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Students Hosted from Universidad Veracruzana Agribusiness Master's Program June 8-13, 2008
After an introduction and orientation by Dr. Glenn Ames, Director of IPSO, the students were welcomed by Dr. Octavio Ramirez, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics. The program then officially began with a lecture by Dr. Marisa Pagnattoro, Associate Professor of Legal Studies for the Terry College of Business. Dr. Pagnatorro gave a sweeping overview of international business legalities with a presentation entitled "Global Operations: Legal Challenges for U.S. Companies." From trade to politics, from real property to intellectual property, from employment issues to dispute settlement, what Dr. Pagnatorro had to say was not just for U.S. companies but for all international companies regardless of geographic location. This was followed by Dr. Forest Stegelin's presentation on "The North American Trade in Greenhouse Tomatoes" and its promise for international exports, especially in relation to U.S. trade with Mexico.
Students were given opportunities to experience a broad range of companies from small to medium to large and to learn first-hand about the challenges and benefits of doing international business. The program visits began with a stop at the delicious Jittery Joe's Roasting facility on Broad Street in Athens. Created by UGA alumni, Charlie Mustard, Jittery Joe's Coffee has grown to become one of Athens points of pride, roasting and selling almost 200,000 pounds of coffee every year. Jittery Joe's provided an opportunity to learn about the coffee roasting process, different qualities of coffee from around the world and the important role of marketing and sports promotion. Jittery Joe's sponsors its own cyclist team, which also promotes its particular blend of coffee. But as one student noted, "What I liked the most was its ambience—it seems like a great place to work." Must have been the chicken mask the students found beside the bags of coffee beans. The next stop for the group was a visit to James Greenhouses (JG) in Colbert, Georgia. Using state of the art Dutch technology, this facility is owned and operated by Ken and Leah James, both Horticulture graduates from UGA. Lynsey Powell and Brian Santos, from JG, served as guides for the students, who became more and more amazed by the innovative use of space and technology to ensure quality plants. Students learned from JG that best practices for running any kind of business can come from many different parts of the world and gender can be a factor in optimization, especially with plants.
The last stop of the day was a visit to the Pinewoods Library and Community Learning Center at the Pinewoods North Mobile Home Park in Athens. Here the students met Miguel Vicente, director of the Library, who spoke passionately of the Library's role in helping the immigrant population in Athens by providing access to educational materials and tutoring for kids.
Day Two began with an early breakfast and an early start out to Suwanee, Georgia to visit the home and business of Carolina Hofland, CBH International. Surrounded by beautiful scenery and her favorite dogs, Carolina, along with Manuel and Glamary, who work with her, taught the students valuable lessons regarding the cultural aspect of international business. Sharing stories of her experiences as well as the story of overcoming challenges and obstacles, Carolina related the secret of her success—the triangle of success—honesty, perseverance and passion. Time for lunch so next stop was the Dekalb Farmer's Market (DFM), a 140,000 sq. ft. world market that serves up to 100,000 people a week. Located in Decatur, Georgia, DFM offers a wide variety of fresh food products from all over the food. Our guide, Rashmica Chauhan, not only showed us around but shared some of her favorites with the group as well as delicious fresh squeezed orange juice. Need less to say, students left with their hands full of delectable treats, some to try for the first time, others to enjoy as savoring from home. Lessons learned: logistics and multicultural services. Last stop for Day Two was Partners Coffee Company in Atlanta. Bert Kelly met us at the door and from that point on the students were in for a treat. First a tasting of various coffee selections from this private label company—Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Hazelnut, among others. Although the caffeine was nice, it was not needed as Bert's lecture on the importance of "selling a story" not just a product took root as the students learned about Lilly, a small Mexican girl Bert met while on a trip to Mexico. Such an impression she made that Partner's Coffee developed a special coffee made from Mexican beans, the proceeds of which go to Lilly and children like her in Mexico. Bert shared some secrets about future trends in the coffee industry. Anyone for Iced Mango Coffee? Be on the lookout for this possible collaboration between UV and UGA.
An early breakfast and an early start for the UV students on Day Three. As a gesture of welcome, students were greeted at AJC International Inc. with the Mexican and U.S. flags flying high. Paulo Trindade, Regional Manager for Mexico, Central America and South America, gave a high-powered, fact-filled presentation introducing students to a full range of international business topics from branding to geographic customization, including logistics and competition. AJC is built on a cadre of people who are intellectually competent and can manage complexity, who are personable and emotionally competent, and who have a bulldawg attitude. Are these students up to their rigorous criteria and ambitious environment? You bet! After a quick lunch it was off to a full-afternoon workshop hosted by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Team at the Gwinnett International Trade Center (ITC) led by ITC Director, Charles Boyanton. The four hour workshop included presentations by:
Dinner at the Bolton Commons ended another productive day. The last UV off-site visit was Olympica Produce at the Georgia State Farmers Market in Forest Park, Georgia on Day Four. President and founder Leonardo Angeles rounded up the students in his office first to discuss with them about the issues relating to export and import of fresh produce from Mexico and from throughout the U.S. His comments were sobering as he related to the students that sometimes it was cheaper and more convenient for him to buy produce from a local port close to Georgia then directly from farmers in Mexico. But he did give the students some hope by encouraging them to be aware of all challenges and find innovative ways around them. That is how Olympica Produce has grown to eight employees and $12 million gross per year. Shoo "white fly" and leave those mangoes alone! After a stop at the Georgia Mall for some cultural exchange in food and commerce, the group was back on the road to Athens and Conner Hall for a truly exciting presentation on "Small Business Ecommerce" by Mike Ames, co-founder of DoodlebugDezigns.com (DBD). DBD is an online photo announcement service whose target audience is "soccer moms" (a new demographic concept for the UV students). Mike shared with the students his and his wife, Amy's, three-year journey to launching the site and business, including their challenges, mistakes, and lessons learned. One of the keys to DBD's success is constant monitoring, analysis and modification of services and price structures. But the most important message from Mike was simple and straightforward: "It is very easy to talk yourself out of trying to open a business. Don't over think it—just do it!"
A full day, but it was not over yet. UV students were invited to "Salsa for a Good Cause," a fundraiser to benefit Casa de Cultura, Casa de Amistad, and People of Hope, local Athens non-profits who provide outreach to the Latino community, coordinated by Gabriela Cardenas, IPSO's cultural ambassador for UV. Sorry no photos—those are classified! Finally, Friday and the last day of the program. But there was still work to be done. UV students participated in a morning debriefing and recap exercise with Deborah Gonzalez, Esq., Assistant Director of IPSO. What did the UV students learn? How will they remember their experiences? Some notes from the session:
After the debriefing, UV Prof. Jorge Moreno gave a presentation the students had prepared throughout the week, synthesizing their thoughts and learnings. One of the students, Juan Carlos, described his experience by cataloging three main points—integration, inspiration and innovation—his own triangle of success. To culminate the program a celebratory luncheon was held at the Fanning Board Room. Keynote speakers were Robbie and Maria Stewart, owners of Mbare, Ltd., which specializes in importing high quality African art made from natural and recycled materials. All of their items are uniquely created by artisans and craftspeople in Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa. Robbie and Maria emphasized again for the students the importance of the "story" in order to be successful in business. They related the story of five brothers in Zimbabwe who created the first animal sculptures from recycled tin a couple of years ago. Today only two are still alive, three have succumbed to HIV/AIDS. The other important point they made by Robbie dealt with buyer motivation for their products: "People in the first world are finding satisfaction purchasing goods from the third world and making a difference with the purchase." This message echoes back to Lilly and Partner's Coffee at the beginning of the program, and the circle is complete.
No program is complete without the awarding of the certificates. Dr. Octavio Ramirez once again joined the group and, with the help of Dr. Ames and Prof. Moreno, congratulated each student for a job well done! As one participant said, "It's been an amazing opportunity to know and see different ways of thinking and doing business. I really appreciate your effort to share with us your knowledge and experience." Special thanks to Forest Stegelin, Jack Houston, Jackie Roberts, Sarah Stack and Mildred Bell.
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