From Greg's Head

Our Guest Spotlight for today is Kim Padgett of The Padgett Group, a Houston-based public relations and marketing firm. Kim brings us a first-hand perspective of the Houston Technology Center's recent gala.

Wow, what a night! Black tie galas aren’t just for community charities anymore. Houston’s business stars were out and shining brightly at the Houston Technology Center (HTC) third annual gala, “A Celebration of Entrepreneurs,” May 11 at the River Oaks Country Club.

The energy in the room was again more than we imagined. Following an informal reception with the crème of the crop from Houston’s leading business entrepreneurs, the evening kicked off with a lively video of where HTC has been and where the organization is going in 2006 and beyond.

While guests dined on River Oak’s finest dishes, they enjoyed lively conversations with their “host” entrepreneurs – one of more than 40 Houston-area entrepreneurs recognized for their contributions to the Houston business, retail, science and technology community, in an “entrepreneur in the round” discussion format. These leaders shared their successes, failures and stories of how they got where they are today with their table guests.

The highlight of the evening was honoring long-time Houston energy entrepreneurs L.E. Simmons and Matthew R. Simmons for their distinguished accomplishments and contributions. It was quite a tribute to the Simmons’ brothers and family as the video told the story of their legacy of entrepreneurism, which soon became a tribute to their father, who passed away just a day prior to the gala. The entire room was moved by the brothers’ emotional acknowledgment of their father’s influence in their successes.

Matthew R. Simmons is chairman of Simmons & Company International, a specialized energy investment banking firm. The firm has completed approximately 600 investment banking projects for its worldwide energy clients at a combined dollar value in excess of $65 billion.

L.E. Simmons is the founder and president of SCF Partners, a private equity firm that manages a $1 billion portfolio of energy service companies. The investment limited partners of SCF are primarily endowments, including Stanford University, Duke University, Rice University, The University of Texas, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and private families.

After the event is announced in January, this HTC event sells out early each year. The annual event raises more than $220,000 that contributes to the HTC’s mission as a business accelerator, assisting Houston-based emerging technology companies within several key sectors: Energy, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Nanotechnology and NASA-originated technologies.

Prior honorees have included Dr. John and Anne Mendelsohn and Walter Johnson.

Honored entrepreneurs included: Lloyd Bentsen III, Cindy Boyd, Alex Brennan-Martin, Rod Canion, Russ Capper, John D. Chaney, Nancy Chang, Ph.D., Ernest H. Cockrell, Lee Cook, Bob Crawmer, George DeMontrond, Shel Erikson, Douglas Erwin, Lupe Fraga, Vijay Goradia, Bernard Harris, M.D., John Hess, Ned Holmes, Roger Israni, Walter Johnson, Deane Kanaly, Wally Klemp, William V. Larkin, Jr., Martin Lindenberg, M.D., MBA, Javier Loya, Paula Manning, Gene McCubbin, Jim McIngvale, Phil Morabito, Dennis Murphree, Don Nigbor, Roger Ramsey, Ashok Rao, Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., L.E.Simmons, Matt Simmons, Gerald Smith, Michael Stevens, Ron Stone, Peter S. Wareing, Chris Wasden, Harold Wiesenthal, Wallace S. Wilson, and Beth Wolff.

BMC Software stepped up as the Trailblazer Sponsor for the third year and was joined by Visionary Sponsors: Barbara & Paul Frison, Holthouse Foundation for Kids, Houston Business Journal, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, Phonoscope, SCF Partners, Shell Technology Ventures, and Simmons & Company International.

Pioneer Sponsors included: Amegy Bank of Texas, Baker Botts L.L.P., Bank of Texas, N.A., Benchmark Electronics, Inc., Blue Lance, Inc., Booz Allen Hamilton, CapTECH LLC, Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Cockrell, Compass Bank, Cooper Cameron, Doug Erwin, Ernst & Young, Frost Bank, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., G&A Partners, Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Houston Technology Center, ieSmartSystems, L.L.C., Kanaly Trust Company, Lexicon Genetics, Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP, Oracle Corporation, Palmetto Partners, Pierpont Communications, Inc., PKF Texas, Regions Bank, Rod & Cam Canion, SCF Partners, Sterling Bank, Stratos, Symantec Corporation, The BusinessMakers Radio Show, Thompson & Knight LLP, Vinmar International, and Vinson & Elkins LLP.

In-Kind Sponsors included: Chas. P. Young Co., Gotham Image Works, Merrill Corporation, Phonoscope, and Tribe Design.

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I’ve heard of acting like a chicken, but not of “playing e-mail chicken.”

In “The Last Word” on Inc.com, Leigh Buchanan describes e-mail chicken as a game that people play to try and gain control over the opponent, or in this case, the person they’re sending the e-mail to. The objective of e-mail chicken is to constantly be on the attack by attempting to seize the last word from your opponent.

This form of guile is exercised quite often by the corporate minds of this world. This includes a CEO, who might try and take control of conversation by always having the last word. By responding in an e-mail with an explicit call to action, such as “Kindly get to that report by this afternoon,” the CEO’s message implies to the receiver of the message that he’s not expected to reply, but should, instead, look for that report.

I believe this hit-and-run tactic that many people use only makes them appear as if they are playing games. These lunatics should focus on the paramount information at hand rather than antagonize their opponents. In most games, the object is to win with class and dignity.

Posted In Observations Comments Permalink

Now that all of us have had several years under our belts with regard to telecommuting, how has it fared for you and your organization?

a) It has made our business more productive
b) Our bottom line is about the same
c) I can’t find my staff when I need them, therefore, they are probably spending too much time on their tans.

OK, so the “c” answer isn’t really valid – or is it?

In our office, we have three staff who telecommute: Melissa Bland, our Recruiting & Retention manager; Sam Corona, senior associate of Consulting Solutions; and Alison Muecke, CPA, senior manager in our Tax Division.

I happen to work very closely with Sam, who isn’t located in Houston … he’s in El Paso! Without a camera on him 24/7, I really have no idea where he really is during the workday; all I know is that the work is getting done (and yes, Sam goes the extra mile each time).

Having said that, I think the first rule of telecommuting is TRUST – without a doubt. How can you hold people responsible and accountable to you and your organization if you can’t trust them? With telecommuting comes a lot of pressure to perform, show up in person as often as you require and a host of other tasks.

Without trust, where are we?

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Foresight is keener than hindsight ... at least with the city of Houston!

A few months ago when I began writing this blog, I urged the city of Houston and the surrounding area to make the technology investment that would enable true WiFi - wireless access in public parks and other areas where Houstonians do business.

Now - some three months later - the Houston Chronicle reports that Mayor White is finally addressing this situation. In an article called "When the Mayor Types, People Listen," the mayor was quoted:

"We are a massive technology user," White said of Houston, "but a lot of people don't think of us that way." With a wireless network in place, Houston would take in big step in enhancing its image as a tech-savvy town, he said.

The mayor conducted a press conference outside while using a wireless network in order to demonstrate WiFi potential. In an amusing side note, hackers were breaking into the city's network preventing the mayor from getting online right away.

Of course, the cost is enormous. The Chronicle reports it will cost $30 million to $50 million when the project would be completed — sometime in 2007 or 2008. It will stretch 600 square miles.

I have a simple question for Mayor White and the city: Why does it take so long to have a simple idea considered and adopted that I put out there back when we launched the blog?

Posted In Tecknowledgy , In Our Community Comments Permalink

There's a new and very interesting article on Inc.com that reveals the results of a survey focusing on future M&A activity and joint ventures.

In a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, it seems 50+ percent of respondents in companies with annual revenue ranging from $5 million to $150 million believe joint ventures, strategic alliances, and acquisitions are critical in order to grow business and move into new markets.

However, that news comes with a proviso:

"Close to a majority of the 339 respondents also said they will not look to engage in any acquisition or merger activity in the foreseeable future, citing concerns over costs, lack of attractive business targets and unsuccessful post-merger integration."

Based on these responses, I can see their point, but on the other hand, if an entrepreneur is truly an "entrepreneur," then he or she is willing to take a risk.

With risk comes reward. What do you think?

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Many of our clients and friends utilize an external reporting tool for their Navision application called Jet Reports. In response to these inquiries, PKF Texas has agreed to host a Jet Reports Training class, July 11-13, 2006, in our Houston office. This class, led by a certified trainer from Jet Reports, is the same class taught at the Jet Report Headquarters in Portland, Ore. The course outline is shown in this link to this message.

The list price for this course, in Portland, is $1,495 for the first attendee and $1,395 for additional attendees. To make this even more affordable, PKF has decided to offer additional discounts to our clients should you choose to attend in groups.

For PKF Texas clients:
First attendee: $1,495
Additional attendees from the same company: $750 each for a max of 3 per company.

That is nearly a 50 percent savings on the additional attendees, plus there is no travle, hotel or expenses.

For non-clients:
$1,495 for the first attendee and $1,195 for additional attendees. Again, no travel, hotel or expenses.

There are only eight slots available, so get your reservations in soon! They will go fast. PKF Texas Navision customers will get first priority for during the initial 48 hour notice period of the training class.

Register by e-mail ; registration due June 2; payment due June 19.

Posted In Microsoft Dynamics NAV Comments Permalink

I saw an interesting story the other day in the Houston Business Journal regarding how Texas is the second highest center for IT jobs. According to a report released by the AeA Council:

The Lone Star State ranked second in the country in terms of jobs, with high-tech firms employing 435,400 Texans throughout the state. The industry also had a payroll of $31.5 billion in 2004, and high-tech workers earned an average salary of $72,300.

According to the report, high-tech manufacturing industry employment grew by 3,300 jobs between 2004 and 2005, the first growth since 2000.

Sounds good to me, but let's put our money where our employment is by spreading the word on how great the state is in providing high-tech work. We can do this by re-emphasizing our commitment to local resources and, on a larger scale, international relations.

Posted In Observations Comments Permalink

While I'm wrestling with hot weather in Houston and an all-around Monday feeling, I thought I'd share with you some of Bill Gates' musings from the recent Convergence meeting in Dallas.

In his presentation, he demonstrated Dynamics NAV - which he really likes. Click on this link and bring up his Convergence Web cast for viewing.

See you later this week!

Posted In Microsoft Dynamics NAV Comments Permalink

A recent article in Inc. magazine caught my eye, especially because it deals with privacy.

Jeff Bedard, CEO of Crown Laboratories, saw a 30 percent increase in his company’s healthcare bill during the past year. Reflecting on what could occur to turn around this trend, he came up with a new wellness program designed to reward employees for better health:

“Each worker is required to get an annual on-site health assessment. Based on a number of indicators--including blood pressure, weight, physical activity, and cholesterol levels--the individuals are given a "wellness number" of up to 24. Those who improve their scores by at least three points a year, or maintain a score of 20 or more, will get a $500 bonus and extra days off.”

Smoking is another one of his pet peeves, to the extent that he wants employees to begin paying for their own premiums if they do not stop smoking:

“Smoking is now officially against Crown policy--even during off-hours--and nicotine levels are measured in the health assessment. Smokers have until January 2007 to kick the habit. If they don't, they'll have to start paying their own health insurance premiums.”

I value my privacy as much as anyone, and yet I also think it’s interesting to make people accountable for their health. How accountable and how far can we go? The Inc. article lacked depth in that area, but how do you feel? Let’s begin a dialog on this very important issue. Send me an e-mail or submit a Comment and we’ll post it.

Posted In Tecknowledgy , In Our Community , Observations Comments Permalink

Here’s a thought about being mobile.

Not “mobile” in the sense that you can connect wirelessly and remotely, but “mobile” based on a new study by SustainLane.com in an article from the Houston Business Journal.

Seems Houston is a middle-of-the-road city (#25) when it comes to its ability to survive in our world of high gas prices.

#1? New York City. Go figure. They have a subway.

#50? Oklahoma City. Enough said.

SustainLane.com based its evaluations on how mobile the city is in terms of public transportation and the ability to move people from one place to another:

“The top cities in SustainLane.com's ranking boast strong public transportation networks, which would allow citizens to commute to jobs and schools, as well as do their shopping, if car travel is not affordable. Farther down the list, however, rank cities whose commuters would be stranded, grinding the local economy to a halt. The ranking also takes into account factors such as access to locally grown fresh food and robust wireless networks for telecommuting.”

Houston has a Light Rail System, but it only extends throughout a certain portion of the city. Proposed plans are the works for expansion, but it might be years before something’s actually done.

I don’t mind being in the middle, but isn’t it time our city leaders did something about this? Last time I filled up at the pump, it was agonizing, yet we can’t live without our cars. Or can we?

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