Tag: Loren Steffy

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The Hill Country Podcast

The Hill Country Podcast – Loren Steffy on the 88th Texas Legislative Session

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country.

The 88th Texas Legislature recently concluded its biennial session and two special sessions, focusing on property tax relief, water infrastructure, and the electricity grid. The proposed property tax relief was a welcome move, and Patrick was on the right track with his proposal to ensure homeowners don’t lose their homes due to high tax rates. The legislature ultimately came up with a dual approach, which is a compromise, and homeowners will be glad to see some relief from the property taxes.

Sadly, the impeachment of Ken Paxton took the air out of all other legislative work. Paxton has been under indictment for a long time, and nobody on the Republican side seemed to care until he asked for state funds to pay for his legal settlement. It took a long time for state leaders to take action, and it shouldn’t have taken this much effort. The impeachment trial will be held in the Senate later this summer.

Tom Fox and Loren Steffy discussed the importance of access to education and public services in remote areas. Tom Fox’s junior high school history teacher posited that the American high school created the American middle class. The founding fathers of America wanted to get away from the class system and believed that with access to education, anyone can be anything. The founding fathers of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau Lamar and Anson Jones, set aside land in every township for K-12 education. The disagreement between the governor and lieutenant governor of Texas was over how to reform property taxes or give people a break. The governor wanted to subsidize school property taxes, while the lieutenant governor wanted to raise the homestead exemption. The governor also wanted to take public funds to fund private education, but he did not get what he wanted.

The transfer of wealth from taxpayers to private companies running schools with less accountability than public schools was a major concern. Rural Republican and urban Democratic voters united in opposition to school vouchers. There was an argument that private schools would take away access to best athletes for rural football teams. There was also an analogy to rural hospitals closing due to lack of cost effectiveness. There was a potential for the education system to become exclusive and elite, and it would also lead to the draining of healthcare facilities in rural areas.

Tom Fox and Loren Steffy also discussed Tom’s book, The Big Empty. Steffy is starting a series called Podcasts in Print. The first Podcasts in Print will be the discussion between Tom and Loren about The Big Empty. It will be released in early August, and Loren is looking forward to its release.

This episode provided an insightful look into the issues facing Texas and the importance of access to education and public services in remote areas. The legislature’s efforts to provide property tax relief and the impeachment of Ken Paxton are two major issues that will have an impact on the state. Podcasts in Print series will be a great way to explore these topics further.

 Key Highlights

·       Assessment of the 88th Legislature

·       Property Tax relief

·      School Vouchers

·      Rural Texas

·      Ken Paxton impeachment by Texas House

 Resources

Loren Steffy

Stoney Creek Publishing

Tom Fox

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The Hill Country Podcast

Hill Country Podcast – Loren Steffy on the Texas A&M Kathleen McElroy Hiring Imbroglio

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country.  In this episode Tom visits with Loren Steffy about the controversy regarding the announcement of the hiring of Kathleen McElroy to head the School of Journalism and how it all went sideways.

This matter involves a recent controversy at Texas A&M University and highlighted the need for universities to embrace inclusion and create an environment where all students feel welcome and respected. The controversy began when the school attempted to hire Kathleen McElroy, an A&M graduate, to head the journalism program. The job offer was changed from a tenured position to a one-year position with the possibility of being fired at any time, leading to the resignation of the school’s president. This incident has caused a stir, prompting discussions about the importance of diversity and inclusion in higher education and the unique culture of A&M, which is both inclusive and exclusive. It has also raised questions about the university’s hiring practices and whether they have been giving potential employees and students from diverse backgrounds a fair chance.

 Key Highlights

·       Kathleen McElroy’s Initial Hiring

·       It all goes sideways

·      A&M Culture

·      A&M Hiring Issues

·      What does it all mean?

 Resources

Loren Steffy

Stoney Creek Publishing

Texas A&M’s Journalism Fiasco Has Roots in the School’s Conformist Culture by Loren Steffy in TexasMonthly.com

Tom Fox

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Blog

Compliance Podcast Network Podcasts Honored by the 2023 Communicator Awards

Recently multiple podcasts on the Compliance Podcast Network have been selected by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts to be recognized as a Communicator Award winner for podcast excellence. I wanted to thank our listeners and fans who voted for us and have made the Compliance Podcast Networkone of the most award-winning podcast network in the country.

Never The Same, How the Russian Invasion Changed the World Forever was a passion project co-hosted by myself and Exiger President and CEO Brandon Daniels. It  was awarded two 2023 Communicator Awards. The first was an award of Excellence for Individual Episodes, in the podcast category of Business. The second was for Excellence in a Featured Series.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the geopolitical landscape forever. It has brought a fundamental challenge to international norms, sovereignty and the rule of law that underpins global business. It made doing business more challenging and complex than ever. In this podcast series, co-hosts Tom Fox and Brandon Daniels discussed five key business areas have changed forever after the Russian invasion. We explored the sea of changes in the area of supply chains, trade and economic sanctions, anti-Bribery and anti-corruption, cyber security and ESG. Check out the entire 5-part series here.

The Big Empty and Economic Issues Facing 21st Century Texas, co-hosted by Tom Fox and Loren Steffy was honored with two 2023 Communicator Awards. The first was for Excellence in the category of Limited Series. The second was for Distinction for Individual Episodes, in the Business Podcasts category.

This series was based on Steffy’s seminal fiction work The Big Empty which tells the story of a small West Texas town on the cusp of the new millennium, a lifelong cowboy wonders if a new semiconductor plant will ensure a future for his son or eliminate the only way of life he’s ever known. The Big Empty set in 1999, is a tale about the sense of place and tells the story of a fictional company AzTech which builds a semi-conductor plant in the dying west Texas city of Conquistador The story presages a series of cultural, economic, geographic and resources conflicts that are embedded in 2023 Texas. The podcast series focuses on current economic and culture issues faced by the state of Texas, its governments and its citizens, all explored through the prism of Steffy’s book, The Big Empty. Over this special podcast series we considered the following issues facing Texas today; including water, power, land investment, housing and the clash of cultures. Check out the full five-part series here.
Coming Conflict with China-Business Challenges and Responses, won 2 awards for Distinction. The first was for a Limited Series and the second was in the Business-to-Business Category.

In this podcast, which I co-host with Exiger President and CEO Brandon Daniels, we considered how in the short span of the 21st Century, the world’s two top powers, the United States and China, have moved inexplicably towards a showdown. This evolved from a commercial competition into something more akin to permanent non-kinetic warfare. What does this mean for US business doing business in and with China? In this special 5-part blog post series, we explore issues diverse as real danger, supply chain, exports, cyber-attacks and IP theft from the business perspective and give the compliance and business executive their viewpoints on what you can do to not only prepare your company but protect it as well. The challenges your company faces and more importantly the responses you make will go a long way towards determining if your organization will weather the coming storm. Check out the full 5-part series here.


Data Driven Compliance. One of the newest podcasts on the Compliance Podcast Network, having premiered in February 2023, was awarded a 2023 Communicator Awards Distinction for Individual Episodes, in the category of Business-to-Business. In this podcast series, host Tom Fox discusses and visits with experts on how to use data to improve and enhance the effectiveness of your compliance program, creating greater business efficiency, all leading to more return on the investment for your compliance regime. The podcast is sponsored by Kona AI. Check out the inaugural episode, where I visit with Kona AI CEO Vince Walden on the develop of data driven compliance.

The Night Sky-a Podcast on the Two Eclipses Coming to Kerrville. Taking a completely different route is my passion project The Night Sky which I co-host with Andrew Gay. This podcast received a Communicator’s Award of Excellence in the category of Individual Episodes-Science & Medicine.

In this podcast series, Andrew and myself celebrate that for two days over the next 18 months, Kerrville, TX will be the Eclipse Capitol of the World. The first will be an annular solar eclipse will occur on October 14, 2023, and the second a total solar eclipse taking place on April 8, 2024. The 2023 annular eclipse will be a partial eclipse that will create a ring of fire around the sun and the 2024 event will be a total eclipse where full darkness occurs. In this podcast, we discuss how the town of Kerrville will prepare for an influx of a quarter million (or more) visitors. For a flavor of the podcast, check out our inaugural episode, where we host Dr. Ben Locwin who explains the two eclipses.

I would love to host you and your podcast on the Compliance Podcast Network. It is the only podcast network dedicated to compliance but as you can see by many of these award-winning podcasts we are not limited strictly to compliance. In fact, the only thing we are limited by is our collective imaginations. So, do you have an idea for a podcast? Do you have a passion you want to discuss? Then give me a call or shoot me an email.

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The Hill Country Podcast

The Big Empty On 5 Economic Issues Facing Texas Today: Part 5-Housing

This is a special podcast series on current economic and cultural issues faced by the state of Texas, its governments, and its citizens. We will explore these issues with author Loren Steffy through the prism of his book The Big Empty. The Big Empty, set in 1999, is a tale about the sense of place and tells the story of a fictional company AzTech which builds a semiconductor plant in the dying west Texas city of Conquistador. The attempt is beset by the clash of cultures in bringing Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs to rural Texas. The book also raises multiple economic issues facing Texas as we move toward the mid-21st century. Over this 5-part podcast series, we will consider the following issues facing Texas today: water, power, land investment, housing, and the clash of cultures.

In Episode 5, we look at the issue of housing in Texas. In the book, the newcomers build a gated community with a huge fountain at the entrance. There is a private golf course attached to the gated community. What happens to small towns when a large manufacturing plant moves in? What happens to the property values? Where can local teachers, firefighters, and police live? What happens when incoming plant workers have to live in other towns? What is affordable housing? What is achievable housing? Do you want long or even short-term rentals to propagate in your small town? These and other affordable living issues are front in center in Texas today.

Purchase The Big Empty

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The Hill Country Podcast

The Big Empty On 5 Economic Issues Facing Texas Today: Part 4-Culture Clash

This is a special podcast series on current economic and culture issues faced by the state of Texas, its governments and its citizens. We will explore these issues with author Loren Steffy, through the prism of his book The Big Empty. The Big Empty set in 1999, is a tale about the sense of place and tells the story of a fictional company AzTech which builds a semi-conductor plant in the dying west Texas city of Conquistador. The attempt is beset by the clash of culture in bringing Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs to rural Texas. The book also raises multiple economic issues facing Texas as we move towards the mid 21st century. Over this 5-part podcast series we will consider the following issues facing Texas today; including water, power, land investment, housing and the clash of cultures.

In Episode 4, we consider the clash of culture when a new employer moves into a small, rural town. Early in the book is ‘the punch’ where local leader Trace Malloy, punches Blaine Witherspoon in the face, breaking his nose. Much of the book follows from this act in detailing the clash of cultures brought to the tiny west Texas town of Conquistador. We consider what led up to the punch and how both sides deal with it going forward. Witherspoon goes on a roundup and Malloy visits a semi-conductor plant clean room. Finally the book shows how both communities can come together in a time of crisis and how they can use this as a basis to move forward together. As more people move to Texas, how will native Texans adapt to their new neighbors.

Purchase The Big Empty

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The Hill Country Podcast

The Big Empty On 5 Economic Issues Facing Texas Today: Part 2-Power

This is a special podcast series on current economic and culture issues faced by the state of Texas, its governments and its citizens. We will explore these issues with author Loren Steffy, through the prism of his book The Big Empty. The Big Empty set in 1999, is a tale about the sense of place and tells the story of a fictional company AzTech which builds a semi-conductor plant in the dying west Texas city of Conquistador. The attempt is beset by the clash of culture in bringing Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs to rural Texas. The book also raises multiple economic issues facing Texas as we move towards the mid 21st century. Over this 5-part podcast series we will consider the following issues facing Texas today; including water, power, land investment, housing and the clash of cultures.

In Episode 2, we consider power in Texas. In the book, the massive power lines to the plant play a seminal role in the story. How do you bring the massive amounts of power needed to run a semi-conductor plant to rural west Texas. How is power generated? The Texas power grid has sustained three major failures over the past 12 years, does the Texas Legislature have the political will to ever fix it? What about alternative forms of power and why is Texas uniquely situated to exploit wind and solar power? Many companies and homeowners are now onsite power generation. What does this mean for the Texas power grid? For Texas to continue to bring high tech manufacturing facilities, the state will have to address these issues.

Purchase The Big Empty

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The Hill Country Podcast

The Big Empty On 5 Economic Issues Facing Texas Today: Part 1-Water

This begins a special podcast series on current economic and culture issues faced by the state of Texas, its governments and its citizens. We will explore these issues with author Loren Steffy, through the prism of his book The Big Empty. The Big Empty set in 1999, is a tale about the sense of place and tells the story of a fictional company AzTech which builds a semi-conductor plant in the dying west Texas city of Conquistador. The attempt is beset by the clash of culture in bringing Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs to rural Texas. The book also raises multiple economic issues facing Texas as we move towards the mid 21st century. Over this 5-part podcast series we will consider the following issues facing Texas today; including water, power, land investment, housing and the clash of cultures.

In Episode 1 we consider water and water resource in a time of water scarcity. In the book, the newcomers build out a lake which sits in the front of their gated community and is used to water their private golf course. We explore questions of where water is found and how is it delivered, transmission to move to water where you need it and what happens if you have too much water. We consider the clash of culture in using water to create a water feature for a gated community that is either seen as a positive by its residents or a waste of water in the time of draught by the locals. Water as a sustainable commodity is a question facing Texas today and for the future.

Purchase The Big Empty.

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FCPA Compliance Report

Loren Steffy on Putin’s Oil Heist Podcast


In this episode of the FCPA Compliance Report I welcome Loren Steffy, now podcast host. Steffy is in the middle of a limited series on the theft by Russian President Putin on the publicly traded Yukos Oil Company back in 2007.  Key areas we discuss on this podcast are:

  •  Why this series and why now.
  •  What is the genesis of this story?
  • Who is Bruce Misamore and what was his role in Yukos.
  • Where can listeners find this podcast.

Resources
Putin’s Oil Heist on Stoney Creek Publishing
Loren Steffy on LinkedIn
Putin’s Oil Heist on the Compliance Podcast Network

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Putin's Oil Heist

Putin’s Oil Heist Episode 3: The Theft of Yukos


“We really didn’t have much of a choice, as one of the largest oil companies in the world, other than continuing to run it and implement our strategies.” Yukos was left reeling after their CEO was arrested. Putin’s Oil Heist is an insider’s account of the Yukos Affair. In this episode, host Loren Steffy follows up on the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the theft of Yukos with first-person accounts from Bruce Misamore, former Chief Financial Treasurer.

Learn about:

  • The incarnation of Misamore’s worst fear. In the months after the arrest, Vladimir Putin made his thoughts on foreign executives like Misamore running one of Russia’s biggest oil companies very clear. He levied large tax charges on Yukos, and despite being cleared by Russian tax authorities, they were under fire two months later from a random tax assessment that totaled some $30 billion. Khodorkovsky attempted to distance himself from Yukos after his arrest to avoid dragging the company down with him, disposing to his partners all his shares in an attempt to keep the Kremlin away from Yukos. Unfortunately, it did not work. 
  • Khodorkovsky’s threat to Putin. By 2003, Putin had viewed Khodorkovsky as a political rival. Taxes were Putin’s weapon of choice for eliminating political threats. Even before his arrest, Yukos was facing inquiries from Russian tax authorities about the state of its taxes. 
  • The fabrication of fraud. The government began assessing taxes on Yukos going back four years, and the numbers kept growing. In some of the years, the tax assessments exceeded the company’s gross revenue – it was all clearly fake. Still, trying to battle the tax claims in court proved futile, as the judges were quite literally told over the phone how to rule.
  • Misamore’s efforts to save Yukos. Thwarted at every turn, Misamore decided to go on the offensive as much as he could. He called one of Yukos’ international lawyers asking how to protect their rights in Russia, and they came up with the European Court of Human Rights. They hired a specialist attorney and filed a case against Russia in April 2004, which they ended up winning. Despite this, however, Yukos’ assets were frozen, and the company was drained of resources by the repeated tax levies and penalties. The final blow came from Rosneft,the state-controlled oil giant. Rosneft used a syndicate of lenders to force Yukos into bankruptcy using the loans that the banks had made to Yukos for oil export contracts. Misamore, though, wasn’t about to give up.

 
Resources
Loren Steffy on LinkedIn
Stoney Creek Publishing
 

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The Hill Country Podcast

Loren Steffy – The Big Empty


Welcome to The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places, and activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this episode, I visit award-winning author Loren Steffy about his first work of fiction, The Big Empty. Some of the highlights include:
·       What led to Steffy writing a work of fiction?
·       Character development in the book.
·       Financial, power, water, and economic themes in the book.
·       How did Steffy draw out the 2 co-stars of the book?
·       How did Enron get into the book?
·       What’s next for Steffy?
Resources
Loren Steffy Blog
Loren Steffy  Website
The Big Empty