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As printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
Intersections, Roads to Enduring Livelihoods is the theme of MEDA’s annual Business as a Calling convention, to be held Nov. 8-11 at the JW Marriott Hotel, in Indianapolis, Ind.
Greg Brenneman, a corporate turnaround expert who is executive chairman of private equity firm CCMP Capital and author of the book Right Away & All at Once (see excerpt, pp. 8-9), will provide the opening plenary address on Thursday evening.
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Ukraine farmers use Excel-based calculator to record costs, sales and the bottom line
Alexandra Harmash, MEDA Ukraine’s gender and cross-cutting services manager, developed a business calculator to help farmers keep better records.As printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
A few years ago, farmers in the Ukraine rarely tracked their financials in the same manner as most businesses.
That meant they often lacked the figures or evidence to show whether certain crops, or their business, was successful or not.
Even those people who used paper-based records, simple Excel sheets or accounting software lacked the guidance, business logic and direction to properly work with data in a way that would provide useful information.
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As printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
Online training extends MEDA’s reachIn international development work, a variety of factors can combine to limit the reach and effectiveness of training programs.
Even when clients are clamoring for the services being offered, issues around culture, language and traditional gender roles can slow down progress.
Add armed conflict or political instability to the mix and progress requires patience, perseverance, innovation and ingenuity.
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As printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
Tanzanian firm processes and distributes natural products
Signs at Halisi’s processing plantSara Kessy, pictured below and lower left, is the founder of Halisi Products. Halisi is a MEDA lead firm that works with 1,000 suppliers, mainly women farmers, in Tanzania’s northern Arusha corridor. Halisi, a Swahili word that means natural, processes soya meal, porridge, peanut butter and two types of honey — regular and stingless bee. They also sell spices grown in Tanzania.
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The Schlegel family, clockwise from top left: Jamie, Barb, Brad, Rob and RonAs printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
By Mike Strathdee
Ron Schlegel’s interest in seniors developed at an early age.
When he was 10 years old, his father, Wilfred, purchased the Egerton private hospital, a nursing home in London, ON. Ron and four of his siblings, along with their parents, moved into an attached apartment.
He carried meal trays and ran errands for residents before school in the morning, again at noon and for the evening meals during much of the next two years. “Once I got the trays finished, I could go play sports.”
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As printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
Greg BrennemanGreg Brenneman, one of the world’s leading business turnaround executives, is chairman, president, and CEO of the private equity firm CCMP. Brenneman is one of the keynote speakers at MEDA’s upcoming convention: Intersections – Business as a Calling 2018, to be held Nov. 8-11 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The excerpt below is from his book: Right Away & All at Once: Five Steps to Transform Your Business and Enrich Your Life.
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As printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
Allan Sauder drives MEDA staffer Mike Miller and supporter Barry Stauffer in rural Nebraska.
Outgoing MEDA president pleased by continued success of early clients
When Allan Sauder looks back on 31 years at MEDA, the last 16 as president, he often thinks back to his early international work.
“There’s no substitute for living in a country to experience both the highs and the lows,” he says. “To experience the depth of the culture, the language, and after a couple of years, realizing that there are limitations to what you can understand.”
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As printed in The Marketplace - 2018 - September/October
Old Testament book a good guide for business decisions
By Nick Ramsing
Leviticus is a great business book. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that systemic poverty in the US wouldn’t exist if we used Leviticus as a business model.
It’s helpful to reflect on our perspectives of Leviticus: its context, central purpose and potential to help us today. Then, I can better explain my perspective as a business and market analyst.
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Nehemiah set an example worth following, pastor says
By Mike Strathdee
As printed in The Marketplace - January/February 2018
David Esau
People looking for a mentor in their daily work would do well to emulate the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah, pastor David Esau says.
“I highly recommend Nehemiah to you.”
Esau, who serves as lead pastor at Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship in Coquitlam, B.C., made the suggestion in a Sunday morning plenary message at MEDA’s 2017 convention in Vancouver.
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Pre-recorded messages are an effective way of getting info to rural Ghanaian farmers
As printed in The Marketplace – July/August 2018
Talking books can be used by MEDA clients regardless of their level of literacy.
Teaching technical information to people who are mostly not literate can pose serious challenges.
But if use of books isn’t helpful, talking books can get the message across.
MEDA’s Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW) project has made wide use of talking books through a partnership with Literacy Bridge, a Ghanaian non-governmental agency.
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Business people, techies, pastors need to discuss digital addiction and new ideas, panel says
By Mike Strathdee
As printed in The Marketplace – July/August 2018
WATERLOO, ON — Pastors and people working in the technology sector need to learn how to talk to each other so they can collaborate to strengthen the church, James Kelly says.
Kelly made the comment at The Fusing of Minds: How Tech, Church and Business Can Create Together seminar. It was sponsored by Faith Tech, a Waterloo-based organization.
Faith Tech, founded by Kelly in 2016, provides a place for Christians working in the technology sector to share their stories and think about ways to apply their talents to pressing social challenges.
James Kelly
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Entrepreneur hopes to bring reliable, inexpensive power to southern Africa
By Mike Strathdee
Siya Xusa wants to power Africa.
As printed in The Marketplace – July/August 2018
When he was five years old, Siyabulela Xuza saw his first airplane.
That strange sight led him to read about planets. The young boy decided he wanted to visit Jupiter and started trying to mix rocket fuel in his mother’s kitchen.
A few decades later he heads up a company that he says may soon bring cheap, reliable power to a billion Africans.
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Before MEDA invests in a company, a Sarona partner travels abroad to check it out
By Mike Strathdee
As printed in The Marketplace – July/August 2018
Serge LeVert-Chiasson is a firm believer in checking all the boxes en route to a potential investment decision.
“Making good decisions is more about the process around the decision and less about the people making the decisions,” he says.
LeVert-Chiasson is a Sarona Asset Management partner. Sarona is a private equity fund manager that grew out of MEDA.
Whenever MEDA is considering an investment, LeVert-Chiasson is called upon to kick the tires and look under the hood.
Visiting Tree Global in Ghana
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Nigerian entrepreneur sells artisanal products through Facebook page
By Mike Strathdee
As printed in The Marketplace – July/August 2018
Like many highly educated Nigerians, Jerry Doubles struggled to find work after graduating.
Despite earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial chemistry in 2009 and applying for hundreds of jobs over the two years that followed, he couldn’t land formal employment with the private sector, the government or the army.
Jerry Doubles used Facebook to start a company. Photos by Tirzah Hea Halder
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Tanzanian firm helps businesses access needed equipment
By Mike Strathdee
As printed in The Marketplace – July/August 2018
Sabas Shirima of Rombo, Tanzania, stands in front of oil expelling machines used in agribusiness applications that he leases from EFTA.
MOSHI, TANZANIA — One of the challenges facing entrepreneurs in developing countries is the inability to get credit.
In many African nations, purchasing machinery needed to grow a business can be especially difficult.
Tanzanian Banks are very risk averse, requiring 125 per cent collateral for any loans. Tanzanian entrepreneurs and farmers can’t meet that standard.
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Pixar president shares thoughts on getting the best from teams
By Mike Strathdee
As printed in The Marketplace – July/August 2018
Businesses that don’t let employees take risks and disapprove of failure will never get the best from their teams, the head of the Pixar movie studio told a recent technology conference in Kitchener.
Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios
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Making lives better by lifting others
By Jeanette Gardner Littleton
As printed in The Marketplace - May/June 2018HARRISONVILLE, MO — “My nicknames were ‘golden boy’ and ‘lucky,’” Mike Vogt says of his early vocational journey. He’d just left college in the 1980s when he landed his first job as a draftsman for a firm that manufactures stair lifts and wheelchair lifts. He learned, grew, was promoted in the small company, and was content.