The business of procurement and cultural exchanges by BuildDirect Co-Founder Rob Banks
Some of the best feedback I get on my Twitter account and blog posts are around my 'What you see in the middle of nowhere' topic. I do a lot of traveling around the world and I honestly enjoy my travel in China. The people are amazing and the experience with the culture and local customs is remarkable. That said, I really don't enjoy some of the food. I've described business trips in China like an episode of Fear Factor and a drinking game all wrapped into one. I keep expecting … [Read more...]
Check out the little frogs I found running around the outside of the wood flooring factory. I always envisioned that these are what would come in the millions if there was a biblical plague. I said something to that effect when I saw them, I couldn't believe how small they were, approx the size of a quarter (coin). One of the people at the factory said that in Sichuan, around the time of the earthquake disaster (May 12, 2008), that there were hundreds of thousands of these seen on the streets. … [Read more...]
I had the chance to wander around the incredible Richmond Olympic Oval with my co-worker Rob Jones recently. I have a membership to work out at the gym, so we were able to enter the facility when it was closed to the public, hence the footage with no one else present. The building is amazing and absolutely huge inside. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. May 15, 2009 the Richmond News newspaper reported that the Oval has been recognized with a top national award for architecture. "The … [Read more...]
Many of you have had fun and unique food experiences while traveling. Here are a few of mine. After flying all night to Southern China (a 14 hour flight), driving 2 hours to a remote hotel for a breakfast meeting, I walked in and within 2 minutes I was served this: That's a turkey foot. In gelatin. I was in the outskirts of Beijing in a Sichuan restaurant. Authentic Sichuan food is fire hot. I love spicy food, but I had no idea that food could be that hot. Some people must have an iron stomachs, … [Read more...]
This is part 1 of a series of posts that discuss things I see on my travels. I say that they are in the middle of nowhere. The title should read more like 'things you see in places that you, the majority of the population, wouldn't normally visit on a vacation'. But that seems like a mouthful. For the most part these photos or videos will come from my travels while on business in Asia. Some are intended to be educational. Some will surprise you. And some are just good for a laugh. This … [Read more...]
Hello All, Welcome to my initial blog post. As you can read in my profile, I am one of two Co-Founders of BuildDirect. The other Co-Founder, Jeff Booth (see Jeff’s blog) and I have been friends for over two decades now (ouch, getting a bit old!) and growing BuildDirect into the company it is today has been a fabulous experience. It has been a long and difficult road, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. It is my greatest joy in my professional career and other than my family & … [Read more...]
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