by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce chair Ron Autrey introduced the keynote speaker at Tuesday’s Cornerstone Quarterly Luncheon by saying, “What you will hear today will fundamentally change the way you think about business.”
He wasn’t exaggerating.
John Doggett, a senior lecturer at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin who specializes in international entrepreneurship, management and sustainability, began his remarks by saying, “What we are facing is of Biblical proportions. The world we knew is over and a new world is being born.”
He presented a view not so far in the future of the world’s economy and four powerful new players he referred to as “BRIC.” Brazil, Russia, India and China represent 42 percent of the world’s population and 24 percent of the planet’s land area, and all have undergone fairly recent economic revolutions that have changed the countries forever.
“Those four countries were practically bankrupt 10 years ago, but today they represent 13 percent of the world’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and 20 percent of the world’s economy. We are seeing a philosophy of economic development we have never seen before,” said Doggett.
The rise of the economies in the four countries will lead to an explosion in the number of people in the middle class and “Thanks to the global availability of MTV, CNN and ‘Baywatch,’ they’re going to want the things Americans take for granted,” he added.
Doggett used the cell phone as an example. Ten years ago there were 15 million cell phone subscribers in China and a mere 340,000 in India. Today, Doggett said, there are 500 million subscribers in China and 160 million in India.
“In the two countries, there are 300,000 new cell phone subscribers each day. By 2010, there will be more than 1 billion cell phones in China and India alone,” he added.
Of the options available to the rest of the world in light of the rapid development in the previously “Third World” countries, Doggett said, “We have two choices. We can find a place to hide or we can find a way to take advantage of the opportunities in those countries.”
He pointed out Jacksonville has a “great advantage” as a port city and said that 90 percent of all freight tonnage is moved by sea and added, “That’s not going to change.”
In other news from the luncheon:
• Mayor John Peyton received Cornerstone’s International Business Development Leader of the Year Award. Chair of Cornerstone’s International Standing Committee, Holland & Knight attorney George Gabel, cited Peyton’s “commitment to the growth of international business and jobs in Jacksonville.”
In the last year, Peyton has led trade missions to Japan, Korea, China and Brazil to represent Jacksonville’s international business development interests. He also hosted several international delegations and established a working relationship with Ningbo, China, the fourth-largest port in the world. Last month, he helped host the vice mayor of Ningbo and his delegation in Jacksonville for a tour of the port.
“We’ve got a lot more to do,” said Peyton. “I have committed myself to use the next 35 months while I’m in office to open more doors for international trade in Jacksonville.”
Peyton also said his trip to Japan was particularly enjoyable and added with a grin, “Over there I was tall.”
PSS World Medical is headquartered in Jacksonville and is the country’s largest provider of medical supplies. The company received Cornerstone’s Champion of International Education Award for its support of international education, study abroad opportunities and the Global MBA program at the University of North Florida.
• Buffet Crampon, a woodwind manufacturer founded in Paris in 1825, relocated its U.S. subsidiary to Jacksonville in 2006. The company received the Community Contribution Award in recognition of its support of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and musicians. The company also started the UNF Clarinet Academy, which is available by audition to all clarinetists nationwide and supports programs in Duval County public schools.
Buffet Crampon’s other community projects include partnering with the Sheriff’s Office motorcycle rodeo, and supporting the Police Athletic League and Dreams Come True.
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