http://wwj.com Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:37:57 EST en-us One of the realities of owning a company with 25 branches that stretch from Lithuania to California is that I spend a lot of time on airplanes. That, in turn, means a lot of time that I&rsquo;m not in meetings, on the phone or on the Internet, which&nbsp;in turn gives me a lot of time to think. In recent months, a lot of that thinking has turned to the financial crises that face our city, our state, our nation and our world.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s hard to find optimism anywhere these days. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:05:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3506993 Last October I wrote briefly about several of the steps we have taken at Kettering University over the past three years to enable the institution to deliver on its promise to be a collaborative contributor to regional socio-economic development. That promise is codified in a newly articulated mission statement which proclaims that Kettering University is dedicated to adding transformational value to its stakeholders by engaging in collaborative partnerships that contribute to the well-being of our region and society. Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:51:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3354872 The New Year brings with it challenges few of us have seen in our lifetime as this country faces its most uncertain economic conditions since the early 1930s. In spite of what is happening nationally and locally in our economy, I remain a positive person as I look forward to 2009. Wed, 7 Jan 2009 12:01:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3317555 Last Saturday, December 13th, I presided over the Kettering University Commencement Exercises as I always do. But this time was different. For the first time in the three and one-half years I have been at Kettering, I was going to deliver the commencement address, and for the first time I saw science, engineering and business graduates who were truly facing uncertainties in their future &ndash; new and troubling economic realities ranging from a financial crisis and a deepening world recession to the threatened viability of the U.S. auto industry &ndash; a threat that had reached a critical stage just the day before.</object> Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:25:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3219340 S3 just marked 18 consecutive years of growth with a focus that for a variety of reasons has never included the auto industry. As a result, some people were surprised recently when we enthusiastically signed on as part of an effort to highlight the importance of the auto industry to both this region and to the nation as a whole.<br /></object> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:12:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3190661 My last six CEO Corner columns have focused on some of the things that need to be done as we build a new economy for this region &ndash; one built on the foundation of rediscovered science and technology-based entrepreneurism. However, there are barriers to achieving this objective that we must overcome. Conceptually I group these into three categories: governmental barriers, insufficient venture capital, and small thinking.</object> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:18:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3078682 It takes much more than a strong bottom line to make running a business a truly rewarding experience. Financial success, if it is not coupled with a strong commitment to community involvement, can be a very hollow success. Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:52:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=1140883