Economics Professor, George Odione stated: “That which does not change, remains the same…and that which remains the same will become obsolete.”

Today we live in a fast paced Hi-Tech world that is ever changing. Although the pace allows us to have more, see more, and be more, it brings with it a rapid disconnecting of community and the sense of belonging we have been accustomed to over the years.

Unfortunately, this loss of High-Touch is a growing problem that continues to plague both community and business alike, as we become more and more strangers living in the fast lane.

However, in every problem lies the solution and thorough investigation will reveal the opportunity contained therein. I would like to share my understanding of the opportunity that is ahead of us in the unfolding economy as we embrace technology and couple it with the common sense values we have been raised to know.

We all recognize that change is inevitable, but I am continuously amazed at the number of individuals who actively or complacently try to stop it.

It seems that it would be hard for anyone to get control of the computer industry, which is now controlled by industry leaders like Microsoft or the communications industry, which is controlled by the likes of AT&T, MCI/Worldcom and others. But throughout history we have witnessed the shifting of economies that have created and changed the manner, in which we move, communicate and order our lives.

This almost evolutionary process is evidence of the abundance of opportunity for the individual who can look beyond the present. History is full of examples of how industries and the economy have emerged. The evolutionary transfer from the use of gas lamps to the use of electricity and the light bulb did not destroy the petroleum and natural gas industries, but rather changed their sources of demand. The invention and wide spread use of the telephone did not completely destroy the use of the telegraph, but it had a substantial impact on the way we communicate. The transition in the transportation industry from the stagecoach, to railway system to the automobile and now to aviation has opened up new markets and added conveniences to our lives, just by the reduction of travel and delivery times. Recently we have witnessed the evolutionary process at work in the computer industry and have observed the forced changes of the industry leaders who now struggle to keep market share. The wide spread impact of economical communications began subtly with the replacement of the mainframe computer by the desktop personal computer through the ingenuity of companies like Novell, who were instrumental in getting PC’s to communicate together. One can only imagine the opportunities and changes that lie ahead.

It is most interesting to note however, that Western Union did not go on to become AT&T, nor did Burlington Northern Railway go on to become Ford or General Motors, and even IBM did not go on to become Microsoft. Instead the individuals who created these new industries had vision and the drive to do something that had never been done before.

Shakespeare stated, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, that if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” The tide of opportunity sets in different directions, according to the needs of the whole, and at the particular stage of social evolution that we have reached.

Today, with tools like the information superhighway, opportunity is open to everyone. It is open to the supplier, retailer, wholesaler, designer, developer and professional alike. It is not limited to the young or the old, nor does the color of ones skin or ones religious belief matter. There is an abundance of opportunity for the individual who will go with the tide, instead of trying to swim against it. Employees either as individuals or as a class are not deprived of opportunity, and they are not being “kept down” by their masters. They are where they are because they choose to be where they are. An employee may become an employer once they begin to do things consistent with the mindset of an employer; the law of wealth is the same for them as it is for all others.

No one is kept in poverty by a shortness in the supply of riches; there is more than enough for all. The visible supply is practically inexhaustible; and the invisible supply really is inexhaustible. No man, therefore, is poor because nature is poor, or because there is not enough to go around. Nature is an inexhaustible storehouse of riches; the supply will never run short. Have you ever noticed that when the supply of building material is exhausted, more is produced; when the soil has been exhausted so that crops will no longer grow upon it, effort is made to renew it. When all the gold and silver has been dug from the earth, man will still devise a way to find it.

So here we stand at the dawning of a new day. As Microsoft used to say, “Where do you want to go today?” Using the tools at our disposal, can we better serve our clients and build a stronger relationship with them today? Isn’t this what business is supposed to be all about? It’s called opportunity. The opportunity to build business and relationships around the world.