SPRING 2013
silicon valleylocal Your Silicon Valley Connection
M A G A Z I N E
Leader
Among Leaders Carl Guardino & The Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Leader
Among Leaders
Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino, who has worked tirelessly to bring BART to Silicon Valley, tosses a shovel of dirt at the official groundbreaking for the extension in 2012.
Carl Guardino & The Silicon Valley Leadership Group
SVL: What is the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and what are you working so diligently on? Carl Guardino: The Silicon Valley Leadership Group is an association of 375 member company CEOs that was created 36 years ago by tech legend David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard. It is the Leadership Group’s vision to ensure the economic health and high quality of life in Silicon Valley for our entire community by advocating for adequate affordable housing, comprehensive regional transportation, reliable energy, a quality K-12 and higher education system and prepared workforce, a sustainable environment, and business and tax policies that keep California and Silicon Valley competitive in a global economy. Membership is open to Silicon Valley firms and supporting industries including software, systems, manufacturing, financial services, accounting, transportation, health care, defense,
communications, education and utilities. For 2013, out top three priorities are US Comprehensive Tax Reform, High Skilled (Worker) Immigration Reform and California Environmental Quality Act Reform. All three of these policy areas need modernization to help grow jobs and the innovation economy. SVL: What are some of the Silicon Valley Leader Group’s prodest moments? CG: There have been numerous achievements of the Leadership Group in its first 36 years. In just the past year alone, those achievements have included: • BART: Successfully championing the BART extension to Silicon Valley. In 2012 construction began and the extension will open on-time and ahead-of-schedule in 2017. • Regional Patent Office: Successfully secured
one of our nation’s first regional patent offices, to be located in Silicon Valley with an opening date this year. • CalTrain: Successfully advocated through the Legislature and CA Transportation Commission for more than $1 billion to improve and electrify the CalTrain Commuter Rail System. • Air Travel: With San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, secured a direct flight by All Nippon Airlines between San Jose and Tokyo, launched on January 11. • Community: Founded and still direct the popular Applied Materials “Silicon Valley Turkey Trot” each Thanksgiving morning. In 2012, in only its 8th year, the Turkey Trot attracted 24,200 paid participants, raising more than $1.2 million for three local charities who help needy families.
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a great law that has been greatly abused for nonenvironmental purposes. SVL: You work closely with many of our exemplary CEO’s, who help lead our Silicon Valley to being the special place it is. How would you define a hero and who are some we should know about? CG: The Leadership Group is proud to be owned and driven by nearly 375 Silicon Valley CEOs, primarily in the innovation economy spaces of high-tech, bio-and med-tech, clean-and-green
SVL: You work closely with many of our devoted elected officials in Sacramento and Washington DC. Are there some we should know about? CG: We have the pleasure of working closely with State and Federal officials to improve the Carl Guardino emcee’s at the opening ceremony of All Nippon business climate to create jobs. Recent Airways first Dreamliner 787 flight from Mineta San Jose partnerships include the following International Airport to Tokyo. The event included dignitaries and more than 50 media. Carl and the Leadership Group leaders: worked directly with Mayor Chuck Reed, the city and airport • Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, staff to secure the important non-stop flight. with strong support from Congressmembers Anna Eshoo and Mike Honda, played a leading role tech, venture capital and financial services. I in our mutual efforts to secure a regional have many mentors and role models amongst patent office in Silicon Valley. those leaders. Among them is Aart de Geus, CoFounder and CEO of Synopsys; Tom Werner, • San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed was a key CEO of SunPower; Mike Klayko, CEO of Brocade; partner in helping finalize federal funding for our BART extension, secure the regional Mike Splinter, CEO of Applied Materials; Godfrey Sullivan, CEO of Splunk; and Bill Watkins, CEO patent office, secure the direct flight of Bridgelux. They all share key common traits between San Jose and Tokyo on ANA and to enhance the regional business climate in they care deeply about their employees and the communities in which they do business, investing Silicon Valley. the time to personally participate in solutions, • State Senator Michael Rubio, who has been while still balancing family and running globally a courageous and thoughtful leader for competitive companies. meaningful modernization of the California
SVL: You have always been and always are the ultimate optimist. Are you optimistic about our future economy, education, transportation, housing and health departments, say for the next 5, 10 or 20 years? CG: I continue to be an optimist, as I have never met a successful CEO in Silicon Valley who was not optimistic. You just cannot change the world as a pessimist. Unfortunately, I cannot look out 5, 10 or 20 years from now, as the rapid nature of change does not make that possible. Think of the innovation in just the past five or ten years. Who could have predicted many or any of those disruptive technologies that are now just standard in our lives? Six to seven years ago Silicon Valley companies were not a driving force in the mobile phone business, but Apple and Google now practically own the space. This type of innovation has occurred repeatedly here, ever since orchard farmers innovated around spraying machines and other farm equipment. SVL: What are our greatest challenges and if you could wave a magic wand, what needs to be done to meet these challenges? CG: Our biggest challenges are not technological, but political. It is incumbent on
the Leadership Group and others to continue to reach out to well-meaning elected officials - especially at the state and federal levels - to help them better understand the impact of policy to create and keep jobs in California and America. Most elected officials, while incredibly smart and well-meaning, have little to no private sector experience, especially when it comes to executive roles. We need to help them understand the realities of competing globally, and the impacts that policies can have - positive or negative - to create jobs. SVL: In the various areas of philanthropy and volunteerism, what can we do to help make this a better community? CG: There is so much more that each of us can do to make our communities a better place to live, work and contribute. I try to live by example, with a “Time, Treasure, Talent� approach. In that way, I try to invest the time that I can to help others, with appropriate amounts of treasure as best as I can afford, bringing to bear whatever limited talents I might have to contribute. Each of us have gifts - be they time, treasure or talent - and we simply need to match those gifts with our passions in the community.
Carl interviews Rep. Anna Eshoo on stage at the first-ever California Economic Summit, held May 11, 2012 in Santa Clara. It was an unprecedented gathering of leaders focused on working together to put California’s economy on a sustainable path for growth.
SVL: Please share with us - what is it that gives you so much satisfaction, joy and happiness in all that you do and how, at the end of each day, it all helps make such a big difference for so many? CG: I am reminded of standing on the stage at the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, with my friend and mentor Mike Splinter, CEO of Applied Materials and our Title Sponsor. As we prepared to the race start, we looked out at a sea of participants totaling
Repeatedly, people realize that CEOs are just like the rest of us, normal people working as hard as they can to make a difference with their lives and taking care of their families. more than 20,000 people. As far as the eye could see, people were smiling and waiting our race to start. The sense of community, of caring for others, of starting the holidays in a fun and healthy way, brought tears to my eyes. Scenes like that, the culmination of literally thousands of hours of hard work in preparation, make our volunteer efforts worthwhile. SVL: You host your outstanding weekly radio program: “The CEO Show” on KLIV 1590. For anyone who may not be familiar, what is it about and what have been some of the most memorable moments? CG: Years ago, I grew frustrated that the only time most people read or heard about CEOs was the occasional “Enron” or “Worldcom,” when a small fraction of executives do things that are both illegal and unethical. Almost every CEO with whom I have had the pleasure to work is incredibly smart, but also wise, thoughtful and caring. They all work 80-hour plus weeks, usually traveling globally on a constant basis with huge sacrifices to themselves and their families. Yet on top of that, the CEOs in our network also give back to their employees, the communities in which they do business
and to numerous non-profits. Through that frustration, “The CEO Show” was born. Thanks to the generous support of Empire Broadcasting CEO Bob Kieve, who owns KLIV and KRTY, “The CEO Show” is in its sixth year on the air every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The goal is simple - bring on a CEO for a live broadcast in which both I - and anyone who would like to call in - can ask questions of the CEO. Repeatedly, people realize that CEOs are just like the rest of us, normal people working as hard as they can to make a difference with their lives and taking care of their families. SVL: Under the: What people don’t know about you category … or what most people probably do know by now … is that you commute 32 miles every day by bike. What does this unique daily routine mean to you? CG: I try to practice what I preach, or when it comes to cycling to work, to peddle what I preach. America has an epidemic with 35 percent of our friends, family and neighbors including our colleagues at work - overweight or obese. We are literally eating ourselves to death, with improper diets and nutrition and a woeful lack of exercise. Part of my way to stay in shape, ease stress, and take one more car off of the road is to commute to work by bike It is also a time-efficient way to exercise without taking more time away from my wife Leslee and our two little girls, Jessica and Siena. SVL: Life is great – you have your wonderful family. I believe this illustrates what it’s all about … the “what” and “why” you do what you do … for today, for tomorrow. Your thoughts? CG: I am incredibly blessed to have Leslee as my wife and partner. She is the most selfless person I know and one of the most entrepreneurial. She is a successful businessleader, the Co-Founder of CanyonSnow, while balancing life as a wife and mother. Her ability to balance it all while still remaining calm under pressure is inspiring. Our two little girls, Jessica (8) and Siena (3.5) are forces of nature. As an Ironman Triathlete, I always thought I had boundless energy . . . then I became a father. Wow! My appreciation for and respect of single parents has only grown, as it takes the two of us to chase our girls around and still make it through each day with any energy left at all.