“WE DON’T CASH CHECKS OR PLAY WITH BUMBLE BEES”, so says the sign next to the cash register at the Roanoke, VA landmark Texas Tavern. It’s been open every day, 24/7 (except Christmas) since 1930. No credit, no checks, all cash. A true money-making machine. I’ll have two small cheeseburgers all the way, a bowl […]
Short post tonight. I am a Packers stockholder. I love the Packers and I hate the way the divorce with Brett Favre went down two years ago. Tonight, in his 19th season in the NFL, he put the smackdown on his old team. One week from his 40th birthday, he showed the whole world how […]
This is the motto of the British Special Air Service. It is also great advice for any entrepreneur. I had my first job at 14 running a lathe in a machine shop. I am sure I did a horrible job that first summer. I’ve worked in factories many times since then, and all those experiences […]
My mother, who passed away 24 years ago today, was a professional artist. Her grave marker says “Artist-Wife-Mother”, and I do not think that is a false order. I wanted to emulate her when I was younger and even took private lessons from her student, Ann Glover. There was a brief period in my late […]
Cogitating on the 60th anniversary of the PRC, one cannot fail to consider the current state of the USA, and as a microcosm, our domestic automotive industry. Yesterday, it was announced the deal with Penske to buy Saturn fell through, and so dies another GM marque. In this case, I have a personal interest, as […]
I loved this saying when I first read it a few months ago, and it is my motto now. My dearly departed Mother, a professional artist, used to tell me simplicity is the key to design. Quite true of course, but there is something more visceral about nothing is harder than simple. As an example, […]
I still have my Deng Xiao Ping commemorative pocket watch celebrating the 50th anniversary. I remember I bought it in Beijing the day my lovely wife and I found out she was going to have our first child. A blessing she used later that evening to get out of a drinking contest she’d accidentally started […]
This link to extraordinary photos of Saturn really puts your life in perspective. Infinitesimal doesn’t come close. Visiting China for the first time is a similar experience. Holy mess, are there a lot of people! The same problem exists when trying to locate a capable set of vendors for your project. China has built so […]
The title of this post is one of my favorite sayings. As an entrepreneur, it reminds me to keep trying, even when it is hard; especially when it is hard. These days the world economy is a tempestuous sea, but PassageMaker is growing and thriving. A “passagemaker” is a small motor boat capable of crossing […]
When Mike Bellamy and I chose the China track at the University of South Carolina in 1997, it was still an avante garde career move. Both of us had been to Asia and knew China was going to play a key role in the 21st century. Neither of us thought we’d be reading articles like […]
PassageMaker is a US-owned boutique firm providing a comprehensive and customized service to clients who wish to outsource aspects of their manufacturing and supply chain management. We have our own ISO certified manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen and are member or contributor of the following:
