John S. Wolfe

In 1988 two friends decided to open a hamburger restaurant in the Miraflores area of Lima, Peru. The hamburger was not completely foreign, but it was viewed by Peruvians as more as a snack, to be eaten after 6 p.m. The pair created Bembos as a spot for lunch or dinner by putting the burger [...]

Whereas Santiago, Chile resembles a European city – with interesting architecture, tree-lined streets and various forms of mass transit – Lima, Peru is more what one might expect in South America: Crowded, urban, noisy and dusty. Instead of buses and subways, Peruvians travel across the city in taxis or, more likely, stuffed private minivans painted [...]

One of my favorite classes at ASU was Managerial Economics, taught by the incredible Bill Boyes. A self-proclaimed libertarian, Professor Boyes projects a “free market” paradigm on every issue, asking students to consider “what if” the usual “solutions” — i.e. government involvement — weren’t in place. One can list items like national defense, environmental protection, [...]

The news out of Chile suggests incredible devastation in Concepcion and the villages along the coast. Tidal waves created by the earthquake’s epicenter in the Pacific Ocean hit Chile with great force, lifting vehicles into buildings and swamping low-lying areas. More than 230 Chileans lost their lives. A contact in Santiago reports some damage to [...]

First, he did apologize. “(The banking industry) made a lot of mistakes,” U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis told the Feb. 25 Phoenix Economics Club luncheon crowd at the Arizona Biltmore. “The industry failed you.” Banks gave out loans they shouldn’t have and lost sight of their customers, he said. Those December bonuses were a bad [...]

These are some observations gleaned from the recent international practicum of Executive MBA students at Arizona State University in Chile and Peru. One of the visiting speakers to the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile was Santiago Grage, the corporate finance manager for Empresas La Polar S.A., a Chilean retailer. La Polar has an interesting story. [...]

These are some observations gleaned from the recent international practicum of Executive MBA students at Arizona State University in Chile and Peru. It’s kind of unsettling to get lessons in federal fiscal prudence from individuals from Chile. The long and thin South American country along the Pacific Ocean – picture Texas squeezed into a 100-mile-wide [...]

Nine speakers shared wisdom and advice with 10,000 people Feb. 4 at Jobing.com Arena. Here’s an opinion on how they ranked: 1. Phil Town: The investor/author offered advice for the small investor. With corporations, fund managers and pensions controlling 85% of Wall Street’s volume, the “little guy” has some odds stacked against him. But Town [...]