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Richard

Richard

Richard Spangler is a leading business development consultant and recognized change accelerator who creates actionable results. An original founder of PlazaBridge Group, he has an intense desire to help growth companies migrate through the maze of issues and to help the executive/entrepreneur accelerate into success while minimizing errors. His expertise includes product strategy and management, entrepreneurship, mergers & acquisitions. Richard has over 25 years of experience in large corporate branding beginning with product management, corporate development and acquisitions for Compaq Computer Corporation. Following Compaq, Richard was the Program Director of Wireless Strategy at IBM, where he redefined the wireless application business. He continued at IBM as the Worldwide Brand Manager overseeing the Aptiva consumer product and new licensing programs for the IBM logo. After IBM, Richard leveraged his extensive experience in web merchandising, technology and strategic management to create 6 startups including Planet Portal Inc., Square Loop Inc., Creative Leadership Adventures, Interpretis Inc. and his current non-profit, PoleFlyers. Richard holds a B.S. from Guilford College and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Beyond the PlazaBridge doors, you can find Richard flying, golfing or playing the guitar with his band, The Headless Chickens.

10 Ways U.S. Technology & Innovation Leave the Country

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  1. Plentiful foreign capital with different risk horizons invest in our companies: We see a number of small technology companies being usurped by foreign investors while domestic investors shy from the risk levels inherent in a severe recession. The IP flows to the foreign investor.
  2. Foreign students work in our companies only to leave later: super students leverage the openness of our commercial system by doing internships, only to return home where prospects are brighter, taking with them the company’s “inside knowledge”.
  3. Commercial spying: not surprising in the face of recent announcements of “too far” advanced weaponry and “out-of-nowhere” sophisticated high speed trains being produced in other countries.
  4. Over-zealous exporters: Selling products that are banned for export is one thing. It is another to sell products where components are banned and unaware of restrictions.
  5. Manufacturing overseas, expecting your supplier won’t become your next competitor: The rest of the world does not have our sensibilities (maybe now defunct) where suppliers and service providers are not suppose to compete with their customers. PlazaBridge Group promises to NEVER compete with our clients.
  6. Ireland-like exodus of young professionals: When allowed, human resources flow to the greatest opportunities like money flows to the highest returns.
  7. Neglected IT security measures: Small technology startups, doing real innovative work, do not necessarily have the staff or time to guard against sophisticated internet threats.
  8. Universities protecting their revenue streams: U.S. government grants (your taxpayer money) go to university projects performed by increasingly more foreign graduate students. I still don’t understand how our tax money can go to grants that benefit individuals (e.g., academicians with IP ownership rights)
  9. Commodity-like trading of patents: what happened to using patents to protect EFFORT as much as intellectual endeavor? Will we trade thesis’s next?
  10. The veteran engineers, seasoned managers, venerable craftsman and retired executives are ignored as out-of-date and just fade away and die.

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