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By ANDREW DONOHUE, Special to the Daily Transcript
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
WD-40 Co. does business in 160 countries. It has nine regional offices abroad.
So when president and CEO Garry O. Ridge says that the industry is cutting down on travel and instead embracing conference calls, it's simple to see why the nation's airlines are in such dire economic straits.
Since 9/11, companies in every sector have confronted a bevy of challenges, some economic, some emotional.
"In the weeks following 9/11 there was a real fear about flying and safety," Ridge said. "We did what we could to ensure that our people felt safe and were in fact safe."
Officials sought new ways of communicating.
"We have certainly increased the use of conference calling versus the one-on-one meeting," he said. This was always an option, but only after 9/ 11 was there motivation for such means, he added.
Ridge, a native of Australia, has filled several different positions at WD-40, including international jobs focusing on the Pacific Rim and Asia. He said business habits -- like the choice between traveling and a conference call -- have been impacted since 9/11.
"I think people have come to a new understanding that we are not invisible and are looking at life from that point of view," he said.
But, like so many others, Ridge said there could be a silver lining.
"The tragic event has somewhat unified people's feelings toward the evil of terrorism," he said. "Although the event itself was in New York, it was a world event that gave a wake-up call to being unified."
Donohue is a free-lance writer based in San Diego.
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