Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 1, Page 22 Fall 1991 Alumni Profile; Helping Ecuador build for the future Irwin N. Duncan, Delaware '47, loves to build. He proudly shows off his home in downtown Wilmington, Del., that he remodeled himself and the deck he is adding to the top floor. And he is willing to share his nearly 41 years of experience in the home-improvement business. Following his retirement in 1988 as senior vice president, secretary and treasurer of Brosius-Eliason Co., a chain of four home-improvement stores, Duncan signed up as a volunteer for the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) at the suggestion of a friend. A year later, IESC called Duncan and asked if he would be interested in going to Guayaquil, Ecuador, in the spring of 1990. "It sounded like a great opportunity, so I went," he says. IESC, a non-profit organization based in Stamford, Conn., sends retired American business people to developing countries to consult on upgrading management skills and improving basic business technologies. Since 1965, IESC has completed more than 12,000 projects in 90 countries. Duncan's job was to advise Joyce de Ginatta, the owner of Ferrisariato C.A., with the organization and operation of a recently opened "do-it-yourself" hardware store. Construction in Ecuador is a 24-hour business. Crews work day and night to get buildings finished. All new buildings are poured-concrete because of a terrible termite problem. Therefore, dimensional lumber, such as 2-by-4's, is not in demand. "Do-it-yourself" building is relatively new in Ecuador. Duncan advised de Ginatta, who had recently entered the retail market with 25 years' experience in wholesale importing, on ways to make the customers more at ease. Duncan discovered a lack of some services American consumers take for granted, such as credit and availability of items. To make the Ferrisariato store more consumer-friendly and cost-effective, Duncan had to address basic policies, such as returning merchandise for credit, store credit for preferred customers and store security. When Duncan found that the store spent large amounts of money on cameras and monitors, he suggested installing fake cameras in some areas in the new stores as a cost-saving measure. The electronic eyes, however, were only part of the store's very tight security system. Duncan estimates there were more than 15 security guards, some toting pistols or rifles. Customers' vehicles, loaded with large items, such as bags of concrete, were subject to two checks. While Duncan reassured the company that the large store's design was "fantastic," he advised management how to display merchandise that is often bought impulsively. He also helped lay out the entrance for the firm's second store and consulted with an architect on plans for a third store. Duncan also discovered that the store's advertising program needed attention. He recommended advertising circulars, like those inserted into Sunday newspapers, when he discovered that such devices are not used in Ecuador. After Duncan shared copies of Brosius-Eliason circulars, Ferrisariato hired an advertising firm to work on the idea. Duncan has no immediate plans to work with IESC again. "If they call me and I like the assignment, I'll go, but there really aren't that many countries that need my area of expertise," he says. "Working in Ecuador was a learning experience for me." --Brook Williams, Delaware '91