When I was researching graduate schools, my dad told me “Go far away. Look for someplace and something interesting and build yourself an exciting life. We’ll come visit you.” So I packed-up my Austin Healey Sprite and drove from New Jersey to Glendale, Az for graduate school, earned a Masters of International Management, replied to a ‘help wanted’ advertisement in the New York Times – and found myself in London, U.K., a trainee metals trader for Harlow & Jones, Ltd. metals trading house.
Metals trading is a European phrase for export-import. At H & J I learned about booking cargo for ocean shipment, reading the metals markets, how to open/cash letters of credit, the documentation necessary for export and import shipments, how to write a contract, and how important were ethics in the business world. On weekends I ran in Hyde Park, and visited the Tate, Parliament, Soho, the War Museum, the National Gallery and sampled different beers and single malts- how cool was that!
Upon returning to H & J’s American office, I built a business buying aluminum ingot from a variety of international producers for a client base that included Alcan, Reynolds Metals, General Motors, and other industrial companies. After leaving H & J to work for bigger companies, I finally started my own – which lasted ten years until Google introduced ‘googling’, and as my customers googled ‘Chinese silicon metal suppliers’, and my suppliers googled ‘American aluminum companies…suddenly neither needed me…and alas, the need for small-but-competent trading companies disappeared very quickly.
Not that I foresaw Google, but I already had a second career in the works; I was teaching a variety of international business courses at a local college. Having both hands-on experience and a Masters degree qualified me as an Adjunct Professor; and frankly the only major differences between importing aluminum ingot, car parts, or plywood is the volume in each container and the import duty. “Ladies & Gentlemen; welcome to International Business 101; I’m Professor Lubin…”
But on September 11, 2001, America was attacked, and as dozens of thousands of young Americans volunteered to defend their country, my son was one of them. Enlisting in the Marine Corps only days after 9/11, my young artilleryman was a proud member of 1st Bn, 10th Marines, and part of Task Force Tarawa who invaded Iraq in March 2003. Their fighting at an-Nasiriyah enabled the other American forces to advance and seize Baghdad, and upon his safe return, I wrote my first book, “Charlie Battery; a Marine Artillery Battery in Iraq.’’ This led to a dual career of combat journalist & on-line professor for the American Military University, where I would meet my current and past students in Ramadi, Fallujah, Afghanistan, and Okinawa.
As the major fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan came to an end, I concentrated on teaching, which quickly led to teaching a variety of international business-related courses on both an undergraduate and graduate level, in-person, hybrid, and via Zoom. Many of my former students stay in contact; they know I remain available to congratulate them on their successes, critique a resume, or just call to say hello.Now I’m a consultant in Foreign Policy and/or International Trade and travel to non-boring spots such as Iwo Jima, Petra, Belleau Wood, Egypt, and Machu Picchu. Dad; I listened; it’s been exciting!
