Seshadri Ramkumar, Texas Tech University, USA
As part of National Ag Day celebration about 200 people gathered in Lubbock at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture, in an event organized by Lubbock Chamber of Commerce on March 20th to listen to Mr. Aaron Alejandro, Executive Director of Texas FFA Foundation.
Talking about hardships in his childhood, having lost his father at ten, Alejandro emphasized the importance of determination, community support and engagement towards achieving goals. “We need to compete for minds and people,” stated Alejandro. This is apt for businesses both in attracting talented people to run and grow, as well as develop products and services that benefit the society.
Given the internet age we are in, engaging with people in all forms of social media is important and much needed to compete and attract new opportunities. In this scribe’s own experience, engagement in professional social media LinkedIn with over 9000 connections to his page, has enabled to share new developments in the field of textiles.
Giving statistics that 66% of adults logon to Facebook every day and 84% of millennials use social media to do purchases, Alejandro emphasized the importance of emerging tools to compete. Community organizations such as Chambers of Commerce play an important role in the growth of businesses, as they open doors, said Alejandro.
A sage statement from the speech was, “If you want to know the future, grow it.” It is important to take risks and strive for success in any endeavor in life.Alejandro ended the speech by saying, “Life is all about breath.” One should keep on trying for the next best effort, which is particularly true for start-ups and businesses.
