I had the good fortune and privilege to be the Publisher of the Press-Telegram from 2001-2004 before being promoted by the company that owns the PT to run other papers in the Bay Area, so let me start by saying “Hello, it’s great to be back…home” to many old friends and acquaintances.
You are blessed if you have had great mentors in your life. One of my mentors told me that “every publisher should put his stamp on what they publish.” That is exactly what Co-Publishers Robert Garcia and Shaun Lumachi are doing with lbpost.com. Every community should have forums where comprehensive, rich and robust local news and opinion is available. In this day and age, that now includes online. So before meeting Robert and Shaun and being asked to be a “Poster” to lbpost.com, I was pleased to see Long Beach get another terrific forum for content.
So what will I be writing about? The short answer is anything that is on my mind. Having been at the helm of the PT for three years I feel like I have a good perspective on our community, including a perspective on its many challenges. Though one thing I will not be doing, is adding to the incredible volume of vitriolic whining, labeling and name-calling that somehow has taken the place of an honest airing (and respect) of different opinions.
Every elected official, every individual in a tough leadership job has my respect and deserves your respect too. They had the guts to run for office (you can too if you don’t like their opinions), they had the guts to step up to a position. Disagree all you want, be passionate and vehement, but do your homework on your subject, bring substance to the argument and most of all an alternative solution. Criticizing is easy; any one can do that, providing solutions, now that is difficult. As one of my mentors also said “it is a lot easier throwing grenades, than catching them.”
So with the above in mind, my future “Posting” may deal with local issues. Like my friend George Economides (Publisher of the LB Business Journal) does, I too may address critical local issues, aggressively, without fear or favor, and take controversial positions when a community is divided and leadership is needed. I will especially do this when community consensus is heavily on the other side. While I will always be a staunch community advocate (a homer) for Long Beach, I will have no qualms, when necessary, to be a critic.
But mainly, I will be talking business. I have more than 30 years of extensive business experience to share. I spent 12 years on the financial side and 20 years in operational management. I started my business career in lower Manhattan as the 32nd accountant in a 32- member department. I approach my last decade of my career with a great sense of gratitude. One of the great joys of my career, so far, has been an opportunity to mentor and assist others to grow and obtain their professional goals.
So future “Postings” will deal with subjects on “Coaching and Professional Development,” including business counseling. Our two grown sons also live in Long Beach and together we have formed “The Lamont Group” (TLG), a coaching and consultancy company based on the principle of creating growth and finding the right solutions for business and non-profits.
One of the services TLG offers is to step in to senior executive positions on an interim basis, while the organization does a proper search for their permanent candidate. So presently, I am the interim Director of the LB Small Business Development Center (SBDC). You will hear much more about the SBDC in future columns, plus look for a new feature at lbpost.com coming soon called “The Business Corner” – a feature that will answer entrepreneur and business owner questions.
The SBDC, a wonderful community and regional resource that is hosted by Long Beach City College, offers FREE 1-on-1 business counseling to all business owners or budding entrepreneurs, as well as inexpensive training/workshops on a wide variety of business topics (Marketing, Accounting, Strategic, HR, Legal, Internet and Technology). The 1-on-1 counseling and the training/workshops are offered in a variety of locations and can even come to the business.
It took me more than 50 years to come to Long Beach and this part of Southern California. I congratulate all of you who made it here sooner — smart decision.
My thanks to Robert and Shaun for the opportunity through lbpost.com to once again be able to “talk with old friends.”