As first reported in the April 2007 edition of Open Sea (with a follow up in April 2008), while visiting Morocco, future Free Wheelchair Mission founder Don Schoendorfer was so moved by the image of a disabled woman dragging herself along a dirt road that he decided to put his degree in biomedical engineering to a more compassionate use.

Since 2005, MOL has enjoyed the remarkable gift of assisting Schoendorfer with his mission. By providing free shipping, MOL has allowed him and his people to deliver 5,500 wheelchairs across the world.

The goal of POWER is to identify and groom the talents of the MOL workforce for the global development of the business. Patrick Wagoner, Yield Analyst for MOL Concord, was one of six employees selected to enter this ambitions program, along with Paulo Biazotti (MOL Brazil), Tom Reijke (MOLEP), Ben Ye (MOL China), Michael Wu (MOL China) and Bharadwaj Bhuyan (MOL India).

Open Sea sat down with Patrick to discuss this unique and exciting opportunity.

First of all, congratulations on your acceptance to the POWER Program. That's quite an accomplishment and certainly shows how highly regarded you are by MOL.

Thank you, it is an honor to have been accepted into the POWER program and I am very excited about this opportunity to further my career with MOL.

Could you tell us what made you decide to apply for the POWER Management Trainee position and describe the application process?

One of the reasons I decided to enter the transportation industry was the prospect of working abroad. When the POWER program was announced, I knew instantly that this was the best opportunity to fulfill one of the most important goals in my life and career. The application process was intense at times, but I was also very determined to succeed, which helped me focus and control my nerves.

How did you come to work for MOL? As anthropology major, going to work for a corporation with global opportunities would seem to be a great fit. Was that by chance or design?

A little of both, maybe. I have spent a lot of time traveling and have studied many different cultures. Anthropology helped me gain a better understanding of other cultures, and the open-mindedness necessary for international business travel. Having studied economics also has been very beneficial to my comprehension of the business, and analytical aspects of the industry.

Which future assignment are you really excited about?

Definitely Tokyo. I have visited many places in my life, including Australia, New Zealand, France, Alaska, and many Southeast Asian countries, but have never been to Japan. Working for MOL, I have been exposed to many great aspects of Japanese culture, and I'm excited at the prospect of immersing myself in a new language and a new way of life. I know that it will be an amazing experience, and I'm lucky to be able to follow my career around the world.

Your family is in the local area. How do they feel about your moving away for three to four years or more?

My family is very supportive. They know my sense of adventure and they will always encourage and support my career, wherever it takes me. Also, the fact that I spent four years halfway across the country attending college proves that they can handle my being away for a significant period of time.

It's probably a little early to speculate, but do you have any thoughts as to where you'd like to be upon completion of the POWER Program?

With that in mind, MOL and CIGNA arranged for certified lab technicians to visit various offices nationwide and conduct a day of health screenings. More than 180 MOL employees took advantage of the opportunity to obtain their personal metabolic statistics. Many of those took the next step in the process and completed the CIGNA online Health Risk Assessment, qualifying them for a chance to win an IPod Shuffle.

OK, maybe not so typical.

"Every Friday morning, Scott Slade, the local host of Atlanta's Morning News on News/Talk Radio, announces the winner of the Kudzu.com Breakfast Break," said Cathy Koves, Administrative Assistant. "Scott reads the winning entry on the air at 8:25 a.m., and then shows up at the winning office around 9:15 with the McDonald's breakfast."

That morning's winning entry was submitted by Cathy Koves:

Scott,

MOL is an international company with multimodal ocean shipping as its core business.

The Atlanta office, focusing on containerized ocean freight, has been reeling from industry-wide challenges — an unprecedented rise in fuel oil prices, fallout from the devalued dollar and the resulting economic instability, and weather-related issues resulting from hurricanes Gustav, Hannah, and Ike, which result in port closings, rail yard and warehouse closings, equipment damage, and diverted deliveries.

I think everyone in our office could use a break!

Thank you,
Cathy Koves, MOL (America)Inc.

→ Morning News on News/Talk Radio: * Requires Windows Media Player or other software.

Of note, yours truly won a raffle at the barrel breaking ceremony and is now the proud owner of an authentic major league bat that belonged to A's designated hitter Mike Sweeny.

We spent the Wednesday before Thanksgiving cooking, the turkey roasting in the oven until midnight. On the morning of Thanksgiving we packed all the food into containers and brought it to my son's apartment. We then went to enjoy the parade.

Needless to say the parade was fabulous. The tradition of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924 and officially kicks off the holiday season in New York City. It is viewed by more than 50 million worldwide, including those watching live from the sidewalks of Broadway or the windows of office buildings lining the parade route. The balloons are the main attraction. Each balloon, the approximate height of three office building floors, is held by at least 20 people, who march 10 miles from 77^th Street to 34^th Street. The parade features more than 10,000 participants including those holding giant helium balloons, marching bands, and waving celebrities.

We recently wrote to John once again asking for an updated photo of our craggy friend.

"Still plugging away," he tells us.

When we commented that it appeared he was almost done John responded,

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? Next I get to do the background. The gator was just the glory bit. But thanks for the encouragement!"