I

BERLIN
! ! !

Ich bin ein Berliner!

The renewed place to be in Europe -- Nazis & Stalinists relegated to parking lots
A Globetrotters View Brandenburg Gate ... u childhood memories of once the symbol of the cold, gray, spy-world cold war, east vs. we had conjured in our west, communism vs. minds. Today, we see capitalism - is now a trendy cafes populated by brilliant symbol of business suited blackberry German Unity sans the wall. We last visited in 1992 after the fall of the wall, when the east was in a state of disrepair springing types, sans skinheads. The Parking Lot LITERALLY-- 200 meters under this parking lot was a palacial 14room bunker where Hitler lived & later committed suicide in 1945 Issue No 6 East is in ! Beyond Charlie lie transformed luxury boutiques, ofce space, hotels, & hip restaurants. Sober Reminder Across the street lay the sobering reminder of the 6 million murdered jews. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Checkpoint Charlie is nothing more than a tourist attraction beside a huge McD tting of the west side.

Bygone Era
We witnessed the dark side and the light side of Germany .. and the bygone era of the Hohenzollern Family when Germany ourished under Frederic Wilhelm II (Frederic the Great). By inviting persecuted French Huguenots (highly skilled craftsmen) to live in Germany, they together built some of the greatest

architecture, parks, and public works known to mankind. Until the Nazis famed book burning episode, many of the great poets, musicians, writers, & scientists of our century lived here-Freud, Einstein, Grimm, Felix Mendelssohn, Andre Previn, Henry Kissinger, The Rothschilds, The Hohenzollern family ruled in Germany for 500 years until Stalin took over in 1945 - hosting the famed Potsdam Conference in the Hohenzollern summer home (below)where Churchill, Stalin, and Truman decided the fate of Poland & Vienna. Note: Red geranium Star below grown for conference to denote communist takeover at Hohenzollern palace. Small wonder The Hohenzollerns refused the offer of continued monarchy under Stalin in 1946. Unlike other deposed monarchs the family still lives in Germany. ! ! !

St. Nicholas Cathedral Built by Frederic II

Interviews

S technical skills but cultural issues proved to be more difcult than expected. The long period of communism incorporated values of mistrust, no accountability, and no motivation. In addition, neither Michael nor Raymond spoke German - they learned it on CNN. The staff had no sense of product costs, revenues, customer need, or satisfaction. Teamwork, collaboration, and trust were regarded with suspicion.-and no wonder given their legacy. They brought 22 locations down to one, installed ofces with glass doors, held company meetings every week, automated equipment and forced accountability .They also made it clear they didnt care about past lives e.g. whether you were stasi or straight. What mattered was building the company. 20 years later, the company is on solid footing and winning, but Raymond says there were moments when he thought he had made a mistake. His advice to others who are tempted to make the same move: Be VERY CONFIDENT in your competitive advantage. This company had several patents and some of the best scientists in the business -- if we hadnt had that - we likely would not be where we are today .

Survival Stories
We interviewed N.L. Christenson, a 5th generation seed company that got its start selling seed to the Czars and won global fame in a Chicago world exhibition in early 1900s. The company survived two world wars, and communist takeover. The Christensons describe all of this as the course of life. They were forced to sell their company to the state for 900,000 DM and were relegated to seed managers - but on the positive side, were one of the few able to travel to the West & thus kept in touch with customers. The 900,000 DM was put in a bank account with no interest and could not be touched... however they were given 1000 DM per month as a stipend. In 1990 there was 400,000 DM left in the account and they could buy their company back for Today Germany is united by soccer as witnessed 900,000 DM by World cup fans. Outdoor Sports bars line the at a +50% exchange rate. They bet their savings and streets and they were alive with Germanys win borrowed the rest. Today, N.L. Christenson is once again over Argentina -- but somber the next week with a world leader in ower and vegetable seed, expanding defeat by Spain. into biomedicine, and sport a new automated plant with 120 employees vs. the 700 during soviet times. (See TRANSITION: Germanys transition was difcult, but better than most-- due largely to bottom Left and above). rule of law, common language & culture, and investment capital from West Germany. Having said that,only 300 of the 13.700 companies up for sale under the 1990 Truehand, privatization model survive today. Yet, Truehand provided a relatively speedy process for privatization. We interviewed a few that survived, owned by Americans. Before you read their incredible/ heroic/entrepreneurial stories note their overall message: 1. Be Condent the product youre buying holds true global competitive advantage 2. Dont underestimate the difference in worker attitudes - history isnt erased in a day - trust wasnt in the communist manifesto. 3. Encourage, demand, and reward accountability. Remember, they had 50 years of getting red for decision-making. Raymond Heinz landed in East Germany in 1992 in search of a avor/fragrance company that could help him expand into Europe along with clients like Proctor & Gamble, Coca Cola, and several French perfumeries. He found one that had leading technology & 26 Phds in a staff of 65, in Leipzig, Germany. With that he struggled through the Truehand privatization process & acquired the company that had 65 employees spread among 22 locations. Not exactly the picture of efciency. Once acquired he moved to Germany, with no knowledge of the language and began to rebuild the company into a leadership position across Europe . Both Raymond and son Michael look back on the early 90s with good humor, but admit there were days when they nearly threw in the towel . The staff had excellent

Bell Flavors & Fragrances

Bell is a Heinz Family company originally of Chicago. Son Michael and Father Raymond (with Peter) below., run the East German operation and expanded it to Europe & Asia.

Niles-Simmons Hegenscheidt
Hans Naumann, President of Niles Simmons was attending graduate School in the U.S. when the Berlin Wall went up in 1961. As a result he started a machine tool company in Cleveland, and after the wall fell returned to his native East Germany to acquire/privatize another machine tool company. The rst 10 years were spent sorting out relationships with government, staff,and suppliers. Persistence - putting one foot in front of the other -- believing all the while they had the best product, and with efcient organization in place could win the day. Today, Niles Simmons operates in China, Germany, & USA,with 1200 staff deploying high tech machine tools for the transportation industry (high speed trains, planes, and automobiles). Germany has returned to

the light side!

Now, West Germans are moving EAST!

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