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Design Your CareerStephen Dovala

September, 2014

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

Agenda

2

Guiding Principles

The Journey

Dubai – Where Things All Came Together

What’s Next?

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

Guiding Principles

What Miami Taught Me

BED & MArch:

Integration

Collaboration

Problem Solving

Critical Thinking

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

3

Key Learning: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

Guiding Principles

What Business Taught Me

Build and Lead Teams – it is always about people

Culture Trumps Money

Thrive on Uncertainty

Recognize & Seize Opportunity

Take Risks

Be Entrepeneurial within Structure

Make it up as You Go

Remain Optimistic

Divide and Conquer

4

Key Learning: Seize Opportunities

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

The Horse Latitudes

The Journey

30 Years of Change

5

Graduate

Program

Move into the Pre-

Engineered

Building Field

“Take a Message to Garcia”

Travel to

Taiwan

Join Colliers

Graduate Miami

Singapore London

Belgium

Head of

CRE

Provident

What’s Next?Decline in MetLife

Revenue

Construction

Downturn

Leave JLL

Start Local

Office for a

National

Firm

Join JLL

Dubai

Experience

Mismatch

Cultural Fit

1st Job in

Architecture

$6 million in

Annual

Revenue

Boss at

Bank

Resigns

Next

Phase

in

Career

Defining Moments

The Day-to-Day Set-Backs

What’s Next?

Architectural

Association

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

The Journey

The Dubai Decision

6

2 Weeks Can Change Your Life

May 9

May 20

w/o May 12

May 24

May 26

May 21-23

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

Business Lessons Learned

Doing Business in MENA

Insha’Allah

Large lead times for hiring and especially background vetting

Very safe environment

Dubai is MENA Lite

Labor is very inexpensive

Expo 2020 will increase pressure on labor

Confluence of so many cultures makes for a constant state of holiday

Doing business with the ministries is fluid and sometimes appears arbitrary

7

Key Consideration: The Rich Cultural Diversity

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

Business Lessons Learned

Life as a Guest Worker

8

Personally

• Calling on Scratch

Cards

• 30 Day Visa

• $60k+ Total

• 40+ Separate

Expense Reports

• 1000+ Lines of Entries

• $10k Reimbursements

• $500 ATM Fees

Dubai #’s

• 1.9 million Foreign

Workers

• 200k Emirati’s

• Wages as low as $300

per month

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com9

Jumeirah Lakes Towers

Over 79 Towers Clustered A-Z

Most Over 35 Floors

Dubai

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com10

The Dubai Teams

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com11

This Day last Year was a Sunday

the start of the Work Week

3 days later I would be skydiving

over the Palm Jumeirah on a

Memorable 9/11

The Palm Jumeirah is the World’s

Largest Artificial Island. Brilliantly

adding 330 Miles of Shoreline

Dubai

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com12

Longest Automated Metro System in the

world – Air Conditioned – 50 miles long

and Carbon Neutral

Dubai

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com13

Dubai

Burj al Arab the 3rd Tallest

Hotel in the World.

Smallest room is 1,820 Sqft

$10k iPad on Sale

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com14

Burj Khalifa the Tallest

Building in the World.

2,722 Ft. – 163 Floors

Dubai

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com15

Over 70 Shopping Malls

Dubai Mall 13 million Sqft

Over 1,800 Shops

Dubai

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com16

The Dubai Sevens

Dubai Rugby Sevens

2,600 Players

41,000 Attendees

Over 3 Days

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

Dovala’s Top Pick: Skydive Over the Palm Jumeirah

When in Rome

Things to do in Dubai

Skydive Over the Palm Jumeirah

Friday Brunch – Observatory Marina Marriott

Atmosphere at the Burj Kahlifa

Al Mahara at the Burj Al Arab

The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Iftar (Ramadan)

Dinner at Rivington’s Overlooking the Fountain

Dubai Mall Aquarium

Ski at Mall of the Emirates

Tram to Atlantis

Souk Madinat

Buy some Sand Art

17

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com18

Muscat

Oman #’s

• 240kForeign Workers

• 390k Omani’s

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

Dovala’s Top Pick: Mutrah Souk

When in Rome

Things to do in Muscat

Visit or Stay at the Shangri-La

Safari Rooftop Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt

Mutrah Souk

Buy a Pair of Arab Sandals

Buy a few Cashmere Scarves

Buy an Omani Dagger (but don’t try to take it on your carry-on)

Rugs (if you know what you are doing)

Spend Time with an Omani

19

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

What’s Next?

Into the Unknown Again

20

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

What’s Next?

Real Estate Data

21

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

What’s Next?

Real-Time Occupancy Tracking

22

Design Your Career

September 2014

Stephen Dovala

(513) 703-6030

sdovala@gmail.com

What’s Next?

Sunset IWMS and Related Culture

23

Ma’a as-Salama

Insha’Allah