An International Week
05-04-2007 12:19 am

An International Week

Dave Claborn
May, 2006

If you’ve ever doubted we’re part of the Global Economy, a recent week here in Marion brought it home.

As the head of Rotary’s Group Study Exchange Program locally, I was informed that a group of four people from the Bordeaux region of France would be visiting us for about three days. They were led by Daniel Milliot, a retired CEO of a European lubricants business, now working as a consultant in international trade. His group included three PhDs in chemistry, electronics and economics respectively. Their mission was to better understand the United States by visiting a number of communities in Ohio. While here in Marion, we visited the Harding Home, Marion Historical Museum and the Palace Theatre. Thanks to all who made those tours so informative. We also visited companies large (Whirlpool) and small (ProMo Costumes, Inc.) to give our visitors the scope of the enterprises that help form the local economy. Our visitors even attended the first “Shining Stars” event at Buffalo Wild Wings, marveling at the level of talent they experienced as the Harding StarDusters and individual singers performed. We even made it to a rehearsal of the Marionaires barbershop chorus at the Palace. They left Marion amazed at the resources and talent this community has to offer.

After their evening out, we visited the Columbus campus of Ohio State University, where they met with faculty in each of their specialties. Stephane Azzopardi visited the Center for Automotive Research at OSU and had a lively discussion with Yann Guzzenick, a fellow Frenchman, who is doing cutting edge research on electric vehicles. Sebastian Tran and Daniel Milliot met several people at the Fisher College of Business, one of whom was a French graduate student, working toward his PhD. And Karen Gaudin met OSU analytical chemist Dr. Susan Olesick in her laboratory, discussing their mutual interest in nanotube technology. One of Dr. Olesick’s graduate students was—from France! I found it very interesting that, at every stop at OSU, my French friends were able to meet some of their fellow countrymen and speak in their native tongue about their joint interests—all here in Central Ohio. Thanks to George and Arlene Brown for hosting our guests for three nights. As they left Marion, they were headed to Cardington to visit Japanese-owned Cardington Yutaka.

At the same time our French guests were here, we also entertained a delegation from Denmark, investigating one of the industrial properties here in Marion for a possible alternative energy project. And, while they were here, another group from Korea was visiting the Marion Industrial Center discussing the Hyundai storage operation underway there.

All of this occurred within four days. As Thomas Friedman has written, the world is flat—and getting flatter.