|
 World
trade offers more opportunities for business than ever before. At the
same time, foreign ventures present a thicket of problems for executives
who hope to conclude foreign business deals. They include tax laws,
local customs, language barriers, and, of course, security.
Paladin International, LLC offers a one-stop solution. The firm, founded
in 1995 by former oil industry executive Daniel Reid (’93 M.B.A.),
offers a worldwide network of professionals, including lawyers, business
consultants, and security experts who quickly can be marshaled to meet
client needs. “When you need something, chances are we can do it,” said
Reid. “And we can do it very fast. We work 24-7.”
In once instance, an Australian oil company sought Paladin’s help to
break into the Argentinean market. When the call came, Reid was in Qatar
advising officials of that Middle Eastern country on security for the
2006 Asian Games, a regional Olympics, which are to be held there. From
Qatar, Reid quickly made a series of calls to line up specialists to
help the Australian company. In seven days, Paladin provided a profile
of the country, tax help, security assistance, and other aid.
In another instance, a client wanted to do business in Colombia, one of
the world’s most dangerous places. “I picked up the phone,” said Reid,
“and called one of the best lawyers and one of the top security teams in
the country.” The lawyer arranged for tax, financial, and legal
assistance. The security team met the company’s representatives at the
airport, sped them through customs, and drove them to a hotel that had
been pre-screened to make sure it was safe. “We had it done very
quietly, very discreetly,” said Reid. “We also arranged for them to meet
with U.S. embassy and senior government officials in Bogota who could
fill them in on the country’s current business and security climate.”
In every case, clients pick and choose from Paladin’s security and
business offerings. Some need only business assistance. Others only want
security. But in this day and age, many want both services. This package
of options allows Paladin customers to customize their requests
according to their needs. A trip to the Middle East, for example, likely
would require more security than a visit to Europe. “We’re very
menu-driven,” said Reid. “It’s a service business. If you want us to do
windows, we do windows.”
To keep its own cost of doing business down, Paladin maintains a small
permanent staff at its offices in Littleton, a Denver suburb, and
Hereford, England. When a client calls, Paladin assembles the team it
needs from its worldwide network of free-lance contractors – top
professionals, consultants, and security personnel. Paladin’s
specialists can help break the ice in negotiations, guide a client
through bewildering foreign tax laws, or advise a client whether he or
she needs to travel in an armored car. Paladin’s security experts, as a
rule, have special operations training with U.S. or foreign military
services. Reid is himself a combat special operations veteran of the
Vietnam War.
Security is of special concern these days. “The world climate has made
business more dangerous, particularly international business,” Reid
said. There were dangers even before the 2001 attacks on the World Trade
Center highlighted foreign-based terrorists. “But before 9/11, a lot of
people did not pay much attention to those things unless they were
directly involved,” said Reid. “Now they look at how the world situation
is going to affect them.”
Reid learned the ropes of his current business through a series of oil
industry positions after he returned from Vietnam. These gave him the
security and business contracts he needed when Paladin opened for
business. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years in environments ranging
from cities to jungles to deserts. I know a lot of people around the
world. And they know a lot of people. We are a networking company.” |
