The Monroe Street Journal

Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Features

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Hola amigos! Greetings from Guadalajara, where the sun always shines, taquerías line the streets and Tequila is not only the name of an alcoholic beverage but also a nearby city! For the past four weeks, Team CEMEX-Tamasin Ford, Andrea Perez, Bryan Hogle, Carlos Carranza, Kirill Gorbushin and Katie Austin-has been working around the clock (minus 2 hour lunches/siestas) for Patrimonio Hoy, a subsidiary of CEMEX targeting the housing needs of the low-income population. The goal of our project is to look at the current business model, assess scalability and make recommendations about future growth. Our time in Mexico has not been all work; we have thrown back a few margaritas, tanned on nearby beaches, cut some mariachi rug and mastered the native tongue (or in my case attempting to learn Spanish).

Patrimonio Hoy (PH) translates to "patrimony today" in English and captures the company's mission to improve the quality of life of low-income families by empowering them through a market-based solution to address their housing needs. Through a simple 70 week payment plan, PH has helped more than 200,000 families improve their living conditions, empowered men and woman through employment opportunities and raised the overall awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility. In addition to the social impact, PH is profitable. With international recognition, tangible achievements and a passion for empowering the Base of the Pyramid, PH needs a strategy for the future.

In order to deliver a scalable business model and a growth strategy for PH, we have spent the majority of our time in Mexico meeting with PH management, visiting PH cells around Guadalajara, viewing the construction process and interviewing socios-PH clients. Our field visits have emphasized the unique nature of the PH business model and the social impact on clients and communities of the program.

In addition to our work with PH, we have spent the weekends experiencing Mexico. The first weekend we took a road trip to Puerto Vallarta to check out the tourist destination, where we bargained for silver, rode jet skis, relaxed on the beach and watched a frustrating Michigan basketball game. Weekend number two, we meet up with Team Hersey, also in Guadalajara, to take a ride on the Tequila Express! I think we all have new appreciation for the alcoholic beverage and mariachi after the 10 hour train ride. We are headed back to Ann Arbor on April 9th, but we plan to spend our last week in Mexico watching a fútbol match, attending Mexican wrestling night, taking a salsa dance lesson and visiting Lake Chapala. We hope all is well in Ann Arbor! See ya'll in a week!

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