A couple of weekends ago Betty, Mary Ann, and I attended a series of meetings and events in Los Angeles for the X PRIZE Foundation. The mission of the X PRIZE Foundation is to bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. The organization works toward this end by sponsoring $10-million prizes for the achievement of specific goals in a variety of different areas, including space and underwater exploration, life sciences, energy and environment, and more. The prizes are funded with private money. Winners have to be able to demonstrate the performance of their ideas.

There were some very creative ideas presented for the competition, some of which will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the future of technology. Mary Ann has been an active participant in the activities of the X PRIZE Foundation. I primarily attended as an observer. The Foundation for Enterprise Development is helping to fund prize ideas, and I am personally impressed with the scope and depth of the X PRIZE Foundation’s activities. I hope the FED can continue to assist in their future endeavors.

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I thought you might be interested to know that American Banking News is publishing a series of question-and-answer interviews with me on a variety of topics. You can find these articles here:

• Establishing New Office Locations — An Expert Q & A
• Benefits of Employee Ownership — An Expert Q & A
• Creating the Right Strategic Balance In Your Business — An Expert Q&A

– Bob