Topping off 2010
I”™m glad December is over because it”™s a month of overindulgence. Eating, shopping, drinking, reading and especially writing ”“ gift lists, resolutions, holiday letters, strategic business plans for the coming year. Yet even with all this writing, we read even more.
Americans love reading lists, especially “top” lists. Search the web and you”™ll uncover categories as diverse as zombies, oil spills, Kanye West”™s shoes and, my personal favorite, the worst Batman villains of all time. Sorry Crazy Quilt, you”™re No. 1.
In keeping with this tradition, I offer a final look back at 2010:
Top three worst comments made by a corporate CEO
3. “I”™m deeply sorry.” ”“ Toyota CEO Akido Toyoda, to attendees of an economic summit in Switzerland before leaving the meeting in a black Audi.
2. “I”™d like my life back.” ”“ former BP CEO Tony Hayward.
1. “The whole incident has been overblown.” ”“ newly minted BP CEO Bob Dudley, who just replaced former CEO Hayward.
Top five best marketers (of products or themselves)
5. Kim Kardashian ”“ What began with one “home movie” quickly grew into a media and product empire, and yet no one really knows why she”™s so famous in the first place.
4. Justin Bieber ”“ Don”™t underestimate the value of great hair. I don”™t. Sure, teen idols fall fast, but what a ride while it lasts.
3. Activision ”“ The video game publisher”™s “Call of Duty: Black Ops” sold $650 million worth of units worldwide in five days. Harry Potter who?
2. Lady Gaga ”“ Love the music or not, she is brilliantly fusing art, music and fashion following in the footsteps of Madonna and Cher ”“ both of whom are still around and doing quite well.
1. Apple ”“ Westchester proudly remains “IBM Country,” but while the firm dominates the corporate landscape, give credit to Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs for his spellbinding hold over consumers year after year. Apple understands it”™s the user experience, not the chips and wires, that ultimately matters most to the consumer.
Top five economic development trends for Westchester County
5. The rise of the hamburger ”“ I don”™t know if Dr. Atkins is back, but county residents are craving burgers and the storefronts that sell them. That”™s why franchises such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries are moving here.
4. Federal health care legislation ”“ Let”™s skip the debate over what”™s good and bad about it because we really don”™t know yet; however, with more biotech firms moving into Westchester, hospitals adding services and private medical groups toting up more locations, health care is regionally putting more people back to work ”“ almost faster than any other sector in the county.
3. Smaller, but larger ”“ Business owners are demanding government reflect their way of working, by doing more with less while moving toward more innovative ways of tackling old challenges on a far more ambitious scale than ever before.
2. Reverse-commuting ”“ White Plains is home to the second busiest train station in New York state behind Grand Central. We are emerging as a destination for work rather than sleep. That”™s not necessarily a good thing, which I”™ll address in a future column.
1. Light ”“ County business groups are mobilizing, local chambers are growing again and many municipal governments are rethinking past practices. There is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel, especially for those of you who keep innovating and thinking Westchester.
Here”™s to a healthy and prosperous 2011 for all.
Laurence P. Gottlieb is director of economic development for Westchester County. Reach him at lgottlieb@thinkingWestchester.com.