Insights
Sound Entrepreneurship: Audio Test Kitchen
Alex Oana and I first met at St. Olaf College, back when I was a music student (clarinet/saxophone) and Alex an aspiring sound engineer. Alex recently launched his company and eponymous product, Audio Test Kitchen. St. Olaf Alumni Magazine gave me the opportunity to...
Celebrating a Lifetime of Creativity: My Aunt Kate Turns 90
My Aunt Kate has been a visual artist her entire life. She graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1974 and later became a member of the women’s co-op gallery Artemesia. It was modeled after A.I.R. Gallery (Artists in Residence), the first all-female artists...
After USMCA: Is Now a Good Time to Expand into Mexico? The Pro’s and Con’s of Doing Business in Mexico
The political debate over immigration and “the wall” continue. Yet, underneath the partisan bickering, stereotypes and fear, I find it important to reflect on how this may (or may not) impact our perception of doing business with our neighbor, Mexico. As a...
Recommended Reading for the Holidays: 3 of my Favorite Non-Fiction Books
Happy holidays! The season kicks off with Thanksgiving, which is one of my favorite American holidays as it allows time to PAUSE and reflect on what I’m grateful for. As with any holiday, I try to carve out quiet time to read. With that in mind, I’d like to recommend...
New Baby, Free T-Shirts & the Power of Sharing Personal Stories
Exciting news! My wife and I welcomed our baby daughter, Maya, into the world last week. To celebrate our new Mexican-American daughter, I am giving away my “Gringo Latino” T-shirts, available in green and white*, to anyone who shares this blog post and accompanying...
The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Adventure
For years, I only dreamed about walking the 1000+ year old pilgrimage known as “Camino de Santiago,” or, “The Way of St. James” across Northern Spain, leading to the central cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. I scribbled it on the top of my bucket list. But I...
Remembering Russ Anderson (Who Always Had a Joke)
Following is the second in a series of oral histories from the people featured in the book Faces of a Fish Empire. (Read the first story here.) Jim Laur (pictured above, left) remembered the following story about driving the Empire Fish truck with his co-workers Russ...
Learning How to Fillet a Fish – by Juan Carrasco
Following is the first in a series of oral histories from the people featured in the book Faces of a Fish Empire. Juan Carrasco attended the gallery opening of my Dad’s photography exhibit and remembered the following story. (You can read the second one here.) “I...
4 Steps to Protect Your Credit and Privacy after the Equifax Breach
When I read the news about the Equifax data breach, I did some back-of-the-napkin math: 143 million people affected divided by 323 million Americans (the total population according to the 2016 U.S. Census data) equals around 44% of U.S. citizens. Wow. Next, I...
Case Study: Launch of the “Nuestras Historias” Exhibit at The Valentine Museum
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with the team at The Valentine Museum in getting the word out about an exhibit telling the oral histories of the Latino population in Richmond, VA called, Nuestras Historias: Latinos in Richmond. Here are the highlights of this...
My PAUSE Story: Embracing Inspiration for New Career Directions
I recently stumbled upon a great article entitled “Inspiration Points” that describes how "Entrepreneurs reveal what sparks their creativity.” Surprisingly, the vast majority of the entrepreneurs featured describe moments away from their desks, while taking a pause...
Former NYC Taxi Driver Turned Entrepreneur Fosters Diversity at Milwaukee Radio Station
How can you foster diversity in the local media and build community in an otherwise highly segregated city? Ask Xav Leplae, founder of Riverwest Radio. The Belgian-born filmmaker started his latest venture in 2012 as a web-only radio station. And then, on New Year’s...