Can't you see my sign?!?! .... and on the right is the Chocolate Shop

This was our final night in Europe.  We did not have much time after the technical visits, but we did all go out to dinner together as a group one last time to a place called Café Paris.  This had to be my favorite dinner so far.  The food was very delicious; we had steak and french fries.  It doesn’t sound too spectacular, but I also cannot describe the way it was prepared and tasted.  The best part though was the company.  As a group, we have all grown to be a fairly close and the jokes never stopped this evening.

The highlight though was when a Spanish guitarist came into sing.  Our bus driver Marcel, a man with the best character you could find between his cheesy jokes and heavy accents, stole the show.  He stood up and began to sing, gaining applause from the café.  Marcel actually made it into the top 10 of “Luxingburg’s Got Talent show” with a personality that matches his voice. 

During the dinner we all ate, sang, clapped and really enjoyed a show more than dinner.  It was kind of sad to leave everyone and the dinner lingered on a little longer than usual, but at the same time, we all are ready to get back to our families and daily lives.

Tomorrow, I’m up at four to get to the Geneva airport for a plane ride to London.  Then the next stop is to Chicago where I’ll take a coach to my car in Fort Wayne, IN and the drive back to my home in Michigan.  I’m ready to get things back to normal, but I can’t really say that I’m ready to leave yet.  We were told that a good trip fulfills what you want to learn, but still leaves you to want more.  Well, I learned a lot and want even more. Hopefully, I’ll be traveling again real soon.

The Geneva Chamber of Commerce

The final technical visit of the day and for the trip was to Geneva’s Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber brings together over 2,000 businesses from all sectors and sizes together for networking, coaching, and business growth.  The chamber is a privately held organization and consists of 75% of the private sector within Geneva.

One of the Chamber’s main goals is to provide international arbitration services. The Swiss export many of their products and 40% of the people working in Geneva depend on foreign markets.  Geneva is also the 2^nd largest city in the world for congress and exhibition.  Because of this, many services are needed for foreign diplomats, their families, and international travelers.

It was fascinating to see that the Chamber of Commerce there runs much in the same manner as our ones back home.  They consist of members who pay a fee to join and then have access to business services and meet regularly to discuss community improvements and business strategies.  The chamber is also the holder of much of the economic and local business information.  One key difference for the Geneva Chamber is that 50% of their incoming money comes from product passports that they sell.  With Geneva being an international capital, often time products must come and go in and out of the country.  The Chamber has the ability to issue passports for these products to make the travel of these products easier.

For me, this was one of my favorite presentations.  I have a real interest in the idea of global business strategies and the international arbitration that organizations such as this one performs.  Also, the fact that the Chamber in another far off country runs so similar to my small town Chamber amazes me.  Its comforting to see that small town and large-sized business have so much in common at the roots.

"Earthmoving Solutions for Today's Challenges."

Our second technical visit today was to Caterpillar headquarters with Ruud A. Kronenburg, Dean of the Caterpillar University.  Caterpillar is the world’s largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines.  They are a technology leader for their industry with $5million a day dedicated to research and development.

The building that we went to was strictly administration and marketing so there was not too much to see outside of the offices.  However, from listening to the presenter, you can really get a taste for the dedication their employees have to the company.  Those within the company tend to stay there for life and they have a lot of leadership and development training.  In fact, Caterpillar University is one of only three company training programs in the world that has been accredited as a higher learning facility. 

Catapiller uses the slogan, “we are proud of what we make and proud of what we do.”  It’s unfortunate that more companies don’t show this dedication to their industry and organization.  If we did, the integrity of the business world would be much more appreciated by all.

"Time is Movement"

Today we had a full day with three technical visits around Geneva.  Our first stop was to Chopard, a family-owned luxury watch, jewelry, and accessory company.   The company produces 75,000 pieces daily with 1700 people in their organization worldwide.  Almost all of their products are produced in house, something of a rarity for today’s manufacturers

Touring the company was an extremely unique experience.  First off, the fact that we got in at all is quite an accomplishment.   Chopard typically does not do any tours and rarely lets even their best clients in.  To give you an idea of a one-time client, a Chopard watch values anywhere between $3,000 to $500,000.  Their best clients definitely have more than one little watch.

We actually were able to get behind the doors to see how their products were made were made, from the fusion and melting of the gold which they buy in bricks from the bank, to the design centers, and to the rooms where they cut the stones and hand assemble each watch by hand. At times we were able to hold the gold bars and pass around the diamonds and other precious gems for a close look.  At one time, I easily had $40,000 just sitting in my hand.  And, seeing the skills the crafters have for finite detail is nearly unbelievable.

The most impressive part of this company was the fact that it is still family run despite the size and representation of the organization.  Chopard still sponsors several events from having part in the Oscars to helping AIDs organizations.  At the end, the CEO of Chopard took the time to come out to talk to us personally and answer any questions.  I would have to say, if you have a few extra grand just lying around, Chopard is the place to use it.

The Wrong Way Up

After the Nestle visit, we had a quick lunch and it was off to Charmonix, France, home of Mont Blanc the tallest mountain in Europe.  My main goal was to climb to the top, but well, I didn’t quite achieve that goal today.  First off, a few of us purchased train tickets to for a trip to the top.  With our amazing French we were able to buy the wrong tickets for a hour tour ride to basically nowhere.  Luckily, we were able to get a refund to the right ride up.  By the right ride up, I mean a lift to the wrong mountain and not all the way up.  Apparently Mont Blanc is unclimbable, at least by amateurs.  It also was cloudy and a bit stormy so the lifts were going up and down irregularly and there was zero visibility.  So, instead I ended up getting some last minute shopping done, mostly gifts to bring home.  Something I really need to do, so maybe this all was just a sign.

I can’t say France was my favorite place.  The city and scenery was quite nice, but the people weren’t necessarily the friendliest.  Or, at least not from what I saw. You can definitely tell the image of the French and their take on Americans, however we made the best of it, despite the language barrier. 

This trip has been full of rain, and we have been told we’ve see some of the worst weather in the area for quite some time.  Still, it was a good chance to just look around at the mountains and valleys and really take in the sites.  The backgrounds are all so beautiful and the buildings filled with such history and character.  It’s hard not to look around and be amazed, and I often wonder if those that see these sights everyday take them for granted. I know there are so many things back home that I begin to take for granted myself, and one of these reasons I love to travel is because it really bring things back into perspective.

Europe is very similar to the US, but still, I realize how lucky I have it back at home and find the things that I miss.  When I lived in South America, being in a third world country, it really showed me the extravagant lives we have been blessed with, and I vowed never to take things for granted again and try to live in limited means.  However, I find myself doing all these things over again and maybe even feel a bit ashamed.   We really need to take time to see how something as mighty as a mountain is nothing without a low valley and begin to give thanks for all the gifts we have been given, even if we don't get to the summit right away.

Germany and France Slideshow

"Good Food, Good Life"

This morning consisted of a tour and meeting with Nestle headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland.  Nestle is a multinational company that is the world leader in nutrition and health components.    The first thing one thinks of when hearing the name Nestle is chocolate.  I know I’m guilty of that, but today I found out that they are much, much more than that.  From Gerber foods to Purina pet chow, Nestle has does it all as far as food and nutrition goes offering over 10,000 products around the world.

The company started when Henri Nestle developed the first milk food for infants in 1867.  This was to save the life of his neighbor’s child, whose mother was unable to breast feed.  Since that start, Nestle has continued to grow through strategic acquisitions and smart product launches following the 60/40 + rule, or that Nestle will not launch a product unless 60% of testers prefer their product to the competition.

Nestle is now the largest company in their industry and holds the highest market share at only 1.7%.  This shows just how much room the organization has to grow.  And they do grow, nearly 5-6% a year.  As it says above, Nestle is a multinational company with 9 nationalities on their Board and 80 nationalities within the corporation.

It was interesting to see Nestle’s strategy, growing from more than just a food provider to a nutrition company focused on health.  One of their two biggest growth areas is with Nestle Professional. These are products focused on convenience, taste, and the ability for out-of-home consumption.  The other product area is the PPPs for developing countries.  These micro-distribution products are smaller sized and cheaper priced for those areas that are still under development.

The Nestle organization sells 1 billion products every day, and these products are for all types of times through the day and used by all ages.  It’s stressed that most people actually live a Nestle day, even if they do not know it.  Regardless of whether you know you live Nestle days or not, getting to tour this organization could not had been more worth it.  Seeing this wellness company based on sound human values and principles is refreshing in today’s environment, but not nearly as refreshing as the free samples they gave out!