Eric Hunter at Larrison Rock, Oregon (Photo by Eric Hunter)

When most people think of business, they think “for profit”. But that term means only that the business takes its profits in money. Non-profit or not-for-profit organizations (NPOs) face the same general organizational challenges as their for-profit cousins only they take their profits differently–as diseases cured, adults taught to read, or children immunized, for example.  As for profit businesses are accountable to stockholders who could invest in other companies, NPOs are accountable to grantors who have other organizations clamoring for their money.

Since 2005, Frater Eric Hunter has been working in Portland, Oregon for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), America’s largest environmental non-profit, to ensure that they are making good use of the resources entrusted to them. As a grants specialist, Eric works with spreadsheets to track the organization’s expenses on publicly funded conservation and restoration projects while mastering the arcane, cryptic and confusing rules and regulations that go along with the funds.

• removal of invasive algae and restoration of a bay on Oahu
• working with native Hawaiians to preserve their way of life as it relates to the sea and land
• restoring the Hawaiian Islands’ watersheds and protecting them from invasive species
• the return of native salmon to an estuary in Alaska
• the restoration and return to proper mangement of a large scale forest in southern Oregon

Eric is also managing the single largest ARRA-funded grant awarded to TNC in the amount of $6.6 million for its work with the City of Ashland and Lomakatsi Restoration Project.

Eric remarks, “While it might not sound like the most exciting job out there, when I get out in the field and see the projects that I support, it makes it all worthwhile. Especially when I have to visit Hawaii in the middle of the Oregon winter.”

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Fraters,

The golf tournament is looking good! Over forty signed up and we have several foursomes already.

The Friday night Homecoming Reception will again take place in an exceptional venue–the Midtown Renaissance Hotel.

The Homecoming Lunch BBQ at the TKE House has been rescheduled for 500-730pm to accommodate the late start time. Meet up at the House before walking down to Grant Field!

There will be four food stations. You can buy a ticket to one for $5 or to all four for $15. Come get a sample of what the chef has to offer!

Then have a look at the Phase I plans. BOT members will be there to answer questions. And take a good look at the old “apartment” house and maybe some pictures because we’re currently on track to make this the last Homecoming that building will ever see.

Registration for the Friday Night event and for meals at the House on Saturday is easy.  If you just want to register quickly without setting up an account with Laurus, just go to https://www.mygreekgift.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=583. It’s no more difficult than ordering a copy of “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate” (about the GT-U(sic)GA football rivalry) from Amazon.

I hope to see you all there Friday and Saturday.

YITB,
Mike

 Homecoming plans have been announced. The registration link will be active sometime Thursday 6 October 2011.

Hugh in the Schiphol Management Group Lobby

As the construction industry was collapsing in Florida, Hugh Malkin read the following in Fareed Zakaria’s book, “The Post American World”:

“Look around. The tallest building in the world is now in Dubai. The world’s richest man is Mexican, and its largest publicly traded corporation is Chinese. The world’s biggest plane is built in Russia and Ukraine, its leading refinery is in India, and its largest factories are all in China. By many measures, Hong Kong now rivals London and New York as the leading financial center, and the United Arab Emirates is home to the most richly endowed investment fund. Once quintessentially American icons have been appropriated by foreigners. The world’s largest Ferris wheel is in Singapore. Its number one casino is not in Las Vegas but in Macao, which has also overtaken Vegas in annual gambling revenues. The biggest movie industry, in terms of both movies made and tickets sold, is Bollywood, not Hollywood. Even shopping, America’s greatest sporting activity, has gone global. Of the top ten malls in the world, only one is in the United States; the world’s biggest is in Dongguan, China. Such lists are arbitrary, but it is striking that twenty years ago, America was at the top in many, if not most, of these categories. “ 

When Hugh decided to return to school for an MBA, he looked abroad. He wrote the following describing his reasons and his experience.

“I felt that I lacked international experience. However, when I researched American MBA schools and compared them to foreign MBA schools, I saw that American classes averaged 50% internationality while foreign schools averaged close to 90%. A 2011 New York Times article explained that US schools intentionally maintain 50% American students so they can strongly market an “exposure to Americans” as a benefit to potential international students. I am American so I decided to get what the international students were getting from coming to America. I chose to go overseas to the small but highly ranked Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

“Our class of 112 had 40 different nationalities and just as many ideas about how businesses should be run. This gave me a completely different perspective on the American created MBA. Even simple ideas that I normally took for granted, took on whole new meanings when foreign voices spoke up. These voices, questions they asked, and the ideas they shared would not have been heard if any one culture dominated the class. Our professors would regularly join us as we discussed late into the night around a warm fire and a delicious assortment of alcohols and foods. Our school had handpicked experts in their fields from top universities to give us the most accurate and current view of the world.

“The Dutch company, Philips Electronics, gave me a chance to write the future strategy for their outdoor lighting segment. After presenting to a CEO of Philips Lighting, they offered me a position to implement my strategy in the US. I took the job and moved back to Atlanta. The contacts and recognition I have received in the US and internationally due to my successful daily interaction with three different countries is priceless.”

Hugh currently lives in Atlanta and works for Philips Lumec.

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Frater Joe Evans, Chairman and CEO of State Bank

Frater Joe Evans has been in banking for over 30 years and now Bank Director Magazine has named his State Bank Financial Corp. the top performing bank in the United States. State Bank is the fourth largest bank headquartered in Georgia, with assets of more than $2.6 billion as of June 30, 2010 and offices located in Middle Georgia and Metro Atlanta.

After an analysis focused on profitability, capital and asset quality, the magazine listed State Bank first among the 150 largest publicly traded banks and thrifts in the U.S., based on financial performance in 2010.  Bank Director calls State Bank a “phoenix,” noting that it formed in the purchase of an institution seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. , and has continued to grow from there.

Evans’s banking career has earned him the reputation as one of the nation’s most successful bank executives. Under Evans’s stewardship, State Bank and its investors raised $300 million to acquire assets and deposits of Security Bank Corp. of Macon, Ga., when regulators closed Security on July 24, 2009. American Banker newspaper called the State Bank acquisition “perhaps a model for bank investors around the country.”

Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial management from Georgia Tech in 1971, graduating first in his class. At Georgia Tech, Evans is the former chairman of the board of trustees of the Alumni Association, and on the advisory board of the College of Management, where he has been inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Georgia Tech Foundation and on the board of directors of the Alexander-Tharpe Fund. Evans is a director of Southern Trust Insurance Company and a member of the Investment Committee of the Methodist Children’s Home in Macon.

In May 2011, State Bank reported an $8.2 million profit for the first quarter. State Bank came in well ahead of the other Georgia banks on the list. SunTrust Banks Inc. (NYSE: STI) ranked 125. Moultrie, Ga.-based Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ: ABCB) and Columbus, Ga.-based Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV) placed 133 and 139, respectively.

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