Jeff Smith: The Blog

Ublip/Numerex Merger

A great partnership, like a great marriage, is about value creation. As my wife and I watch our eight year old son Kyle grow up, we mostly are concerned with what values we are helping to create within him. In our community we nurture and promote our shared values. My work has always been towards that same end. Success for me is value creation. That will be my legacy. For a partnership to create value, a common set of core values is necessary, but not sufficient. Creativity is also paramount. Without creating something (or someone) there can be no value. In business we create products and services. To be truly creative you must make combinations. The values of the partners are supplementary and reinforcing. Everything else, i.e. people, processes, products & services, are complimentary. If that were not true, and you believed in yourself you would go "lone wolf" and compete and win. (If you don't play golf, read this explanation of Wolf in Chi Chi Rodriguez's book, "Golf Games You Gotta Play.") In my past, I have successfully gone "lone wolf" and successfully partnered. It is more fun to partner. Especially when you know your long game compliments their short game or vice versa. It's called shared success. A good example of the supplementary and complimentary aspects of a Numerex and Ublip combination are the following: Ublip brings a service-oriented architecture Numerex brings a service-oriented infrastructure Both have a service-oriented culture In the coming months you will see what I mean. Stratton Nicolaides, President & CEO of Numerex and myself realized we have supplementary values, and complimentary people, products, and services. Through this, we will combine, create, and deliver "insanely great" value to the customer. Just watch. Or, better yet, come join in the fun. - Jeff

Hope::Life

There is a great deal of talk about hope lately. I hope it makes people think - and act.

I enjoy public speaking. A good public speaker knows that words can be very powerful. A speech should evoke an emotion that leads to an action. An emotion in itself is empty. That is why JFK was such a great President His words were inspirational and motivational. His words motivated our nation towards action. JFK inspired a renewed sense of public service and created the Peace Corps, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.", JFK inspired a renewal in engineering and innovation and inspired us to land a man on the moon within the decade. Notice the time component. This creates a sense of urgency. To act now.

In physics, effective action (i.e. not running in place) is work. Work = Force x Distance. This equation can be used to calculate work done when you apply a force to an object and move it a certain distance. Force is measured in "newtons." If you apply two newtons of force to a wheelbarrow full of dirt and you move it five meters, you will have done ten Joules of work. (Work is measured in newton-meters or Joules.)

How does this apply to life? 

As I pragmatist I encourage you to not ignore the relationship between work and income. There is a relationship. But there is also a relationship between love and income. Remember the 70's (and renewed 00's) sense of "Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow" .

Sigmund Freud said -

Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.

and

Love and work... work and love, that's all there is.

Life is work. It is the goals you choose, how you apply work towards that goal, and how you achieve that goal.

"The secret of the true love of work is the hope of success in that work. It is not for the money reward, for the time spent, or for the skill exercised, but for the successful result in the accomplishment of the work itself."
~ Sidney A. Weltmer

Hope is so very important to your success. There is a relationship between your hopes and dreams... and your ultimate success.

From Webster "Hope: v. to desire with expectation of obtainment."

A desire (the beginning). An expectation (the middle). An obtainment (the end).

Hope is a path. A path that leads to more hope, and more success. To instill hope is to provide a purpose. A present and a future.

I hope you will make it your purpose to instill hope in others. A hope that leads to action for positive change.

If you would like to see my theory in action, I encourage you to come with me to Honduras. A small community called Mogote - social entrepreneurship.  Teachfish.org.  The latest business Deseños de Fe Y Esperanza. Designs of Faith and Hope. Replacing the cycle of poverty and despair with a job - work - hope. You only need to see it on their faces once to believe.

What is a Methodist?

The following was my presentation for the "Ministry Minute" at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. I was asked to talk about my mission work in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Good Morning.

What is a Methodist?

You may have struggled with this question as I have.

A Methodist is a Christian who embraces inclusiveness and outreach.

A loving hug and a helping hand.

We are Missionaries on a Mission - with a personal connection.

Loving people into a relation with Jesus Christ.

Five years ago, during the ministry minute, I heard a young man speak of his mission to one of the poorest places in the world Mogote, Honduras.

I whispered to myself - I should go.

Somehow God, and Donna Whitehead heard me and in spite of my busy life  finishing my PhD, a two year old son, a startup company, she told me I was  going.

And so I went.

I witnessed others talents applied to their missionary work –
Beverly Schultz the caretaker washing feet - painting toes, Liz - the teacher, Linda the organizer, Doctor John, Kay the minister, Mara the Clown, Lynn, Stallings  the builder, Anne Pierce - the mother
Feeding the children their only meal of the day– the children’s grubby hands as if praying cupped for the rice and beans even after we had run out of tortillas,

They each had their mission. I was uncomfortably searching for my own personal connection.

I am an entrepreneur, a scientist, a computer guy. How could I contribute?

That is when I met Fredy.

When a missionary team builds a house Fredy is hired to do the wiring – one light bulb, one outlet, one switch - he climbs the power pole to connect the live electrical line.

We built a house for a family of 6 – slightly larger than the others - 12X24 with a front and back door. I showed Fredy how to hook up one light to 2 switches.

To Fredy this was magical and I was the magician – in future trips, I brought down discarded electronics and test equipment, Fredy now has a small business fixing radios and TV's.

I found my mission: To end the cycle of poverty and despair by training, equipping and funding small employee owned companies.

Teach a man to fish.

During the past year we have built and equipped a 3200 sqft factory to make leather goods. We have trained Jose Louis, Loyda, Eda, Jolie, Doris, Bernardina, Juan Carlos, and Ismaris. They will soon hire two more. These people never had the opportunity to work, to provide for their families. They now make handcrafted leather goods using scrap leather donated from a Dallas based leather furniture maker, American leather. We send the leather down on  empty banana containers. “Empresa de Fe Y Esperanza”, the company of life and hope, owned and managed by its employees. The dignity of a job and creating a product with your hands, that others appreciate.
The impact goes farther than these 10 individuals, they represent almost 50 dependents. This does not go unnoticed by the 40,000 people of Mogote. The impact is very broad and very deep.

We are ramping up production.

I know small struggling under-funded start up companies - I am an entrepreneur.

I need your prayers, I need your support, I need you to go to the web site teachfish.com and order a purse, or a wallet.

I have Lovers Lane to thank. You helped me find my mission - my personal connection - we have more work to do, houses to build, soccer to play, mouths to feed, feet to wash, toes to paint, blankets to provide, wounds to heal, minds to teach, smiles to make, and yes companies to create.

This is a testimony of how your support has life changing impact for me – and – the people of Magote. I encourage you to support this Church and its ministries.

I have learned that it is not how much you give – but how much you must give up.

Bernardina – who works in the factory stopped me and asked

Lo que es un Metodista?

What is a Methodist?

I told her a Methodist is a Christian that gives a loving hug and a helping hand.

She looked at me - smiled and said:

Que me hace feliz.

That makes me happy.

Porque, verá usted en el cielo.

Because, I will see you in heaven.

The Making of a Knight

I recently  was the "mystery reader" for my son's class at St. Mark's of Texas. Sixteen first graders. They have been studying Dragon's, Knights, and Castles. I chose The Making of a Knight by Patrick O'Brien.

This is an excellent story of how young James earns his armor and becomes Sir James.

There is much to learn from Knighthood.

I have been studying value systems for some time. My PhD in Robotics was centered around value based behaviors in Robotics and this was the the core of the SensorLogic platform. This will be the topic of a future blog.

Your behavior, the conscious and unconscious decisions you make on a daily basis  defines you. Taking inventory of where you spend your time, talent, and treasure will provide you with insight into your values. Your values are based on ideals, which are based on beliefs. How you think the world works or is supposed to work.

Beliefs -> Ideals -> Values -> Conduct

I recall the following from an unknown author - if you know of the reference please let me know. I have enhanced (simplified) it over time. It was profound and I have committed it to memory as you should:

The fundamental ideals are Truth | Love | Courage. TLC. These 3 ideals can be combined in 7 ways to create 7 values. The following defines the Chivalric code of Knighthood:

T = Honesty/Character/Nobility
L = Compassion/Mercy
C = Valor
TL = Justice/Hope
LC = Sacrifice/Generosity
TC = Honor
TLC = Spirituality/Faith

Healthcare gone Flatline...

I had an accident recently in Cabo. A group of friends were messing around on Yamaha Rhino Overgrown 4 wheelers. The thing weighs a thousand pounds. The front left blew on a big rock and dug in, flipped it, roll bar, but no footwell, crushed my leg. That's the story. In the famed words of Paul Harvey, here's "the rest of the story."

Just to put things into context, In Cabo San Lucas Mexico, I arrived at the Hospital emergency room and, after filling out a short form and giving them my credit card I saw the (American trained) Dr. in about 5 minutes. I had X-rays taken and analyzed (twice) within 20 minutes and my wound was cleaned and dressed. I think we were there about an hour and I left with my X-Rays. No broken bones.

About 9 days later I had some new swelling and pain, Lisa called Primacare  at 5:15 - they said there was an hour and a half wait - but that I could get on the list and they would call. At 6:45 I decided to just go over - since I was sure they would call at anytime. I went over - filled out the paperwork and waited until 8:00 and decided that I needed to leave to put Kyle to bed. The lady was polite and said that I should come back in the morning, but that they opened at 8am and I should get there at 7:30 to be the first in line. I was the first in line. Unfortunately my paperwork (at least 8 pages) could not be found so I had to fill it out again. I was seen around 8:30. The Dr. was pleasant a D.O. and said I needed to go to the emergency room at Presbyterian for an ultrasound for possible blood clot. I arrived at Presbyterian at 9:15am. Even though I had been admitted to Presby in the past I had to fill out the same paperwork. There were only two people in the emergency room when I arrived. About 9:45am they took my blood pressure and temperature and weighed me. Sat for about half an hour. A nurse practitioner asked me a few questions, sat for a while, then they walked me into a room to put on a gown. The Dr. came in ordered the ultrasound around 10:30. The bursar came in to take my insurance, license, and credit card and came back about 45 minutes later. By 11:30 I was getting irritated. I asked them how long it would be and they could not tell me. Apparently the ultrasound technician had taken lunch. It could be 1pm. At 12:30, I put on my clothes, thanked the nurses at the nurses station and left.

I rarely use our health care system for these reasons. I have been needing to see the Dr. for a skin lesion (probably a recurrence of basal cell carcinoma). But instead I put it off because it is such a hassle to go, get in line, fill out the same forms, get a referral, etc etc.. I pay thousands of dollars a year as an employee and an employer for substandard or no care. My biggest concern in the current political climate is that others feel the same way and in their attempt to do something about it, it becomes more expensive and worse. To think that the federal government will fix the under and uninsured, fix the health care information systems, fix the wait times, fix the payer problems,  is crazy. Canada and Mexico are not the answer - I was recently in Vancouver and the cab driver was complaining about the narionalized health care system. Apparently because of a shortage of health care professionals (can you say regulation/nationalization?), his dad could not get an appointment to get a catheter removed for 3 months. Mexico is not the answer - well it is for me - because at least there when I flashed my Platinum card I went to the front of the line. If you can't pay, you don't get squat. That certainly is not the answer in a humane society. So what is?

My only concern is that the proposals by Obama and Hillary will introduce more cost, more regulation, and make it worse. Well, my other concern is that I have a blood clot in my swollen leg and  ahhhhhrrgg.......flatline.

Kauffman Foundation Honors Sensorlogic’s Founder

SensorLogic, Inc. announced that the company’s Founder Jeffrey O. Smith, Ph.D. was recently honored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for his entrepreneurial success in business, education and social involvement.

After meeting a passionate, aspiring, but disadvantaged entrepreneur in Honduras, Smith had an idea to bridge the gap between missions work and monetary donations. “Three years ago I went on a church mission trip to a Honduran mountain village called Mogote. I met a young man that had the drive to run his own company, but lacked the business acumen to sustain a profitable company,” said Smith. “We basically had to give him a mentorship from an entrepreneur’s standpoint. We had to teach him what running a business is really about.”

Smith founded Entrecorps.org, an Internet-based initiative to leverage successful entrepreneurs’ mental and material assets on behalf of poor communities. Today, Entrecorps provides a model for matching intellectual and material resources with aspiring entrepreneurs wherever they happen to be, whenever they need the help. The organization uses free international voice calling and remote video to connect entrepreneurs with aspiring business leaders in impoverished areas. With a unique background of incubating and fostering emerging technology companies, Smith worked early in his career as a scientist on wireless sensor and control systems for Motorola, The Robotics Institute, and the SuperCollider. In 1993, Smith co-founded and served as president and CEO of OnRamp Technologies, a leading Internet Service Provider. In 2002, he founded Dallasbased SensorLogic, Inc., now one of the industry's first innovators in Remote Product Service (RPS) solutions.

Smith received the Kauffman Community Award in honor of his accomplishments at a special presentation at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Chicago University. Created in 2002, the award furthers the values fostered by its namesake and perpetuated by the Kauffman Foundation by recognizing entrepreneurs who make invaluable contributions to their communities – beyond the confines of the business world – as engaged citizens.

About the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the Kauffman Foundation is the 26th largest foundation in the United States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion. The vision of the Kauffman Foundation is to foster “a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities.” In service of this vision, and in keeping with our founder’s wishes, the Foundation focuses its grant making and operations on two areas: advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth.

About Entrecorps.org

Entrecorps is a 501c (3) dedicated to providing opportunity and hope for millions of people through microentrepreneurship. Ideas, resources, mentoring, and technology are combined in a unique way to end the cycle of poverty. Entrecorps.org provides a model for creating small economic communities in deprived areas. The model is currently being proven in Nueva Espanola (Mogote), Honduras. In this community five small businesses have been incubated by matching entrepreneurs, resources, and training from the United States. This has created a small economic system of cash and barter. The humility of a handout has been replaced with the pride of having a job.

For more information, please visit www.entrecorps.org.

About SensorLogic, Inc.

Headquartered in Addison, Texas, SensorLogic helps companies get more value from their assets by enabling remote monitoring, control, and optimization. We offer an on-demand Platform for creating the business rules and processes for almost any type of equipment. Through our "Hybrid Network" we can communicate with these assets via satellite, cellular, or wireline carriers. We provide software for embedding intelligence in the device at the edge of the network. Taken together, SensorLogic's Platform, Hybrid Network, and Embedded Software create an unbeatable solution for creating "smart services" that drive new sources of revenue for our partners. SensorLogic’s investors include Boston Millennia Partners, Sevin Rosen Funds, Hunt Ventures, STARTech Early Ventures and Star Ventures.

About Me

Jeff is no stranger to emerging technologies. As a scientist for Motorola, The Robotics Institute, and the SuperCollider he has worked on wireless sensor and control systems developed for the FBI, CIA, DOD, DOE, NASA, and USPS - from autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles to particle accelerators.

In 1993, Jeff co-founded and served as President and CEO of OnRamp Technologies, a leading Internet Service Provider. OnRamp became the first investment of Verio. During Jeff's tenure at Verio as Regional President and a Board member, the company grew to one of the largest web-hosting companies in the world and a principal international ISP.

Considered a pioneer in the emerging M2M communications market, in 2002, Jeff founded SensorLogic, now one of the industry's first Telemetry Service Providers (TSP).