3rd day Barcelona Activa & Hutchinson Port of Barcelona.

The visit to Barcelona Activa was very educational. I was able to learn for myself that firms working under one roof are able to receive assistance from Barcelona Activa in terms of legal consultation, training courses, talent, accounting guidance as well as networking assistance. All of this combined is very valuable because it creates a climate where creating and developing because the key focus of that environment. Companies are not left alone to survive, but they are guided and assisted to their success. It would also great to learn some numbers and find out the process of what it would take for an individual or a company to start doing business in Barcelona. It made me compare to the resources that we have in the United States and kind of feel that by Barcelona being a smaller market and a less competitive market I can see how the government would be more willing and advantageous to spend resources on educating young entrepreneurs and young business owners on how to be more successful. In the United States most of that falls on to the entrepreneur. The business owner is responsible to do their own due diligence and find the resources necessary to succeed. I guess it is a totally different approach however I could understand how it would be kind of hard to develop something like Barcelona Activa in the United States. With real estate being so expensive in New York City and other major areas of the United States it would definitely take private funding in order to create something similar to this and in this case it will not be completely government subsidized product without having an interest in the actual businesses. Just as a comparison I believe they do have similar programs and similar clusters for newly opened manufacturing firms in Detroit to produce goods that are locally produced in the United States, but again there is no specific location where one can go and literally grow their business out of that incubator practically free of charge.

In regards to Hutchinson port, as I have previously been to various ports including St. Petersburg, Red Hook New York, Elizabeth, Port of Balboa in Panama, etc. It was really amazing to see how automation plays a huge role in the workings of that part. It was really great to notice that people were almost not noticeable at the docks. Everything was being operated by machines and qualified personal was operating a few machines, cranes, etc. It reinforced efficiency and also probably could signify that in the next few years many other ports around the globe will start to move towards automation of their facilities as well. It could mean a few things positive and negative. One point is that it will increase the amount of less skilled workers who were previously needed at the docks. On the other hand it will require a more skilled labor who will operate the complicated machinery which even though will decrease the level of personal that needs to be present, it will require a few number of highly skilled people in order to supervise and overseas the operation. A good example would be the automated train systems in many new countries such as Dominican republic and Panama. The train doesn't have conductors, but the people that operate the dispatching room where all the magic happens are highly skilled and trained technicians, and maintenance workers. Overall it kind of reiterated the notion that most of the mechanics in all of the fields are moving towards automation.

Personally for me it was also interesting to hear aspects of the energy sector and renewable energy overall and the projects that are happening in Barcelona. I would like to have learned more about the specificity of the projects and perhaps learn the need of Barcelona in terms of the Energy sector and what specifically they are looking for right now and was is on the verge of development. It would have made the trip more worthwhile for me. On the other hand the company was great to meet and I will follow them on LinkedIn as well as get in touch with them to see in more detail of what segments clearly they are looking to develop and if maybe they are interested in value added services for people in the energy sector and solutions for personal every day use of energy. It is always great to know because new technologies could be taken over seas and presented in smaller markets were it is easier to implement products and in a shorter time.

Overall my day was honestly great. I also had a chance to visit Starbucks and compare once more the café experience and how different it is than Starbucks in New York City. People come they sit down, stay for a while, almost no one comes to get their coffee and leave, everyone stays and has their coffee and sweets inside the café, totally different outlook on café experience and having a coffee experience.

Really great time.