圣安东尼奥马刺队(San Antonio Spurs)的大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)将在周四成为校园里的大人物，届时他将在德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校(University of Texas at San Antonio)商学院的弗罗斯特银行杰出讲座系列(Frost Bank Distinguished Lecture Series)发表演讲。
罗宾逊可能是马刺队的中锋，但他将以其大卫·罗宾逊基金会(David Robinson Foundation)首席执行官的身份发表演讲，该基金会去年向卡弗文化中心捐赠了500万美元，用于建立卡弗学院(Carver Academy)。
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Monday Briefing
Valero CEO seems disinclined to hang up his spurs Bill Greehey won’t soon be stepping down from his post atop one of the biggest publicly traded companies in town.
Valero Energy Corp. Chief Executive Officer Greehey said last summer he would retire in June 1999, when his two-year contract expired.
But in a recent interview, the 62-year-old exec said he wasn’t quite ready to go, and didn’t indicate when he would be.
“As long as it’s fun, and it’s not work, I’ll stick around,” he said.
It’s not the first time Greehey has had a change of heart. He retired from Valero in June 1996, turning the reins over to natural gas heavyweight Joe Becraft.
But five months later, he was wooed back. The firm divested itself of its natural gas business, slimming down under Greehey to a pure refining and marketing company.
Becraft eventually landed at Aquila Gas Pipeline Corp., which has struggled with swooning commodity prices of late.
“I agreed to stay on for two years to get everybody calmed down, especially the financial community,” Greehey says now.
A year ago, Greehey spoke of the dynamic, youthful managers - a few in their 40s - poised to become the key architects of Valero’s future.
Since then, Valero has acquired a fifth refinery, and Greehey’s right-hand man Ed Benninger, 56, announced his retirement. The departure of the vigorous Greehey seemed increasingly unlikely.
“We’ve got a bright young management team. But they are young and they are inexperienced,” Greehey said.
Spurs Part II: Big Dave turns lecturer during NBA lockout
The San Antonio Spurs’ David Robinson will be the big man on campus Thursday when he speaks for the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business’ Frost Bank Distinguished Lecture Series.
Robinson may be the Spurs’ center, but he will be speaking as chief executive of his David Robinson Foundation that last year donated $5 million to the Carver Cultural Center to establish the Carver Academy.
That’s the largest single gift ever from an NBA player. Hey, Michael, where have you been, dude?
The foundation also supports a scholarship and mentoring program for 91 local students, a food program for the hungry and “The Ruth Project” that provides diapers and baby food to needy infants.
The free lecture is at 11 a.m. in the Business Auditorium, Room 2.01.02, at UTSA.
As important as the foundation is, some other subjects likely will come up, especially during questions-and-answers. The NBA player lockout, and trade rumors are two likely topics the audience would like to hear about.
Will Robinson be ready on the rebound?
Trio to be paid tribute at distinguised alumni bash
Three businessmen will be honored during the 1998 St. Mary’s University Distinguished Alumni dinner, set for 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel Grand Ballroom.
They are: Gregory Crane, retired president of Broadway National Bank; Jim Koett, retired president of TETCO Stores Inc., and Frank Liberto, president, owner and chief executive of Liberto Management Co. Inc.
For reservations, call 436-3327.
Trade mission to take group to South American centers
Ready or not, San Antonio business is headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile, in the form of an Oct. 24-31 trade mission sponsored by the Free Trade Alliance San Antonio and the city International Affairs Department.
Heading the trade mission will be City Council member Debra Guerrero and former Mayor Nelson Wolff, now chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
The trip is supported with a federal market development grant. The trip will include matchmaking sessions in both South American capital cities, participation in a Santiago trade show and meetings with civic and business leaders, import-export organizations and industry associations.
Cost is $3,500 per person for single occupancy, $2,850 for double occupancy. So far, 29 people have signed up. The alliance hopes to have everyone on board by Friday. For information and reservations, call the alliance at 229-9036.
Seminar to offer latest on business opportunities to the south
Small-and medium-sized businesses will not have to leave San Antonio to explore business opportunities in Mexico and Latin America.
A seminar on that subject will be held Sept. 30 by San Antonio-based North American Development Bank and Washington-based Inter-American Development Bank. It will last from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the downtown Hyatt Regency Riverwalk Hotel.
Bank representatives will discuss procurement and contracting opportunities opening up at the two development banks. Participants will learn about the bidding process for equipment, civil works and consulting.
The keynote luncheon speaker will be Awilda Marquez, director-general of the U.S./Foreign Commercial Service at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The two banks account for thousands of contracts each year. Cost for the seminar is $45. For information and registration, contact the Free Trade Alliance San Antonio at 229-9036.
Ex-San Antonian now consul general for U.S. in Mexico
Former San Antonian Oliver Pastrano Garza has been named U.S. consul general based in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Garza was a community counselor and juvenile probation officer before becoming admissions director for St. Mary’s University. He started his diplomatic career in 1971 and has served tours in Panama, South Korea, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay.
Garza last served in Bogota, Colombia, before arriving in Guadalajara.
Lockheed to buy satellite service provider
Comsat Aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. has agreed to buy Comsat Corp., a government-sanctioned company that provides access to international satellite networks, in a cash and stock deal valued at $2.7 billion.
The deal announced Sunday is subject to approval by Comsat shareholders and Federal Communications Commission. It’s expected to be completed by the end of 1999.
Under the deal’s first phase, Lockheed will buy up to 49 percent of outstanding Comsat stock for $45.50 per share in cash, a 33 percent premium over Comsat’s closing value Friday of $34.121/2 on the New York Stock Exchange. This part of the deal is expected to be worth $1.3 billion.
The transaction’s second phase is contingent on pending federal legislation aimed at privatizing the worldwide satellite communications network. The legislation’s goal is to save consumers billions of dollars through increased competition in long-distance telephone rates and other services.
Special software for schools part of grant’s mission
About 280 middle and high schools in the 12-county Alamo area are about to get a surprise gift of new career-planning software for students, thanks to $60,000 that Alamo Workforce Development Inc. is compelled to spend in the next six weeks.
The money is from a $75,000 School-to-Careers state planning grant, of which 80 percent must be spent by Oct. 31. The penalty for missing the deadline is losing $1.3 million of state and federal funds for work-related educational programs in area schools during the coming year.
So, without asking the schools, the Alamo Workforce board’s School-to-Careers committee proposes to buy all of them the 1998 version of Texas CARES (Career Alternative Resource Evaluation System) designed by the Texas Workforce Commission to help people match their interests with suitable occupations.
Shopping channel to start ‘clothes bank’ here
QVC Inc., the television retailer that takes orders at its San Antonio call center, announced last week that it will launch a “clothes bank” for area welfare recipients who are starting jobs.
The Philadelphia-based company plans to donate 510 pieces of clothing valued at $26,000 to Alamo Workforce Development Inc. for participants in its welfare-to-work programs.
That’s in addition to QVC’s partnership as an employer in a welfare-to-work teleservice training program run by Northwest Vista College.
Pratt & Whitney at the ready for backup role
Preparing for possible glitches in transferring jet engine repair work at Kelly AFB to an outside contractor in the coming months, the Air Force has awarded Pratt & Whitney San Antonio Inc. a $30.2 million contingency contract to stand by and pick up any slack.
“We’ll be a backup if needed during the transition period, depending on who wins the contract and their plan” for taking over the work, Pratt & Whitney’s Ray Wolf said.
It doesn’t mean any extra jobs at company shops at Kelly or Alamo Downs Business Park, Wolf said.
Pratt & Whitney is itself leading a team of bidders for the $660-million-a-year engine repair contract which the Air Force is now scheduled to award in early October.