(This appeared on the cover story of the Voice of Business Magazine for the 2nd quarter of 2008. It is my first published inspirational story, for print, that is.)
Each successful man owns a unique story and traversed an exceptional path to success. And though most of the time these stories and paths intersect, or even converge at one time, life can attest that there is no fixed formula for success.
While the usual success story tells of a man (or a woman) who rose from rags to riches with sheer determination and strong sense of responsibility, this story tells of a man whose younger days were relished on skipping classes and the usual activities of restless teenagers.
Edgardo Lacson, or simply Ed to his friends, was born in Manila to a Caviteño father and an Ilocano mother. He grew up in Makati where his growing up days were spent playing with street children and school friends alike. Soaked up in the culture of the streets, he was developed into a man we could unquestionably call “street smart.”
Restless and Street Smart
The colorful childhood of Ed was filled with adventures and misadventures. While at De La Salle College, Taft, he and his school friends would keep close watch of their allowable absences in each subject so they could maximize their time cutting classes or make bulakbol, as he fondly calls it. It was typified with occasional round trips to Baguio that would usually commence in the morning and end in the evening. And whenever asked where he came from, he could easily pull off with his library alibi.
He dreamt of being a businessman or a medical doctor as a child. When it was time to go to college, his Certified Public Accountant father talked him out of taking up a medical course as it would take him longer to study and would be costly on his parents’ side. He never regretted the decision though as it was in a review class for the CPA Board Exam where he met his wife, Mila.
Ed might have been a typical teenager but something special separated him from the rest. While his classmates talked of working and living abroad, his young mind was decided on staying in the Philippines because he was happy and content with his life in the country.
If there is one thing that would primarily describe his childhood, it would be “restless.” He could not sit behind a desk for a long time or stay for a prolonged period in one place, much like the Marvel action heroes he admired those days. It might not have been a good sign for a young boy who was just starting to develop traits that would eventually spell his future. But this restlessness did not serve as a stumbling block to him but instead, spurred him forward to always go for more.
Fuelling Corporate Success
The restlessness did not actually go away. It even became more apparent when he was in the corporate world. While the Purchasing Manager of the Philippine National Oil Company (now Petron Corporation), he felt the lack of challenge and wanted movement because the position did not have a ladder of progress. He asked and got transferred to another, yet bigger department. After 2 years in his new job, he felt the desire to change his career from corporate to entrepreneural.
Call it destiny but this one crucial decision led Ed to a totally different path—the realization of his childhood dream. A month before resigning, he was asked by his former boss to audit a purchase of two tankers in Japan. After finalizing the deal, he came back to the Philippines without a formal audit report. When asked where his report was, he just said that he “saw two ships that were delivered.” And that, according to him, ended his auditing career. It was at this time that he met a Japanese who was looking for a local partner in the Philippines and together, they formed a trading company that buys and sells marine equipment.
Before long, he recognized the potential of owning and operating his own tanker fleet after buying and selling several excellent ships.
As he aptly puts, “business presents unlimited opportunities but you have to stay ahead before a product reaches its maturity.” More ideas came and more opportunities knocked and before he knew it, he has already expanded his business from marine trading, coastal shipping, and ship broking to environment management, real estate, information technology, and food.
Embarking on a ‘Jolli’ World
Creative ideas just pop up anytime for Ed. Take for example the most-loved food outlet for Makati workers—the jolli-jeep. Upon strolling along Makati one time, he realized that the Makati Central Business District was like Wall Street on the inside yet like Divisoria on the outside owing to the food stores in dilapidated fieras and jeepneys that surrounded the modern buildings. He then designed food stalls that would suit the corporate image of Makati but would remain economical for employees, thus, the metrostore was born. He bidded and won the franchise to operate the chain of mobile stores with a design appropriate to a financial district. Now, Makati enjoys pocket-friendly meals from tax-paying stores with certified healthy and uniformed crews. This is one legacy that he is happy to have given his beloved Makati.
He says that the “formula for a successful business is 80% opportunity, that is being there at the right moment, and the rest is luck.” Of course, he also emphasizes the importance of having good business partners who share the same vision and business ethics. In any venture, he followed a roadmap, with profit as the last factor to consider.
Daring the Entrepreneurial Challenge
He advises would-be businessmen not to be scared of doing something on their own. He adds that it is now time to start the entrepreneurial revolution, for Filipinos to aim beyond succeeding in the corporate world. He challenges the young to “dare to dream what they dare to do” just like what he did. “The risks are higher, but the rewards are very satisfying,” he adds.
With all these accomplishments, Ed just shrugs off allusions to his success as such accolades are best left during one’s eulogy. He quips that it is enough for him that he is comfortable for what he is and what he has done so far.
Around companies
Ed lives the good life because of his love for company. He likes being with people and avoids being alone. Nevertheless, he avoids cocktail parties as he view it as something superficial, with people making conversations without really giving attention to the other person.
Aside from his business ventures, he keeps his hands full with other responsibilities. He used to be the spokesperson of the Maritime Party, the political grouping of 32 maritime federations and the Philippine Inter-island Shipping Association, a squadron commander holding the rank of Captain in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Chairman and one of the founders of AWARE, a foundation that provides free pre-departure orientation seminars to Filipino overseas workers.
His time might be used up by his many responsibilities but he makes sure to spend time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He loves spending his free time golfing and walking with his wife for an hour or two. He is dearly fond of his six grandchildren and makes sure that the whole family spends time together every year. It is what prompted the yearly month-long family reunion in Las Vegas, USA.
PCCI’s New Captain
Now, his ship is venturing into another shore. He is entering into another, yet greater challenge—taking the helm of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry as President.
In the years that he has been with PCCI as Vice President for Environment and Executive Vice President, he has come to recognize the brand of PCCI leadership which he intends to adopt. It is Participative, Consultative, Consensual, and Informative.
He relates that the word advocacy came from the Latin word advocatus which means to call upon and Spanish avogado. PCCI has been doing advocacy for more than a century and at some point, PCCI might walk the talk to prove the validity of it advocacies.
Carrying the Momentum
Ed is convinced that the momentum of the PCCI as an institution is like a pendulum that has gone so far on one side due to the efficiency of the previous presidents that if it swings on the other side, the momentum would carry him until the end of his term. But that would be the height of laziness and a total lack of vision on his part. He plans to conduct a visioning and planning session with his Board to develop a workplan and erect milestones during his term.
He urges the PCCI family to hold his hand and journey with him in this quest. As the shipping and logistics magnate, and now President of the PCCI, eloquently puts it, “The presidency of PCCI is too big a job to be handled by one man.”
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