President’s Report

May 20, 2003

Dear Friends of CCI,

I've just arrived in Russia for my two-month trip to evaluate how the PEP Fellows, alumni of CCI's U.S.- based business internships, have incorporated the business ideas and concepts they were exposed to in the U.S. The evaluations haven't started yet, but I thought you might be interested in what's happening in St. Petersburg, the Russian city Americans love most, as it begins its 300th anniversary celebration.

You may know Leningrad, renamed St. Petersburg in 1991, was never well liked by Soviet power, most probably because if any Russian city was better loved than Moscow, it was this city, the cultural capital of the country. Built in the early 1700s by Peter himself, it has many thousands of classically constructed, magnificent buildings that pre-date the 1917 Revolution. The city went without renovation during the Soviet era and had become a vast decaying museum. Each year we witnessed more and more plaster fallen from the buildings, more grime on the exteriors, more potholes in the streets, and more deterioration of the once glorious Neva bridges, park fences, statues and churches. Wobbly steeples sat crooked atop faded domes, weeds grew in place of grass, and flowers were no longer planted. This was the Petersburg of the 90s.

I arrived in Petersburg yesterday via Finnair, and to my surprise was ushered through a new modern terminal of glass and aluminum construction and walked out into a lovely new parking lot I'd have never recognized as Pulkova, the Petersburg airport. It was replete with winding boulevard-like thoroughfares and freshly planted trees, bushes and flowers all around.

There were no potholes on the way into the city, even after the harsh winter. The rich green of new birch leaves was everywhere, and there was evidence of the city coming back after the long and hard snows. The sun was shining, and people on the streets buzzed along briskly in short sleeves and spring clothing. Watching each area we drove through, it was thrilling to see scaffolding, new plaster and color going up on centuries-old buildings.

After the 21-hour trip, I crashed and abruptly woke up at 4 a.m. to broad daylight. Yes, white nights begin early in this northern clime! I looked out the third-story window to see workers feverishly laying stone on the walkways of the Sheremetyevsky Palace grounds below. Large trucks with supplies drove in and out of the palace grounds. Nevsky Prospect, a long block north of my apartment, was as busy as I've seen it at 8 a.m. in the winter. Clearly thousands are working 24/7 trying to get the city ready for the 300th anniversary celebrations next week when President Bush and 40 other heads of state will be here at President Putin's invitation.

Today I took a several-hour walk through historic Petersburg. Remembering what it looked like ten to twenty years ago, I could have cried from joy. All the major cultural landmarks have been restored to their original splendor, no doubt the first time in a century or more. Gilding has returned to the bridges, baroque trim and cupolas to the orthodox churches, and magnificent fences to the royal parks. The famed Philharmonia, at last, has a fresh coat of empress yellow and white paint, horses and 18th century buggies stroll the streets, French night lamps add a grace to the downtown, new fountains amuse children, and sidewalk cafes are full of local people enjoying their city anew.

Yes, there are still a lot of dismal spots in Petersburg--the outer areas of Soviet-built apartment houses and the inner-city communal flats full of the elderly relatives of those to whom they were first given. But knowing how all Russians love and identify with the cities of their birth, there is a blossom of hope for Peterburgians now. Everyone can enjoy the renaissance going on in this grand city of Peter's and the parks, boulevards and museums.

After a short vacation here for the celebrations, I'll be off to my favorite task of the year...evaluating our CCI PEP Fellows and determining how they are using the U.S. experience, which many of you have given them, in their businesses and private sectors around the country.

Expect to get lots of Russian reports in the next two months!

All the best to you,

Sharon Tennison
President