SEPT. 22—OCT. 19, 2016 • THE CSRA’S MONTHLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE
BUSINESS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT
NDHLOVU RELATES HIS OLYMPIC STORY TO THE BUSINESS WORLD BY AMANDA KING
What many people would call stumbling blocks, Olympic marathon runner Pardon Ndhlovu sees as stepping stones. Ndhlovu, a native of Zimbabwe, graduated last year from Augusta University with an MBA and then worked at Fleet Feet in Augusta while he coached AU’s track team and continued his training. He was chosen to represent Zimbabwe in the marathon in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he finished 41st in 2:17:48. On Sept. 7, Ndhlovu spoke to employees at Elliott Davis Decosimo. Bill Woodward, office managing shareholder, had heard Ndhlovu’s story and saw the correlation between running a marathon and managing a career or business. Buzz on Biz has compiled Ndhlovu’s racing strategies and Woodward’s tips to help CSRA leaders to run the race of business. 1. Get a “coach” Although Ndhlovu started racing in his bare feet in Zimbabwe at age 13 without much coaching, he quickly learned the importance of having someone to guide him. As he prepared for the 2016 Olympics, he relied on his coach for motivation
Olympic marathon runner Pardon Ndhlovu spoke about his experiences at Elliot Davis Decosimo on Sept. 7. Photo by Amanda King
and feedback. “Feedback is a way to save me from myself,” Ndhlovu said. Woodward has also leaned on coaches in the business world and has played the
part of coach to several co-workers. He said often the best coaches are people outside of a person’s own office walls, as was his recent experience with a coach. “He came in very objective, provided a
lot of insight that I would not have had if I had someone internal doing the coaching,” Woodward said. “I could bounce a See BUSINESS MARATHON, page 4
AUGUSTA’S BUSINESS FORTUNES GROW WITH FORT GORDON BY GARY KAUFFMAN
When Tom Clark, the new executive director of the Alliance for Fort Gordon, peers into the future, he sees a thriving business climate in Augusta. “By 2026, business will be booming here,” he said. “The globe will recognize the Fort Gordon Cyber District as the premier place to live, work and play. We’ll have the same things here that we have now, but more of them.” There is reason for Clark’s optimism: Fort Gordon is one of only two military installations in the country that are projected to grow in the next 10 years. It is, in fact, already growing. More than 1,400 service members and their families have moved to the area in the past few years and more are coming. Columbia County schools enrolled 420 new students this year, at least some of them because of those move-ins. With base housing 95 percent occupied, the majority of the move-ins will be living within the community. And, by 2019, the Army will have completed moving its Cyber Command Center to Fort Gordon. Along with more service members, that will – and already is – bringing in civilian contractors and companies that work with
the military. “The community will absorb a fair amount of that growth,” Clark said. “That’s good for realtors, construction companies, air conditioning repair companies, lawn maintenance – it is great for the economy.” He also thinks there will be some new businesses that will attract younger generations. “There will be places for Millennials to expand their horizons,” he said. But the new growth at Fort Gordon is primarily among the senior ranks, a transition the Army made intentionally. Clark said only a small portion of the base will be young soldiers. That means many will be reaching military retirement age in the next decade. “Seventy-five percent of folks said that wh`en they get out of the military they would stay in Augusta if there were job opportunities here,” Clark said. “The average retirement age is 40 to 45, which enables them to have a dynamic second career.” He said the low cost of living and the Southern hospitality will entice many to stay, just like he and his wife did. “From the sweet tea to the ‘how y’all doing?’, it puts a smile on my face,” he said. “We absolutely love it.”