difference they had made for a community of 100,000-plus people.

The Cunningham’s wanted to inspire and engage Colorado students to be involved and reach out to students like themselves in the developing world, so they launched 4 Quarters for Kids to raise money to feed and clothe 1,500 students at Project Mercy. It was another ambitious program that has proven successful.

And there was the I Remember Momma Brunch. Each Mother's Day, Noel, Tammy and the entire Strings staff would serve moms who might otherwise be alone a lavish, free brunch. “Noel told me whatever he had become it was thanks to his mother,” said KMGH 7NEWS Anchor Mitch Jelniker.

He always shied away from any recognition, so in 2002, 7NEWS surprised Noel at the Mother’s Day brunch. Sneaking up on him was a must. Earlier that year 7NEWS was secretly working with Tammy to honor Noel with the 7NEWS 7Everyday Hero award for outstanding volunteers. Unfortunately, when Tammy stepped away from the computer, he sat down and discovered our secret e-mails about the honor. Noel promptly called the TV station and was less than pleased—he flat out told us not to honor him. “He never did anything for show—he served others because it was the right thing to do. He was the epitome of a 7Everyday Hero,” said Jelniker. We decided to honor Noel anyway.  We figured with TV cameras rolling, he wouldn't dare get upset with us again. Our ploy worked, though Noel always promised to get even. Cunningham believed in the motto, “Dream big! Maybe big things will happen.” Brent Weaver, Managing Partner at HotPress Web has worked with Noel for several years. Weaver commented, “Noel was my mentor and my buddy. He had the single greatest impact on who I have become in the world of business and philanthropy. Since I met him, I can barely imagine a day that has gone by where we didn't text, email, chat about an upcoming philanthropy project, think about the next move for the restaurant's marketing, or shoot the sh&%. He instilled in me that the world takes care of you when you give—that's just how he saw it.”

Although Noel engaged with Weaver philanthropically, he also taught him how to connect with people in a deeper way—even more than traditional networking. “We worked on projects together constantly with some of the most amazing members of our community. When I met him, I was in my mid-20s, so just a kid in the business world. He invited me to galas, governors mansions, and presidential introductions. He helped me define my business, my views on the community, and understanding how you can engage with people beyond profits. And, he also made the best damn chicken nuggets this planet has to offer,” he said.

And just in the last year, Noel launched “A Dinner of Unconditional Love” which benefited the amazing work of Dr. Rick Hodes, an American doctor living in Ethiopia. The dinner raised almost $500,000 for Hodes’ work in Ethiopia where they treat children with spinal deformities as a result of spinal tuberculosis. Moreover, Cunningham and many of his connected inner-circle worked to bring Oscar-winning Prudence Mabhena to Denver to get her life-altering surgery to help her cope with arthrogryposis, a birth defect that left her with amputated limbs.

ICOSA collaborator Rebecca Saltman remembers him this way. “Noel’s entrepreneurial spirit and extraordinary vision encouraged my social entrepreneurship career choices, as well as exponentially broadening my perspectives. He was someone that would see an injustice, come up with a way to address it, and then figure out how to enact a solution. I remember him passionately talking about what he wanted to do to solve the problems of Haiti after the earthquake, saying simply, 'We need to provide jobs by building up the coast with hotels and tourism.' He said it in such a matter of fact way—like this would be no problem whatsoever—and everyone listening to him would have easily followed him to help, while riding the wave of his enthusiasm. Noel was a beacon in my life as well as in many others’. I will not let that light be extinguished. Thank you Noel, I am so grateful.” This last week while we have thought a lot about Noel, I have thought about the thousands of people that are forever changed by Noel’s passion, persistence and care. Noel had the ability to take his dreams and through hard work, transform them into inspiring stories for others on how to accomplish whatever it is that you set your mind to. Noel mastered how to survive, grow and evolve through good times and bad; and he knew how to be tender, compassionate and kind to whomever he met. “He will be missed forever as a model citizen, an enigmatic entrepreneur and a fantastic philanthropist, but I will also miss him as a man of great character and most of all a dear friend,” said Dendinger.

“Noel was a remarkable person—to me and to all. He was my best friend, the brother I never had, and the most caring and charitable man to everyone. I will miss his smile, his chatter, his way of getting things done his way, and what he ‘tinks.’ He will be sadly missed by all—but mostly by me. A best friend for 27 years can never be replaced. There is only one Noel,” remarked Pat Miller. “In no way does this diminish the significance of all his contributions,” said former Governor Bill Ritter to the Denver Post. “Not a single good act that Noel Cunningham did on behalf of others is changed by this.”

Many may wonder why governors, mayors and the media are making such a big deal about a modest man who said he expressed his love through food.   The answer is simple: Noel Cunningham made all of us better, no matter rich or poor. And while we may sit and wonder “why” this fantastic and caring man is gone, we cannot forget—nor should we—the hope, the courageous spirit, the generosity, and the joie de vivre of Noel Cunningham. You will be missed by all of us!

To learn more about the Cunningham Foundation, visit www.cunninghamfoundation.org or to buy a bracelet or pendant, please visit www.cunninghamfoundation.org/buy-a-hope-bracelet.

Tamara Door

Issue: Rebuilding Our Infrastructure Section: Advisory Board

Tamara Door

President & CEO Downtown Denver Partnership 511 16th Street Suite 200 Denver, CO 80202 Phone: 303.534.6161 www.downtowndenver.com [email protected]

Tamara Door is the president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, a 55-year old business organization whose mission is to create an economically healthy, growing and vital Downtown Denver. The focus is on place-based economic development. The three primary pillars are people, place and business.

Door manages a $9 million budget dedicated to building downtown holistically. The focus is on retention and attraction of corporate headquarters and companies, urban planning and development, retail attraction and retention, public policy, transportation and housing initiatives. The Partnership also funds initiatives within Skyline and Civic Center Park to ensure they are properly developed, activated and maintained. The Partnership is funded by the private-sector. In addition, the Partnership manages the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District (BID), which is responsible for cleaning, maintenance and safety within the 125 blocks of the BID.

In addition, the organization produces popular community events that bring more than one million people downtown each year, including A Taste of Colorado, the 9News Parade of Lights, New Year’s Eve Fireworks downtown, the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park, Downtown Denver Employee Appreciation Week and many more.

The Partnership’s efforts are based on a detailed 20-year plan. The organization, in partnership with the City and County of Denver, led an18-month process to create a 20-year vision for downtown, the Downtown Area Plan. Door served as a Downtown Area Plan Steering Committee member along with roughly 50 other public and private business leaders. This inclusive public-outreach process resulted in feedback from over 2,000 individuals in the Denver community and was formally adopted by City Council in July of 2007. It is now in its implementation phase. Door serves as co-chairman of the 2027 Committee, which is responsible for driving implementation of the plan. Door was honored with the Colorado Black Chamber Strategic Partner Award. She was selected by both the Denver Business Journal and Crain’s Detroit Business as one of the Forty Under Forty in the local business community, and was included in Denver’s Powerbook List, compiled by the Denver Business Journal. She is a member of the Young President’s Organization and the Colorado Women’s Forum.

Prior to joining the Downtown Denver Partnership, Door spent eight years as the executive vice-president of the Detroit Regional Chamber, the nation’s largest regional chamber of commerce. She also served for eight years in the banking industry as a vice-president of a tri-state division of retail banking and alternative delivery systems for a national bank. Among others, Door serves on the following committees / boards: • Auraria Higher Education Center Board of Directors – Chairman • 2027 Committee – Co-Chairman • Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation – Board Member • Citywide Banks Board of Directors – Director • Metro Mayors Caucus for FasTracks – Committee Member • Coalition for SmartTransit – Executive Board Member • VisitDenver – Board Member • International Downtown Association – Board Member

Jay C. Allen

Issue: Rebuilding Our Infrastructure Section: Advisory Board

Jay C. Allen

President & Founder CXO 770 W. Hampden Ave. Suite 340 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 720.981.3570 Mobile: 720.984.8424 Email: [email protected] Website: www.cxomembers.com

In business, the the saying goes, “It’s who you know.” Most business people will tell you that the hard part is meeting the people you want to know. For high profile senior executives with heavy time commitments, sitting on another committee or board or paying high-priced memberships in clubs isn’t always a practical or preferable option.

In a business landscape awash with leads groups, seminars and other catch-all networking events, Jay Allen has created a new paradigm in peer-to-peer networking among influential people that helps them efficiently build, manage and leverage other influential relationships.

In 2001, Jay Allen and several other senior officers from various companies sketched out their vision of an ideal networking organization for high-profile executives and local leaders. The concept was driven by the key elements the executives wanted to see in the organization: • No vendor sponsorship or participation • Membership only offered to those meeting pre-determined qualifications • An informal setting with no committees, seminars or heavy time commitments • A reasonable membership cost – no exorbitant fees As they began to evangelize the concept among their peers, there was an overwhelmingly positive response. They began with a few private lunch meetings, and within six months, over 100 executives were participating, and CXO was up and running. “It all grew by word of mouth,” explains Allen. “We have never advertised. All communications are via email, phone or direct conversation among members and those they wanted to include.” CXO is open to C-Level executives of companies with at least $50 million in annual revenues and other local influencers (nonprofit, private equity, political leaders, etc.).

“We do the hard part of seeking out and aggregating those people with whom executives want to network and who would like to network with them,” says Allen. “We handle the details, so they never walk away from a CXO event without having received the networking value they were hoping to obtain.” The group meetings have grown very popular as more executives have told others about the informal yet powerful atmosphere of CXO’s gatherings. CXO’s popularity is rooted in its simplicity. There are no attendance requirements; members pay for their own meal at meetings (no sponsors), and their staff facilitates introductions during the events. The strength of the concept lies in the ability of attendees to meet each other and share information without having to hear sales pitches or irrelevant presentations.

Allen says the hardest part of running CXO is turning away people who do not meet the membership qualifications. “The exclusiveness of this organization is what makes it special, but it can be hard excluding great people with the wrong qualifications. We have tried over time to both broaden the span of people we include while maintaining an environment which provides even the most influential people access to people they want and need to meet.” In an effort to expand the ability for more executives to participate, in 2008 CXO merged with Executives Network. Today they manage three networking organizations with over 5,000 executive members in 10 major markets: • CXO: C-Level executives of $50mil+ companies and other influential leaders • EXO: C-Level executives of $5mil - $50mil companies and director/vice president level in larger companies • The Executive Talent Board (XTB): CXO and EXO level executives in the job search Probably the most remarkable thing about the organization and Jay Allen is that he does not take a salary from the organization. The organization dues (under $500/yr) are used to pay for technology and the administrative and event management staff that organize and manage the network and events. Allen puts himself in the same shoes as the other members – making a living off of the significant business opportunities provided by being a part of a large network of influential people.

To learn more about CXO, go to www.cxomembers.com

ICOSA Is More Than Leadership - It’s Leading!

By: Jan Mazotti Issue: Rebuilding Our Infrastructure Section: Letter From Editor Most of you have been readers of ICOSA since our inception. At that time, just over two-and-a-half years ago, we were three people with a dream who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. We knew that we could make a magazine about great connectors and collaborators meaningful and valuable to the reader. Since that time, we have grown a lot and have adjusted to “magazine life.” Today we have four employees and an amazing coalition of more than 100 regular volunteer collaborators. We have grown to more than 10,000 subscribers, roughly 5,500 Facebook friends, and have just launched a newly designed web presence, which has regular visitors in more than 25 countries.

Moreover, three months ago we had the distinct privilege of partnering with the Experience Pros radio show to share stories from ICOSA here in the Rocky Mountains. In that short period of time, we have grown from few listeners to just over 100,000 in our time slot. Because of the richness of the stories, the radio show is expanding as well. Starting September 6, 2011, Connect and Collaborate with ICOSA began broadcasting five days a week in 17 states, including Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Southern California, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Please tune in Monday through Friday from 11:20 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (MST) to learn from these amazing collaborators.

So, to all of the connectors and collaborators — academic, business, community, and government — we say “thank you” for the guidance and support of the ICOSA movement. We will continue to spread the message and we will continue to DO! Because we know that it is more than leadership — it’s leading! Join the movement and DO something today!

All the best, - Jan Mazotti