A Conversation with Phil Lader

January 9, 2007: Happy New Year! After two weeks of not meeting, Rotarians were treated to a special conversation with Phil Lader, statesman, businessman, and fellow South Carolinian as a partner with Nelson Mullins law firm. Ambassador Lader serves on multiple boards and as a Trustee for many universities, and has served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy Director of OMB. Not the least of which was his service to our country as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James from 1997 through 2001.

Ambassador Lader requested that he not give a speech, since he knew so many in our Club, but rather answer some questions posed by the Club. He gave his thoughts on topics ranging from the 2008 Presidential election (strong candidates in both parties, Hillary Clinton has the ability to raise the $100 million needed to contend), to the globalization of public relations firms (companies have to think and act more locally like Coca-Cola), to real estate predictions worldwide (“no particular confidence,” although demographics and interest rates may no longer be the sole factors influencing real estate any longer).

When asked how South Carolina can prosper in a global economy, Lader was very serious about the state of our educational system in South Carolina. He stated that the state has historically been capital-poor, and that if we are able to compete in any economy, we need to invest more in our educational system. He used the example of Silicon Valley as a success story of investment in education because of Stanford University. He also cited the study conducted by Professor Michael Porter of Harvard University and the Monitor Group on South Carolina’s competitiveness, which found that our state’s capital and education infrastructure need to catch up, and that higher education institutions (College of Charleston, Citadel, et al) need more funding for research or the burden of funding will fall solely on Clemson and the University of South Carolina.

Ambassador Lader also shared his geopolitical concerns of the world. He stated that North Korea has been a national concern for us since his years with the Clinton Administration, and still continues to be a threat, although not perceived as much as one by the general public. Also, he feels economic security is equally as important as military security, and that the U.S. needs to get away from the financing of our debt by China . Good advice from a humble man so deeply entrenched in global matters and finance.

Submitted by Amy Riley, Keyway Committee Chair