The Coppins Para Sea Anchors story is one of Tom’s favorite Mittelstand models. Founded by W.A. Coppins in 1928, the company has a contract with no less than the U.S. Navy as well as the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Coast Guard). Being located close to Tom’s winter haven, they invited him to come see the operation. Above are Bill, the director, grandson of the founder, and Ryan, his son, who oversees the manufacturing, all done on site in tiny Motueka, NZ.
On October 7th, Tom will be speaking in Des Moines, Iowa at Iowa’s Advanced Manufacturing Conference. The event is open to the public. If you’re interested in attending, you can find out more here.
Great Easter morning walk in VT. Passed this old truck. Came back and took pics. Kinda keeps you grounded.
Last week Florence!
[See the small picture sample.]
This week doing taping for Audiobook version of coming Little BIG Things—8 a.m. to 5 p.m. shut in a vacuum—in a 6 foot by 6 foot room.
Lucky boy. (He said for the 1000th time.) Had a lovely full-day seminar with wonderful folks in Luanda, Angola. It’s said to be the most expensive city in the world—oil related activities booming, and relatively thin infrastructure; hence demand exceeds supply in the likes of the hospitality industry. But now the construction cranes have flocked to Luanda—oil, oil, and more oil (OPEC’s #3 producerer?) and available credit courtesy, mostly, the Chinese. At any rate, I enjoyed my brief visit, and was overwhelmed by the kindnesses of my seminar hosts and participants. Progress, oil or not, is remarkable given that Angola is but a half-dozen years past a multi-decade, brutal civil war. As I prepared my “all-knowing” “guru remarks,” I couldn’t help but reflect that 90% of audience members over, say, 35 were far wiser to the twisted ways of the world than I.
[Get the PPT slides.—CM]
Sorry, editing-editing-editing again this week. (Then, on Saturday, off to Angola and Saudi Arabia.)
Once again, AWOL. This time a weeklong trip to India followed by a 40-hour journey from New Delhi to Austin TX via god-knows-where-cubed. Then back from Austin to Boston, logging my third consecutive midnight in the air—followed by a return to intensive book editing, about round #6 or #7 or #8 as I figure. (And the editing to a manuscript that was supposedly “ready to go” when I started the half-dozen or so rounds in late June—summer, where did thou go? Snow predicted for VT tomorrow, and also for Toronto where my carcass will be, eh?) At least at an Austin signing for airport managers and board members, I had the thrill of autographing 250 sets of our galleys. And all this from a body that’s 23 days from finishing up its 67th year—dear God Almighty that’s frigging old.
FYI, one other highlight …
Last Saturday at 3 a.m. my home phone rang. It was my Hong Kong client canceling yesterday’s event—just hours before I was due to leave. I inform you of this because it means that my “after 40 years” trip to Vietnam also bit the dust; hence no [brilliant, incisive, soul-searching …] commentary associated therewith.
Off to Seoul tomorrow!
Before I leave for Hong Kong-Korea-Delhi, I thought I’d catch up with “stuff” lying in my file from my last trip to Holland-China.
I think I’ll do a new feature, TomChirps. I am not so keen on Twitter, but I am keen on short (140 characters—or so!) comments on stuff I deem important, not egocentric posts about my-life-as-tom having a secret Cinnabon at the Omaha airport.