As many of you know, California is on the verge of bankruptcy. As a Californian, it is hard for me to see a state that was once a strong, beacon of light dim to a tiny flame. The California Gubernatorial Election of 2010 is perhaps the most important election that will ever take because there is so much riding on the future of the once-Golden State. Many candidates are debating a run for governor, and they have all come to the table with different ideas on how California should proceed. One candidate debating a run is former eBay President and CEO, Meg Whitman. If elected, she would become California's first female governor. I first became familiar with Whitman when she pledged her support behind John McCain and Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential race. I immediately drew a liking to her because she was a strong, intelligent, pro-business woman.
Margaret "Meg" Whitman was born in 1957 in Long Island, New York, the youngest of three children. Her father owned a loan business, her mother was a homemaker as well as a member of a women's delegation. According to Encyclopedia of World Biography: Notable Biographies, upon her mother's return from a historic trip to China, Whitman's recalls her mother's words of wisdom in an interview with "Christian Science Monitor's" Patrick Dillion: "When my mother came home after this great adventure, she told me what this experience taught her. She realized she could do anything she wanted, and she wanted me to recognize that I could do the same." During her high school years, Whitman was great athlete who played field hockey, lacrosse, and basketball; she was also the captain of her swim team (Encyclopedia of the World Biography...). Perhaps this is where Whitman gets her drive. Her time as a high school athlete is one of the many things I like about her. As a former high school athlete myself (softball), athletes are taught the value of team work and determination, two things that are definitely present in the life Whitman has led thus far. Perhaps this is partially where Whitman gets the intellect and determination that has led her to do great things.
Whitman went on to graduate from Princeton in 1977 with a degree in Economics. During her time at Princeton, she found enjoyment in working for a student magazine in advertising sales. After college, Whitman went on to get a masters' degree in business administration from Harvard. In 1979, Whitman began working for Procter and Gamble where one of her colleagues was Steve Case, founder of American Online. She also got married to a doctor, Griffith Harsh IV, whom she met while working at Procter and Gamble, and the couple eventually relocated, for a short time, to San Francisco for Harsh's residency in neurosurgery. Whitman went on to work for a variety of high-profile corporations, including Bain and Company, Disney, Stride Right, Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD), and eventually eBay (Encyclopedia of the World Biography...). It is her job with eBay, that impresses me the most. Although she had never even heard of the company, she agreed to return to California for an interview. Perhaps it was fate that called Whitman back once again to the Golden-State. Whitman joined eBay in March 1998 as the company's president and CEO. During her 10 years with the company, eBay was transformed from a little-known company to a business powerhouse. Prior to her arrival, eBay was a United States only auction-based trading site with 500,000 registered users, only 30 employees, and a revenue of $4.7 million. As of 2008, eBay has hundreds of millions of users all over the world, over 15,000 employees, and a revenue of $7.7 billion. With Whitman's help, eBay has become one of the fastest-growing businesses in history. Pierre Omidyar, eBay's founder and chairman of the board, thinks the world of Meg Whitman: "With humor, smarts and unflappable determination, Meg took a small, barely known online auction site and helped it become an integral part of our lives" (eBay News Release). It is undeniable that everyone either uses eBay themselves or knows someone who uses eBay; it has become a household name. In returning to California, Whitman not only helped eBay to become one of the most successful companies of all time, but without even knowing it may have come to California to help save the state I have come to know and love.
If Meg Whitman was able to transform a virtual unknown company into a business megahouse, I have no doubt that she can make California the Golden State it once again. Whitman has the business smarts and savvy to restore California. On her website, Whitman discusses what needs to be done in order for California to lead once again: "We've got to fix the state's economy. We've got to start creating jobs again. We've got to bring taxes into line with what hard Californians can afford, and not what government demands. And we've got treat education and the environment like the priorities they should be." The leaders of California have ignored the problems and have continued to spent in excess ignoring coming reality. Well, this reality has arrived. If this business-as-usual tax and spend game continues, my children and grandchildren are going to grow up in a California in which those historical figures who struggled to make this state great would not recognize. I want people to come to California with a dream of success that one day becomes a reality, a reality that so many experienced during the days under our great former California Governor, Ronald Reagan. I fully trust Meg Whitman to make California great again. According to FamousEntrepreneurs.net, Whitman is like many Californians in her love for the outdoors. In her free time, she enjoys fishing, skiing and exercising (I love to fish to, which is yet another reason I like her :) Whitman stresses the need for a NEW California on her website: "The Combination of the Golden States rich heritage, natural beauty and optimistic people combined with a future where we have the strongest economy, best schools, solid infrastructure and quality of life." Well said, Meg. This New California will provide a lasting legacy that our children and grandchildren will experience as well. If anyone can make California the Golden State again, it is MEG WHITMAN. Meg's story is a success story. This is a woman who seems to turn everything she touches into gold, you betcha she's going to do the same for California. She has my full support, and I hope after reading this yours too. For more information of Meg Whitman and her platform, visit her website at www.megwhitman.com
LATE NOTE: Yesterday, I read online that the Associated Press reported John McCain is expected to endorse Whitman. According to AP Political Writer Michael R. Blood, "The former eBay executive has not formally declared her candidacy, but a spokesman said Wednesday that she will pick up the 2008 Republican presidential nominee's endorsement at an event in Orange County on Friday" (Yahoo! Finance).
Works Cited:
eBay News release, January 23, 2008
news.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=289314
Encyclopedia of the World Biography
www.notablebiographies.com/news/Sh-Z/Whitman-Meg.html
FamousEntrepreneurs.net
www.famousentreprenuers.net/meg_whitman,html
Meg Whitman's website: "Meg 2010: A New California"
www.megwhitman.com
Yahoo! Finance
biz.yahoo.com/ap/090527/ca_mccain_whitman.html?.v=1
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