This month, new alumni are being minted by the hundreds of thousands as universities, colleges, and high schools say farewell and good luck to their graduates.  I came across this Top 10 list of inspiring graduation quotes on Slideshare (via FB) and thought I’d share them here…

What a great video. Sure makes you think about the power of giving and how a little bit of selflessness goes a long way to making a difference and leaving a mark.

I just saw this video on Facebook… Awesome if you know my hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada.  Credit to Gracen Johnson, whom I do not know. She made the video…  Well done!

Some would answer no.  Me? I say yes.

Today, CBC reported that Salesforce.com would be cutting 200 jobs in the wake of a recent acquisition, ExactTarget, that has created more overlap with its MarketingCloud division, a big part of which is the former Radian6.  If you’re a New Brunswicker, you know that Radian6 was founded in Fredericton and sold in 2011 to Salesforce for north of $300 million.  You can read the story about the layoffs here but what I’d like to talk about is why we should still be optimistic about what the long-term opportunities that will flow out of the Radian6/Salesforce deal.

Many of the comments from readers on the CBC website sounded like people were pissed off at Salesforce.  Give me a break.  Did we really think that a company based in Fredericton was going to continue to grow its staff in a real way here, when the mother ship is a global company with headquarters in Silicon Valley?  If so, I think we’re being a bit naive.

Here’s my view.

1.  Without a doubt, it is a sad day anytime we learn that our friends are losing their jobs.  But these things happen all the time… everywhere.  There’s no geography that is completely immune to this sort of thing.

2.  I believe that Salesforce is likely to honour whatever commitments it has with the provincial government.  Maybe I’m naive but I doubt it.  If there are contractual obligations, I expect they’ll be appropriately handled or dealt with.

3.  I don’t think a guarantee of a few hundred jobs staying in the province is the value of Radian6’s sale to Salesforce.

The value is the money that flowed into the province as a result of a $300+ million sale.  What’s going to happen with that money… fancy cars, mansions and boats?  Absolutely!  Who wouldn’t?  But when those short-term itches are scratched by the founders and investors in Radian6, what do you think happens?  Another, more important itch is going to need scratching…

I think they try to do it again… They look to be investors (now with more cash) in other new ventures.  R&D receives a huge injection… Innovation climbs … More ideas get off the ground… start-ups get an even better lift.  The entire entrepreneurial ecosystem expands.  Next thing you know, there are dozens of new companies, each employing 5, 10, 20, 50 staff.  And they’re going to grow… and grow… to 100, 200… what if there’s another Chalk Media or Radian6 or Q1 Labs among them.  Silicon Valley wasn’t built in a day and Boston didn’t become a tech hub overnight.

There are smart people here in little New Brunswick and we’re in the early days of our own entrepreneurial revolution… This is still just the beginning of a very good thing.  A deal like the Radian6 sale isn’t about maintaining a few hundred “good jobs” with Salesforce, it’s about the hundreds of new opportunities that arise from the wealth and capital that was injected into the region… that’s the value.  And the possibilities truly are endless.

Yes, it sucks to lose your job but there are so many other opportunities and the ecosystem is getting so much stronger here (and so quickly) that I’d be surprised if everyone doesn’t pivot to something even better, in a very short amount of time.

Cheers.

Finally here… the trailer for the U11 Premiership year end video…

Without a doubt, I’ve swayed from left to right to left at different times in my life.  In general, though, I think my soul aligns with historically liberal or democrat sensibilities, such as taking care of my fellow man.  I have voted for conservatives, I have voted for liberals and will do so again.  I vote for the person, not for the party.  And I will say this — from the cheap seats north of the border… I don’t see how the Republicans can possibly be elected in November.

Someone posted Michelle Obama’s DNC speech on Facebook today (yes, I did miss it last night).  I have one question – how can you not love her?  Seriously… she gets it.

I read a great story today from Worcester, Massachusetts.

A group of barbers there are offering free haircuts on August 18th and 25th, as part of a program they’re calling Barbers Give Back.  On August 18th, they’re inviting less fortunate adults as well as veterans to come in for a cut on them.  The following weekend, they’ll be taking a little off the back for kids as they get ready to head back to school.

Lamar Watkins is one of the barbers participating and he’s featured in the story.  I like his outlook… “I know a lot of people in Worcester are homeless or just lost their jobs. There must be a lot of families that can’t afford a haircut for a job interview or for back to school,” he said. “I wanted to give back to the town I live in.”

He’s thinking of others, not just himself.  And with today’s economic situation, the world need lots of people like that.  A big shout out and thanks to Lamar Watkins and the other barbers giving back to their community in Worcester, this Saturday and next.  Cheers.

Here’s the link to the full story in the online version of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.