COATZACOALCOS 1997 – JIMBORED LANDS 1000 YEARS AFTER QUETZALCOATL LEAVES

Once again, I find I must break away from our time in Scotland, to fill in a long dormant memory. This time my mind wanders to Mexico and memories of our time there. I must say, that my memory seems to be losing its continuity, of late. I find myself, often, flitting from one place and time, to a completely different place and different time. For those close followers, I know, I should be writing of our times, living in Scotland. I should be around the year 2000. However, while in a state of dreamlike bliss yesterday, I had a vision. It goes like this:

Yesterday, I was invited to the hospital for a minor procedure. It seems like after having fixed my “macular hole” problem last year, that I had now developed cataracts. I knew it was coming, but had ignored it for the last few months. Then one day, a bright and cheerful voice, over the phone, asks me “if I would like to come in and have them fixed”. I can tell you, with all truthfulness, that there are two “things” on my body, I don’t want ANYBODY, to have a sharp knife around. One of those is my eye, and the other ……..? Anyway, finding it hard to disappoint her, I told the cheerful voice, that, “I would be delighted to come”.

Deysi, gets me up early, gets me dressed and whisks me over to the local hospital. It is early, still dark and the parking lot is empty. Great, I’m thinking. Maybe I can get in and out before someone pisses me off (or vice versa). In I go, 3rd in line. It was so quick, that I didn’t have time, to sit around feeling sorry for myself, and thinking up bad things. Soon, I am in the prep room. They fill my eye with drops and then give me a small cup full of “happy juice”. The girl tells me too relax and let the drugs take over. This, is where my vision, of Mexico, comes in. While in a state of drug induced bliss, I have a memory of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico.

I know, you could have done, without the lengthy lead in. However, I just wanted to show you, how, these memories are “jogged” loose from the recesses. Had I not been in that specific place and time, and a little “high”, I most likely would have missed writing about Mexico, Coatzacoalcos, and Quetzalcoatl. So, with the stage now set. Here goes.

One fine day in late 1996, while working as a consultant in Calgary, my office phone rings. I was just fresh from finishing off, the closing of the oil leases, in Alberta. I had barely escaped with my life and sanity. See the earlier story. After a few days of inactivity I was pumped for another job. On the other end of the line was Sf’gM, from the company, that I had done most of my work with. He starts by asking, “Jimbo what do you know about Mexico”? Never to be caught without an answer, I reply, “everything”! “Good” he says, “pack your bag, we have a real “goat roping” going on there.” He continues, “I’ll need you down there for a couple of weeks”. It was almost laughable, and, as usual, the rest of 1996, and most of 1997 saw my butt in Mexico.

I head home, to give the wondrous news, of another job, too Deysi. She has mixed feelings. On the one hand she was happy for the continued cash flow, promised by another job. On the other hand, she knew that she would have to stay behind and run our company, in my absence. We were quickly reaching the point, where we realized that coming home, too Canada, would not mean, no more travel. But if anything, it meant me travelling alone, more and more, and Deysi staying behind to look after the girls and the office. I knew by this time, that, she was not about to be left behind much longer.

As was always the case in my life, things happened fast. One minute, we were discussing the tasks in front of me, in Mexico. The next, my ass, was “IN” Mexico. I barely had time to get some background info together. However, I did study enough, to know that my destination, was to be in a place of great historical significance, to the Mexican people. I learned that Coatzacoalcos, was the place where a famous Aztec, Toltec, Olmec, and Mixtec God, Quetzalcoatl (Winged Serpent), left Mexico in about 997AD. The belief was that their god had left Teotihuacan (Mexico), by sea, after a defeat by enemies. Further, he was believed to have promised, to eventually, return from the East, to save the Aztec (Toltec) peoples.

Now, I must explain, a very significant event in Mexican history. In 1519, at this very place, Hernan Cortes and his group of Spanish treasure hunters arrived. To many of the Aztec rulers, the fact that he and his men arrived from the east, on a winged serpent (boat), on the very same year of “ONE REED”, that Quetzacoatl, had promised to return, was seen as an omen. Many viewed the invaders as an incarnation of their god. To me, that, is the only reason, they were allowed to land and establish a beach head. If they had arrived in any other manner, my opinion is, that, they would have been handed their asses on a tortilla and sent back to Spain.

The irony of this is, that along about the same time, further south in Peru, another shaggy-ass bunch of Spanish pirates arrived. They were given a similar welcome, by some of the people of Peru. Instead of being turned into chicharrones they, also were welcomed as Gods. From here, conquest in both places, by a small band of badasses, took a similar path. That of deception, lying, cheating, stealing, all in the name of the Spanish Monarchy and the Church. Why wasn’t ol’ JimboRed there, to expose this travesty?

Of course, this history was far more complicated, than my two sentence synopsis. However, even reading just that much, you can see, why JimboRed was on the next plane. I was off to see some history! A place of dreams. My thoughts were, “let me at ’em”!

Before I left, I had Deysi “brush up my “Spanglish”, so I wouldn’t appear, a complete gringo, when I arrived. I must say, by this time, my Spanish language skills, had eroded to the level, of about, a 3 year old Peruvian. However, Deysi said I was good. Her parting words were, “go make some money” and, “no partying! You hear me?” So buoyed up by Deysi’s encouragement and dreams of Aztec legends, I took off.

At this point I will try to give you an idea of where, in Mexico, I was headed. Coatzacoalcos is located on the eastern coast of Mexico, south and east of Mexico City, and straight south of the Port of Veracruz. This put us, on the coast, about midway between Veracruz and Ciudad del Carmen. It was beautiful. Coatzacoalcos was very much a port city and industrial hub, at that time, and (the future) home of one of the PEMEX (Mexican Oil Company) Chemical Plants. The city itself, had a population of around 200,000 with another 90,000 living in the urban area. It appeared to be a Spanish colonial city. Immediately, it suited me, just fine.

I arrived on a bright fall day, in late 1996, and met with one of my client’s, executive. I knew this fellow from my time in Thailand. He was called, Teflon Don. I guess because the “crap” never seemed to stick to him. He was the ultimate salesman. He never met a customer that he ever forgot. That included the names of their wives, children, their ages, origins and something happy to say about each one. Myself, on the other hand, could barely remember his name, let alone who he was married too or whether or not he had procreated. Anyway, he was a friendly chap and we got along fine.

Teflon, explained the situation. As was the case in almost all of our dealings, there was little structure in their plans. They, vaguely, had the idea that they would move into Mexico, close to where PEMEX, was constructing an offshore pipeline. They would then set up a plant and capture all of the PEMEX work in Mexico. The vision was sound, but that is about as far as it went. My task was to help with the how, why, where, and when, parts of it. Pretty simple right? By this time in my career, I had been to many different countries, and had learned enough about start-up, in a new place, to know, that it was never simple.

My first thoughts were, to find the ugliest, dirtiest, muddiest and swamp-like, piece of land we could find, and then build a plant there. Well on this occasion, I was lucky. Someone else had already found it. I must say that it exceeded my expectations. It was a grand mess. Not until a few years later, when I went to Nigeria, did I see one quite as ugly. The site that I was to negotiate for was attached to a large Urea manufacturing plant, at the edge of the river inlet, across from the city. There was some good about it. The plant was on a highway. Therefore we had good, clean, solid access to the gates at the plant. But that is where the beauty ended.

From the side gate, where we were to enter, too the edge of the water, about 1/2 mile away was a massive swamp. Upon first sighting, my thoughts were something like this, “Geezus, this looks about right”! So within a few hours of arrival, I can see the insurmountable task ahead. Teflon, is already starting to posture and prepare me for his exit. Now I realize that he is about to, cut and run, and leave me holding the bag of crap. I am sure that is why he was so happy to see me. I make a feeble attempt to get him dirty, by suggesting that we walk the site, down to the water. In order to determine what we are dealing with. His reply to my invite, “you go ahead, I’ll wait for you in the car, I have some important work to do.”

After my tour of the proposed site, we crossed near the mouth of the river back into the Coatzacoalcos side. In a downtown, Hotel cafe, we met with one of the Patriarchs of the city. My client, by this time, was becoming more savvy in foreign start-ups. They had learned that going into any foreign country meant they needed local help. On this particular occasion they had found the ultimate source of local knowledge. The gentleman, we met, appeared to be in his early 70’s and had a presence that was unmistakable. Like that of a Spanish aristocrat. People seemed to scurry around him, bowing and murmuring words of respect. The word “the Don” came to mind. We explained what we were here to do and asked for his help.

The Don, listened very carefully, nodding occasionally. He was the image of wisdom. Almost immediately, I felt that we had found, the local support that we would need. In order to wade thru the quagmire, of bureaucracy, that we would be confronted with. After listening intently, he sat back in his chair, and spoke to us in English. He started by saying that what we were proposing, would be welcomed in the local community. Coatzacoalcos was eager to attract new business, and one with a foreign owner would surely be welcomed. He went on to say that, the local labour pool would be happy to see our arrival. Additionally he stated that, what we were proposing, was highly achievable with the right amount of local guidance and influence.

My heart sang with joy. At last, after travelling the world, I have found someone, that is encouraging and positive. Unlike everywhere else I had been, where everyone fought us, each step of the way. Then at the height of my elation, he says, “however, I am retired and not able to assist you in your efforts.” Like a kick in the huevos, I was suddenly deflated. Then, as if on cue, a young, handsome, confident looking, younger image, of the patriarch, crosses the street and walks towards us. Like out of a Hollywood script, the Don, rises slightly out of his seat and continues, “although I will not help you, my son, is the right person for this job”. And with that, Sale’, smiling broadly, enters and sits down with us.

I must say, Sale’, was as smooth, of a salesman, as was my companion Teflon Don. They hugged, kissed, congratulated each other, slobbered a bit and bonded immediately. They were both so slick, that I don’t think they really made contact, with each other. You could sense the happiness in the mood, as both realized they were staring at their own alter egos. Like his father, Sale’ listened to our explanation of what we were going to do in Coatzacoalcos. He also concentrated on each word. After we finished, he leaned back and in clear, precise English said, “welcome to Coatzacoalcos, I can help you get set up here”. With that, I was introduced, to what would become, a lifelong friend.

Having now secured the services of Sale’, things really got moving. He gave me a “crash course” on local politics, business practices and laws, labor resources, transportation, demographics, do’s and don’ts, and a general layout of the land. He took me to the Port Authority to see if they might have a piece of land, dockside, which might suit us better, than the swamp, that I was currently faced with. Quickly, it became obvious that we wanted “no part” of working inside a customs and immigration zone. The rules were stifling. We checked a few more options, for land with water access, but quickly realized, that the swamp was going to be home for our business in Coatzacoalcos. That settled, we could now get on with the business of establishing a site.

It was at this point that I learned a huge lesson about Mexican labor. We were prepared to construct a plant, set up operations, hire local labor and get involved in the local economy. What I quickly learned was, that in Mexico, being a foreign company, if you “direct hired” employees, then these employees became yours “for life”. There was no such thing as hiring them, then laying some off, if times were slow, and then hiring new ones, as things picked up. There, when you hired an employee, you kept him/her for the rest of their career. This changed the complete structure of our startup plan. Now it was obvious, that, we would need a Mexican company to partner with us for the provision of labor. In someways, it appeared like an insurmountable roadblock. In others, it made the formation of the company far easier.

Sale’, did a little research into this problem, and determined that his (and his dad’s) companies could be set up to provide us labor resources. He also said, that although he did not know exactly how to structure that sort of deal, he was willing to try. This one simple offer, allowed us to basically write our own labor contract, with him. It was, perhaps, one of my greatest accomplishments of my humble career. Finally, we had in place a contract that we understood, that could be administered and modified, and that was, financially, acceptable to us and him, with nothing hidden in the words. What started as a simple conversation between us, provided the basis, for hiring a 200 person, workforce. It vaulted Sale’s company into a new business practice, which I expect, he still has to this very day.

I also must add, that it could not have been done without Deysi’s input. As was often the case, when dealing with business, in Spanish, Deysi made most of my translations, interpretations, and judgements of people and companies that I encountered. This project was no different. In early 1997, once we had formed the “bones” of an agreement, I asked Deysi to join me in Coatzacoalcos. I needed her to scrutinize the structure of the agreement between, my client and Sale’s company. This was not an easy sell. I needed her to drop everything in Canada, leave the girls, with her sister, and come join me in Mexico. Needless to say, it all had to happen very quickly. It did, but not without me suffering some personal abuse at her hands (read mouth). But, the lure of travel, brought her to me, in my time of need.

As it played out, I just kept stacking up, what I would, eventually, owe her, for making this trip. So, she climbed on a plane and set out to follow me. The best connection she could get landed her in Mexico City at about 1:00AM. Her flight to Coatzacoalcos departed about 6:00AM. Therefore she decided to stay in the airport between flights. In the morning, the flight to Coatzacoalcos was short duration. About 1-1/2 hours. So, shortly before 8:00AM, I was at the airport to meet her. I was fresh and happy to see her. She was, by this time, awake for 24 hours, and a little less happy to see me. All she wanted was a bed. Hold it! Not so fast. Jimbored had other plans.

I whisked her downtown and straight into a breakfast meeting with Sale’. She had not been able to primp and prune, to achieve her presentable appearance for the public. I told her she looked beautiful anyway. However, I know she didn’t believe me. She was exhausted and only wanted a bed. But like a “trooper” , sucked it up, and presented Sale’ with a professional face. As for me, I dared not look at her, because I knew she was “shooting knives”, at me, with her eyes. So in a state of complete exhaustion, she listened while Sale’ and I droned on, about the agreement we wanted her to translate for us. All she wanted was sleep, so she agreed with everything we asked her to do. At this point, I knew I was in for the “inquisition”, when she got me alone.

And that is how our work started in Mexico. Deysi formed our ramblings, into a formal document, in Spanish and in English. I hovered around her, getting in the way, pawing at her often, and being shooed away, many, many times. I was so happy to have her with me. And I must say, after a few days, she appeared to be happy to be there, also. In a very short period of time, she had finished her work and it was time to say “so long”. I promised to be home, OR, if not, too bring her and Angela back down to visit me. Well, you can guess which one it was. A few months later, after my 2 week assignment had entered it’s 4th month. Deysi and Ange came back to check me out.

Once again, my ramblings have taken up far more space, than I had intended. I am not even into the “good stuff” yet! So before I lose everyone to sheer boredom, I will stop, for now, with the promise to return soon, for more adventures, in the Land of the Aztec. Stay tuned.