About Holly
Jan 2, 2001:
An odd thing happened at my company that day. The firm I founded and spent 20 years building had disappeared. In its place was a semi-virtual place-where employees interacted more via email than in-person, where speed was measured in bandwidth, where the majority of customers’ first language was not English, where orders were negotiated on the Internet rather than on a trade show floor.
Software and technology we had just purchased within the last year were now obsolete. Competition was emerging worldwide-seemingly overnight, firms in Italy, China, and Canada were providing products and services equal to ours at a lower price.
Everything was changing, and at an exponential pace. The connection between customers and providers was less dependent on a value proposition than on the ability to rank highly on a search engine. After conferring with many of my colleagues, I found that I was not alone in feeling “lost.” They too were experiencing dramatic changes in their customers’ preferences, in technology applications, and in the competition. We had all missed several changes in our environment-either through denial or ignorance.
This site reflects my need to connect with others and share important world trends. Too frequently I encounter students and managers who are not current with world news – or even local news for that matter. This lack of awareness puts us at a severe disadvantage to well adapt to developments in the political, economic and technological arenas. Perhaps more importantly, sociological and demographic changes are driving significant shifts in the world population and highlighting the need for inclusion.
The amount of information on the Internet is overwhelming. As a teacher and business owner I hope to bring those stories my readers will feel are relevant and illuminate ideas and concepts to thrive in this time of exponential change.
Timeline of Events
Launched UCSD STC Publication Specialist Program
January 1, 1978
Long before technical writing was required for even most BA degrees, UCSD was pioneering efforts to teach students and…
Read moreAlbuquerque Journal Features New Construction
April 12, 1993
Trip down memory lane before the new building for Great American Stock in Rio Rancho was completed.
Read moreGreat American Stock Opens New Building
January 1, 1994
Kids learned to drive in the industrial park in Rio Rancho, New Mexico before they zoned for sprawling suburban…
Read moreFounded Great American Panoramics
January 1, 1995
A spinoff from Great American Stock food photography and passion project of myself and incredible photographer Ken Shearer. We…
Read moreFeatured in Business 97 Magazine
June 1, 1997
Holly Hitzemann in the news – late 90’s; President of Great American Stock and Great American Panoramics
Read morePublished ‘Introduction to Business Opportunity Analysis’
June 15, 2005
Published textbook and lab text for a Business Opportunity Analysis Course featuring GIS and Census. Students used GIS, census,…
Read moreNational Night Out
May 1, 2006
With help from neighbors and the city, I was able to organize one of my areas largest community events…
Read moreLaunched Perennial Toys
January 1, 2007
Consulting was fantastic, but I wanted to produce something. I founded Perennial and got to work with manufacturers across…
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