“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens his friend.” — Proverbs 27:17
When I visit Balboa Park, I often find myself thinking about Panama.
Many San Diegans know Balboa Park as one of the nation’s great civic treasures. Few know that its iconic architecture emerged from the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, a world’s fair celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal — one of the most ambitious engineering projects in human history.
Built, in part, by my ancestors.
For me, the connection is personal.
My mother was born in Panama before immigrating to California in the 1960s to attend Chapman College, where she met my father, another immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago. Her family came to Panama from Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia as part of the great Caribbean migration that helped build the Canal Zone.
Years later, my father moved our family to Guadalajara, Mexico, where I spent much of my high school years attending the American School in Zapopan, Jalisco. Daddy wanted his children to understand that the world was larger than a single city, nation or perspective. He wanted us to understand that it is a small, small world after all.
It worked.
Mommy and Daddy were — and remain — brilliant exemplars.
Those experiences, and the DNA pedigree that produced them, left an indelible mark on me. They taught me that communities are built by people willing to cross borders, take risks, create opportunity and contribute something larger than themselves.
I recently heard someone observe that our bones carry ancient memories. We inherit courage, sacrifice, aspiration and an unfinished promise. We carry within us the spirits of those who built before us, urging us not merely to succeed, but to become worthy ancestors ourselves.
They also taught me something about America.
Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang, Sergey Brin, Roberto Goizueta, Geisha Williams and Elon Musk all share a common thread. Whether immigrants themselves or the children of immigrants, their families came seeking opportunity and, within a generation, helped change the world.
That’s the America I believe in.
It is also why I am teaming with purpose, passion and gratitude as I relaunch Getting Deals Done with The Coast News. Since America celebrated its 250th anniversary, I feel a certain pioneering spirit, because either America will renew the dream — or the dream will ask something new of us.
It will ask us to build businesses that strengthen communities, to create wealth that expands opportunity, and to remember that the true measure of prosperity has never been our markets alone, but our people and our communities.
The original column focused on entrepreneurs, educators, executives and community leaders shaping North County’s future. This new chapter will continue that mission, beginning with a group whose contributions are often woven quietly into the fabric of our communities: Latino business builders.
Over more than three decades in finance, media and economic development, I have interviewed Fortune 500 CEOs, billionaire captains of industry, and iconic figures such as Phylicia Rashad and Nikki Giovanni, along with extraordinary people from every walk of life, including North County’s Rick Baldridge, the former CEO of Viasat, and Aaron Chang, Solana Beach’s surf icon and globally recognized photographer.
I’ve noticed something interesting.
Some believe the secret to success is capital. Others point to technology, artificial intelligence, real estate, influence or access.
My experience has led me elsewhere.
The bottom line is always people.
Humankind is a race of superachievers. We have no divisions of race, only endless variety and unlimited power within that diversity.
Capital matters.
Innovation matters.
Grit and perseverance are omnipotent.
Technology matters.
But every successful business, institution, family and community ultimately rests upon human relationships.
People.
In my forthcoming book, “Getting Deals Done,” I call this idea Peoplism™ — the belief that people are the most important thing and that trust remains the ultimate form of capital.
North County offers countless examples.
They are the entrepreneurs opening businesses along Coast Highway. The restaurateurs who have redefined Oceanside, Carlsbad and Encinitas. The attorneys, developers, educators, scientists and hospitality leaders investing in our future. The business owners creating jobs, mentoring young people and helping neighborhoods thrive.
Some are well known.
Many are not.
Those are often the stories that interest me most.
Over the coming months, Getting Deals Done will profile what I am calling “The Native Builders of North County.”
Along the way, we will meet builders of culture, builders of business, builders of institutions and builders of opportunity.
As America approaches its 250th year, conversations about identity, prosperity and belonging continue to shape our national life.
I believe the answers begin close to home.
Welcome to Getting Deals Done 2.0.
Welcome to our New Age.
Patrick A. Howell is CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ) and author of “Getting Deals Done: The Memoirs of a Super Achiever in the Era of Apex Capitalism.” Howell also hosts the “Getting Deals Done” podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music and other major platforms. Contact him at [email protected].
