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Bridge Over Troubled Waters

By Ailish M. Nic Phaidin
Brevard Technical Journal

We're building a bridge - one brick at a time. The more we understand, research, and explore; the waters will become less troubled. If Simon and Garfunkel can return to a defunct joint venture and make it highly successful after, ohmygawdhowlong(?), and begin to build their bridge, one up-to-$250.00 brick at a time, then surely our business community should be able to, once again, trade more successfully in the global marketplace. We need expertise and confidence to do just that.

You will be given the opportunity to see for yourself how to deal on the global marketplace on November 17th, 2003 at the Orange County Convention Center when Access Link International and the Orlando Air Cargo Association (OACA) mount their one day "Partners & Friends: Business & the Global Economy" conference. The primary aim of this program is: "To assist our business community form competitive global friendships."

National speakers are: Professor James K. Galbraith, Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. Chair in Government/Business Relations & Professor of Government, L.B.J. School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin; Thomas W. Hoog, APR, Chairman, Hill & Knowlton (U.S.), and Chairman, Counselors Academy, Public Relation Society of America; and Michael J. Chriszt, Director, International & Regional Analysis, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Regional speakers are Pat Beall, Editor, Orlando Business Journal and Shelley W. Lauten, Project Director, MyRegion.org. Dr. Liz Ross, Deputy Director for Fiscal & Systems Management, Florida Partnership for School Readiness will chair the afternoon Q & A Session. All this for a mere $175.00 for non-OACA members; $130.00 OACA members; and $120.00 for government employees up to Friday, November 7th, 2003. The price after November 7th, up to and including registration and payment at the door, is: $200 non-OACA members; $150 OACA members & $140 government employees.

Registration and information is being dealt with by Ailish M. Nic Phaidin, Director of the program at Ailish@AccessLinkInternational.com or phone: 321-952-2978.

You are urged to join OACA online at www.orlandoaircargo.com where you will find all the details about membership and application. The OACA deserves your support to enable them to continue their work on behalf of all global traders, including training and educational programs, and networking opportunities.

Recently while working with a British firm on an international business-to-business symposium and exhibit in a prominent pro-U.S. Asian nation, only two U.S. companies were represented, and they were Fortune-100 companies - neither from the S.E. region. Over 2,000 foreign companies were represented at this event, mostly from the EU and EU applicant countries, China, Japan, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa. I spoke at length with the British Executive Director of this event and his analysis was that friendships were formed and cemented, and fruitful (presumably profitable) contracts were wrung from each other and much jollity and camaraderie was visible.

These were individual company executives, mostly from the small-to-medium companies, who were forging ahead in a global arena and learning from each other how to deal successfully in different cultural and economic settings. These people are filling the void where we fear to tread.

Several months ago I also had a conversation with a senior Customs official in Orlando who was of the opinion that there is indeed less and less exporting from the U.S. He is at the coalface of our exporting, and export controls regulations enforcement, through his work.

Defeating terrorism is critical, but sustainable economic growth is a hand-in-hand summons to action for us all.

If fear is a factor in not taking hold of our global market share, - and fear has its place, but, with the right precautions, expertise and knowledge we have the ability and capability to be more successful than the rising stars of the east.

Our great nation was not founded on fear. It was founded on free enterprise, innovation, articulation, speed, decisiveness and a "can-do" attitude. Continuing to depend on trade within secure borders and remain at home in the relative economic insecurity of our own inhibitions will not expand our businesses.

We have a wonderfully hard working Governor, economic development commissions, World Trade Centers, Chambers of Commerce, Enterprise Florida, and organizations such as the Orlando Air Cargo Association, who are going out and opening doors to help us to trade globally. We should not push that door closed too quickly, sometimes without even a peek, lest we miss an opportunity that is awaiting us.

Although Simon and Garfunkel are selling a different product, their return to global success after many, many years is indicative of just how highly their work is evaluated at international level. It is also laced with the perception of perpetual youth. Perceptions play a key role in our success. If we are perceived as isolationist and non-competitive, then I believe we could very well be left behind in the rush east and south.

We should, each one of us, help to build that bridge over troubled waters, brick by brick, to heighten each other's understanding of the economic, geopolitical, financial, statistical, communications, marketing, and cultural roadblocks that lead us not into the temptation of successfully selling our products and services to a non-waiting world. There is a real need to form cohesive and competitive partnerships and friendships at international level. A good beginning would be to hear what the national and regional experts will offer on November 17th.