Curse of the Jade Lily (Mac McKenzie #9)

Curse of the Jade Lily (Mac McKenzie #9) Page 58

I explained about my conversations with the artnappers and Mr. Donatucci.

“In that case, I have only one word to say to you, McKenzie. Are you listening?”

“Sure.”

“One word.”

“What is it?”

“Kevlar.”

Not long ago people were up in arms over the threat the Internet posed to their privacy, and they were right to be upset. The Internet made it easy to learn just about anything you wanted to know about an individual from their criminal record to the charities they support. I could have easily gained the information Bobby had given me in a day on my own at the cost of just a few bucks. Yet what continued to surprise me was that instead of struggling to protect their privacy, most people were giving it up without a fight. Take Nicholas Garin of Wayzata, for example. He had both a Facebook and LinkedIn page, and between the two of them he revealed just about everything about himself a guy might care to know, including his favorite ice cream—Kemps Raspberry Cow Tracks.

It was from his LinkedIn site that I discovered that he was twenty-nine years old, married to a graphic designer named Alicia, and played Class A softball in a park and rec league in the summer. I also learned that he had an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and worked first as a fund-raising consultant and then as a public relations director for a local nonprofit before becoming a new business development consultant with a small Minneapolis firm. A former client said, “Nick Garin is an innovative thinker with the ability to be resilient in the face of change, responding quickly and efficiently to it.”

The firm was purchased eighteen months ago by Minnesota Disposal and Recycling.

“Minnesota Disposal and Recycling.” I said it aloud just to prove that I was paying attention. “Jonathan Hemsted and Branko Pozderac are staying in a hotel suite owned by MDR.”

The firm was renamed and put to work providing community relations. This included supporting education, arts, and culture groups through the company’s nonprofit foundation. It reported directly to MDR’s president and CEO, Randolph Fiegen.

That little bit of intel caught me by surprise. What’s more, I had no idea what to do with it.

I left my computer and went into the kitchen for a cup of joe. I took the mug, sipping from it every now and then, while I meandered through my mostly empty house, pacing, walking in circles, never sitting down. I did that sometimes when I was thinking, and let’s face it, I had a lot to think about. Eventually I decided I needed to get cleaned up. Before I went upstairs, I looked up and down Hoyt Avenue from my front window. Nicholas Garin was nowhere in sight.

It took me about forty minutes to make myself presentable to the outside world, and that was because I lingered in the shower. By the time I had finished, I had devised a plan of action, such as it was. I returned to my PC and started surfing Web sites for information about Bosnia and Herzegovina. I found a government site that dealt with business opportunities for U.S. companies overseas.

DOING BUSINESS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

I read the information several times, making note of those points I considered salient.

Still regarded as a transition economy, Bosnia and Herzegovina is open to foreign investment.

Still-to-come privatization of state-owned entities will offer significant opportunities.

There is no single best way to do business in Bosnia and Herzegovina. New entrants to the market will most likely be displacing/supplanting nearby suppliers, such as Croatia and Serbia, as well as dominant EU member countries. Sales agents, representatives, and distributors all have important roles to play in this market. Financing is a key factor for a Bosnian company making a decision to take on a U.S. product line.

“Financing is a key factor,” I wrote, underlining the word “financing.” “Does that mean bribery?”

The U.S. Commercial Service Office at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo will provide you with a fresh insight on doing business in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I wrote: “U.S. Commercial Service Office—isn’t that where Jeremy Hemsted works?” I looked it up.

The CSO cooperates extensively with the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I Googled the organization and discovered a Web site that served as an open invitation to foreign businesses. In fact, there was a personal message welcoming potential investors to the site and thanking them for their interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was signed by the chief administrator of the promotion agency—Branko Pozderac.

Privatization in Bosnia and Herzegovina provides the possibility to both local and foreign physical and legal entities to participate in the purchase of state-run enterprises.