Key to success: "Know your customer" 

Ruiz enlightens audience with experiences;

Reminisces, recalls days at Eagle Pass HS

"Fair competition is essential"

A.D. Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

Dr. Hector de Jesús Ruiz was in Eagle Pass on Tuesday promoting his latest endeavor, Slingshot: AMD’s Fight To Free An Industry From The Ruthless Grip Of Intel, as members of the Eagle Pass Library Foundation, friends, classmates and admirers of the current CEO of Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions listened intently and even got the opportunity to pick the brain of one of the 1964 Tri-Valedictorians of Eagle Pass High School.

"I'd like to focus on three key topics included in my book, the first being the concept of fair competition," stated Ruiz after being introduced by David Castañeda, "If you really want to have innovation in your business fair competition is essential.  Unfair competition stifles innovation," he began.

The next issue he tackled was that of companies who set out to beat the competition which Ruiz says should be the furthest from a successful businessman's mind when embarking on the challenge of the hustle and bustle of high-stakes business.

"In technology, the focus has always focused on beating the competition.  The best strategy in business is to focus on the customer.  When you treat the customer as special, they wouldn't dream of doing business with anyone else," Ruiz cited in his address as companies such as HP and Dell have fallen by the wayside due to the innovative approaches of companies such as Apple who cater directly to what the customer is requesting.  Specifically he noted that years ago, Apple realized what the people wanted was a more portable PC.

"What people were asking for was the laptop computer as well as coming up with the Smart Phone which I probably could not live without anymore because my life is on my phone."

But the most intriguing anecdotes of the evening were his stories of growing up and getting his education in Eagle Pass and his memories of coming to school here from his native Piedras Negras.

"I came to Eagle Pass with a lot of trepidation because my student advisor, Mr. Witt, gave me an exam and advised me to enroll in carpentry.  I told my father what he had said 'What do you think? Don't listen to him."

He said that this experience has gotten him to think differently about the counseling profession and he urges counselors to encourage students.

"Don't let someone tell you what you can or cannot do."

He also remembers turning in an essay to Mr. Rubio who marked his paper with a giant permanent marker with an 'F' saying it was a "Lousy" essay before going into Mr. Howard's chemistry class who asked him what was wrong.

"I'm going to flunk English," he told him.

Little did he know that Mr. Howard would get Mr. Rubio to help Hector after school every day.  Needless to say he got an 'A' in English.

"You have to surround yourself with people who want to help you," he said as he recalled his Civics and Government teacher Mr. Brown who taught him about things that are unfair and Mr. Lopez who asked him to do an experiment and to explain to him why the Pythagorean Theorem works.

"I showed him and he told me I didn't have to take any more tests in his class for the rest of the year."

"You have to appreciate what people give you and be humble about it."

I could go on and on about his most interesting stories, but then you wouldn't be compelled to go out and buy a copy of Slingshot which is available on Amazon.  We can only hope he comes back to grace us with his presence soon in order to say we have an autographed copy.  

La clave del éxito : " Conozca a su cliente "

Ruiz ilumina público con experiencias;

Recuerda sus días en Eagle Pass

"La competencia leal es esencial"

Adrián Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

Dr. Héctor de Jesús Ruiz estaba en Eagle Pass el martes la promoción de su más reciente proyecto , Tirachinas : Lucha de AMD liberar a un sector de la garra implacable de Intel, como miembros de la Fundación Biblioteca Eagle Pass, amigos, compañeros y admiradores del actual CEO Soluciones de Nanotecnología Avanzada escuchado con atención e incluso tuvieron la oportunidad de escoger el cerebro de uno de los 1964 Tri - Valedictorians de Eagle Pass High School.

"Me gustaría centrarme en tres temas clave incluidos en el libro , el primero es el concepto de la libre competencia", declaró Ruiz después de haber sido introducido por David Castañeda, "Si usted realmente quiere tener la innovación en su negocio de la competencia justa es esencial. competencia desleal frena la innovación", comenzó.

La siguiente cuestión que abordó fue el de las empresas que se propusieron para vencer a la competencia que Ruiz dice debe ser el más alejado de la mente de un hombre de negocios con éxito al embarcarse en el reto de la prisa y el bullicio de los negocios de alto riesgo .

" En tecnología, la atención se ha centrado siempre en superar a la competencia . La mejor estrategia de negocio es concentrarse en el cliente. Cuando usted trata a los clientes como algo especial , no se le ocurriría hacer negocios con nadie más", citado en Ruiz su discurso como empresas como HP y Dell han quedado en el camino debido a los enfoques innovadores de compañías como Apple, que atienden directamente a lo que el cliente solicita . En concreto , señaló que, hace años , Apple se dio cuenta de lo que la gente quería era una PC más portátil.

" Lo que la gente estaba pidiendo era la computadora portátil, así como dar con el teléfono inteligente , que probablemente yo no podría vivir sin más, porque mi vida está en mi teléfono . "

Pero las anécdotas más interesantes de la noche fueron sus historias de crecer y obtener su educación en Eagle Pass y sus recuerdos de venir a esta escuela de sus nativos Piedras Negras .

"Vine a Eagle Pass con mucho temor porque mi asesor de estudiantes , Mr. Witt , me dio un examen y me aconsejó inscribirse en carpintería. Le dije a mi padre lo que había dicho :" ¿Qué te parece? ¿Puedes con las clases?¿No le hagas caso " .

Dijo que esta experiencia se ha vuelto a pensar diferente acerca de la profesión de consejería y exhorta a los consejeros para animar a los estudiantes .

"No dejes que alguien te diga lo que puedes o no puedes hacer. "

También recuerda inflexión en un ensayo con el Sr. Rubio que marcó su papel con un marcador permanente gigante con una "F" diciendo que era un ensayo " pésimo " antes de entrar en clase de química del señor Howard que le preguntó qué le pasaba .

"Yo voy a reprobar Inglés ", le dijo.

No se imaginaba que el señor Howard conseguiría el Sr. Rubio para ayudar a Hector después de la escuela todos los días. No hace falta decir que tiene una "A" en Inglés .

"Hay que rodearse de personas que quieren ayudar ", dijo al recordar sus Cívica y profesor de Gobierno el Sr. Brown que le enseñaron acerca de las cosas que son injustas y el Sr. López que le pidieron hacer un experimento y explicar a él por qué funciona el Teorema de Pitágoras .

" Le mostré y él me dijo que no tenía que correr más pruebas en su clase para el resto del año . "

"Hay que apreciar lo que la gente te da y ser humilde al respecto. "

Podría seguir y seguir sobre sus historias más interesantes , pero entonces no se vería obligado a salir a comprar una copia de la catapulta , que está disponible en Amazon. Sólo podemos esperar que vuelva a honrarnos con su presencia pronto para poder decir que tenemos una copia autografiada .

Velasquez agrees to terms with Housing Authority;

Inks two year deal w/ option to renew at $80,000

A.D. Ibarra

-El Centenario

The Eagle Pass Housing Authority and newly approved Executive Directress Mary Velasquez have agreed to terms on a two year contract with the option to renew.  Preliminary figures on the new contract are said to be in the range of $80,000.00 per year to lead the EPHA for the next two years.

Any term within the contract can be modified and there is still a probationary period of 90 days as this is the norm in the personnel policy of the Housing Authority.

"I'm saddened to leave the city as I have worked here for over 22 years, seven as City Secretary," stated the new person in charge of the hundreds who reside within the housing projects across our fair city as she once did as a young girl growing up in Eagle Pass, "I really love my job.  My biggest satisfaction was serving the public."

Mrs. Velasquez considers this new chapter of her career as "Progress in my life as I am a product of housing assistance," she added, "I look forward to building a team with my employees and providing as many services as I can to the tenants of the Housing Authority."

She said that she welcomes the opportunity of working hand in hand with the Board of Directors as well.

The Eagle Pass News Gram will miss Velasquez in City Hall as she has always been an exceptional resource, very approachable and dependable as well.  We wish her the best in her new endeavor.  Godspeed and good luck.

The doctor isn't in, but he can still see you now. Remote presence robots are allowing physicians to "beam" themselves into hospitals to diagnose patients and offer medical advice during emergencies. A growing number of hospitals in California and other states are using telepresence robots to expand access to medical specialists, especially in rural areas where there's a shortage of doctors. These mobile video-conferencing machines move on wheels and typically stand about 5 feet, with a large screen that projects a doctor's face. They feature cameras, microphones and speakers that allow physicians and patients to see and talk to each other. Dignity Health, which runs Arizona, California and Nevada hospitals, began using the telemedicine machines five years ago to diagnose patients suspected of suffering strokes — when every minute is crucial to prevent serious brain damage. The San Francisco-based health care provider now uses the telemedicine robots in emergency rooms and intensive-care units at about 20 California hospitals, giving them access to specialists in areas such as neurology, cardiology, neonatology, pediatrics and mental health. "Regardless of where the patient is located, we can be at their bedside in several minutes," said Dr. Alan Shatzel, medical director of the Mercy Telehealth Network. "Literally, we compress time and space with this technology. No longer does distance affect a person's ability to access the best care possible." Dignity Health is one of several hospital chains that recently began using RP-VITA, which was jointly developed by InTouch Health and iRobot Corp. It's approved for hospital use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Hospitals are now using this type of technology in order to leverage the specialists that they have even better and more efficiently," said Dr. Yulun Wang, CEO of Santa Barbara-based InTouch Health. Nearly 1,000 hospitals in the U.S. and abroad have installed InTouch telemedicine devices, including about 50 RP-VITA robots launched in May, according to company officials. The company rents out the RP-VITA for $5,000 per month. When a doctor is needed at a remote hospital location, he can log into the RP-VITA on-site by using a computer, laptop or iPad. The robot has an auto-drive function that allows it to navigate its way to the patient's room, using sensors to avoid bumping into things or people. Once inside the hospital room, the doctor can see, hear and speak to the patient, and have access to clinical data and medical images. The physician can't touch the patient, but there is always a nurse or medical assistant on-site to assist. On a recent morning, Dr. Asad Chaudhary, a stroke specialist at Dignity Health, beamed into a robot at the neuro-intensive care unit at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael to evaluate Linda Frisk, a patient who recently had a stroke. With his face projected on the robot screen, Chaudhary asked Frisk to smile, open and close her eyes, make a fist and lift her arms and legs — common prompts to test a patient's neurological functioning. "If you develop any weakness, any numbness, any problem with your speech or anything else, let us know right away," Chaudhary told Frisk before the robot turned around and left the room. "It's just like being with the patient in the room," Chaudhary said. "Of course, nothing can replace seeing these patients in person, but it's the next best thing." Frisk, 60, who was flown into the hospital for treatment, said she was surprised when she first saw the robot, but quickly got used to the doctor's virtual presence. "You feel like he was right there," said Frisk, who lives near Merced. "Although I am a little spoiled and like to see him in person." Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved