Edward Tian (L) Me (Brian Clair) @ TEDx PuntaPaitilla
This week has been very exciting as TEDx PuntaPaitilla license holder and entrepreneur Ezra Masri invited the Kalu Yala business interns to an exclusive presentation “Catalysts and Visionaries“. The talks were fantastic and the presenters were top notch with Hector Aguilar the CEO of GE Central America, Joshi Venugopal the GM of Novartis for Panama and the Caribbean, and Eldridge Bermingham the Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute delivering some of my favorite talks and providing global perspective from corporate viewpoints. Leaders of the future Jong Hwa “Duly” Lee a Artist & Entrepreneur, Mayer Mizrachi a Tech Developer and founder of Jigl and #HASH, and Simon Zebede gave inspirational talks and show that Panama as a fantastic crop of innovators who are passionate about disrupting the status quo and creating social revolutions in art, technology, and marketing. The CEO of Kalu Yala, Jimmy Stice also gave a great talk on what goes into building a sustainable village and how real estate development and investment needs to be reconfigured and presented a solution based on a 7 pillar approach. The talks will be listed online so you are only getting the quick teaser so you view them at a later date (http://www.tedxpuntapaitilla.com/speakers/). Kalu Yala hosted a nice post talk mixer where we were able to have one on one time with the speakers making connections and having intellectual debate on many current topics such as technology, healthcare, and sustainability. Take some time to look at the speakers list posted above or right here.
Coast Eco Timber Mill - Alana Husby Giving a Tour - Giant Logs from Lake Bayano - The Milling Process of a Giant Log
One of my favorite entrepreneurs that I have met in Panama is Alana Husby, a 5th generation Canadian logger and founder of Coast Eco Timber. Alana is the quintessential entrepreneur, hardworking, loves a challenge, and is a bold decision maker. She is currently rewriting the rules on sustainable logging operations as she builds her brand and guides the industry in new areas, building the equipment she requires, providing benefits unheard of to her employees, and pushing environmentally sustainable practices in a notoriously wasteful industry. It is a true triple bottom line operation. We had the ability to visit the mill in Chepo, Panama about an hour north of Panama City and it was amazing to see the quantity of wood and the size of the felled trees. Coast Eco Timber’s has clients worldwide as they have a blue ocean within the timber industry due to their sustainable approach, work with the Kuna people, and story behind Lake Bayano. The wood is so unique and some of them have a “janka” (Hardness Rating) of up to 3,680 which is a very high rating. I am currently helping another intern Scott who has a long history in the surfing industry develop a prototype surfboard out of some Cedro Espino wood and am assisting 2 others Palmi and Jo tweaking a business plan for a sustainable furniture line for Kalu Yala. Until next time… Brian Clair
@ Coast Eco Timber Mill