Dear Friends,
Thank you very much for the interest in my book and for the number of letters I had received from you.
Also, please be advised that the full version of my book "The Kingdom of" will be exclusively posted on the site of Cambodia Business Network at: http://www.cambodiabusinessnetwork.com/ Blog of Gregory Shukhman
The Kingom of
Part seven: New York
Fragment II
Read Part seven fragment I here.
I was so happy to be with my family, even though I felt guilty about my trip to Cambodia, where the pleasure and fun in places like Rock outweighed the future business prospects.
I definitely couldn’t share the loving part of my adventure. Only my little pug “Ponchik” had reminded me about some of them. He missed me so much and wouldn’t leave me for a minute, while I was home.
Only the films and the photographs described my mission in The Kingdom of Cambodia. My comments attached to the films and the photographs, gave them an idea about this country and of course the hard life of the children, their hellish physical labor and the evil of child prostitution. This filled them with dread but also stirred in them compassion for those people.
I returned to my regular routine quickly, doing business and enjoying New York and a beautiful summer with my family.
We were honored at that time to have my dear friend, Leslie Schwartz on the Board of Directors at Bon-Bon World. He was the first business associate with whom I shared all the details of my trip to Cambodia.
By then Leslie was 77 years old, which for him was just a number. His energy and ability made him appear much younger. Well known for his high level contacts, I shared with him my views on Cambodia that I had gathered during my trip. I told him about Minister Bunnaroeun, who had become almost a brother to me. That his immediate superior was the President of the Senate, who was an aged man and Leslie, was very pleased to learn that the minister took care of his boss and was able to find a doctor who was providing the president with some much needed medical assistance. Also, I didn’t hide that the old man liked him very much, and that he had bought him a house, where on every Wednesday the president came to visit him and for the sauna. I told him that the President was a very sick man and eventually we may need to have some doctor visit him over there, if he couldn’t endure the eighteen hour plane flight to the U.S. And of course I told him about Rock-Entertainment. These stories seemed to put a spark in his eyes and gave him a purpose and a new outlook on life
I have known Leslie more than 10 years. He is a New Yorker and a great person. He survived the Holocaust and I’m very thankful to him that in Denmark in 2007 he had published his first book “Living in Hell”, which was his life story and a number one bestseller. And as of today a German publisher will soon publish his second book in German and English.
That is a biography starting with his childhood, his experiences in the War, and at Auschwitz, where he had sustained a gunshot wound to the cheek as a fifteen year old teenager, when the Nazis began massive execution of all the prisoners’ of the concentration camp. The bullet exited through his neck but thank God, he survived. His story highlights the crimes of the Nazis, which should never be forgotten. Nor forgiven.
I have empathy with him and his story because it happened during my parents’ lives and it happened to their contemporaries. The Nazi atrocities scarred a whole generation.
Even though I was born 12 years after the war, I lived with the aftermath and the memories of those times with the tears, knowing that in the USSR more than 25 million people had been killed and 6 million Jews alone, men, women and children.
Leslie had believed in my faith in this country and he was ready to dedicate himself and to try to bring prosperity to the world, giving support to the people of Cambodia. But at his age one begins to wonder if this may be his last project. Everyone wants a feeling of accomplishment.
We had spoken with Mikhail several times on the phone, reporting on the level of accomplishment of my ideas. And our friendly relations had progressed even though my first visit to Cambodia, on Mikhail’s invitation, was not as promised and expected, but as long as “Man proposes and God disposes” there were not any hard feelings for me about that.
Brother Bunnaroeun, which is what we called him at that time, kept in contact with me every day. He had not stopped sending me, for review, all new projects. Among them was General Ke Kimyan’a project. Along with their joint photo and map plan in the Cambodian language, some of the specifications were in Ukrainian Urea. His friend, Mr. Kanara had referred some of his friends who wrote to me:
Dear Sir:
It was a pleasure meeting you on the phone today, Mr. Kanara had shared with
me what a great person you are. I hope I get an opportunity to meet you here
in the US or Cambodia.
I am currently operating a VOIP phone business between Cambodia - US, UK and
France. I have gateways (systems) set up in Cambodia and servers here in San
Jose, California. The business model is that the Gateway in Cambodia allows
me to pull minutes from there and wholesale in the three countries ranging
from 10-18 cents per minute up to 5 million minutes per month.
The system cost me around $270k and about 3 weeks to set up, but this
all depends on the cooperation of the government agency.
I have already introduced Mr. Kanara with the system supplier here and he
will follow up with you on this matter. If you have further questions please
feel free to contact me.
Sam Ung
One week prior to this letter, Mr. Kanara met with me in New York. I was so happy to see my Cambodian friend in my home town. I showed him Manhattan, where I live, and Brighton Beach, to give him an idea what the Russian community of New York was able to achieve, bringing their culture to this continent.
He was impressed. I gave him my opinion that this country, though far from perfect, should still be a model for our fallible world. I’m sure that with caring, wisdom and goodness we will be able to build a dream for the millions of poor in Cambodia.
Mr. Kanara was generous, offering me some projects to do business in Cambodia under government supervision. One of them was the lottery project, and they were raising three million dollars. Unfortunately, I was not that interested in either understanding this business or getting involved and I had to regretfully turn down this opportunity. But in order to help him, I had set up a few meetings to refer him to some business individuals I had known.
He was kind enough to introduce me to his family in New York. His two brothers, who were martial arts experts, then the owners of the Tai Quan Do school in Brooklyn.
For me, having previously been a boxer it was interesting to meet with them. They even offered me bodyguard services, probably seeing me driving around in a new Porsche at that time. But as long as I had a safe lifestyle I did not require that privilege.
Even today many of my friends have recommended that I use such security services, because of my book, as I reply: “Security is the chief enemy of mortals.” - William Shakespeare said once.
Isn’t it interesting that many, who have dedicated themselves to building safety around the world, must surround themselves with guards. Obviously, the gift of safety, which is declared to be the great gift among all gifts in this world, must be defended.
Brother Bunnaroeun was tirelessly sending me new offerings on business opportunities in Cambodia;
Dear Brother,
I am sorry for my late reply due to my business with Micheal Egel. Now we gain the license for mobile phones and need to finish in this 23rd. Now we receive the information about the Urea as I attach for you, the above. Please take a look at all these documents and I will contact you again by phone. The buyer from Australia will come in on the 28th of this month.
Sincerely,
Bunnaroeun
I was thinking what a great person he was, as he has located a buyer and a seller and he wants me to be his partner. Isn’t that incredible? Sometimes I really didn’t understand some of my involvement in such projects. I realize thought that he had employed some marketing research guy and they keep me busy. I was right. It was Mohan Gunti, a very nice and loyal guy who was working inexhaustibly for his boss, my Brother Bunnaroeun.
There was an endless flow of e-mails, everything that they found, available or not, was being sent to me for review which, at times was inundating me. I was also working on my personal projects including my charities so Cambodia began to take up all my time.
I had meetings and discussions with a number of ambassadors referring to a land mine project through the United Nations in order to learn a political mechanism and the possibility of coming up with a UN resolution for such a need.
In parallel, we had discussed with Rabinovich in Kiev, an alternative, to the establishment of a charitable fund to support the required project to remove mines in Cambodia.
It was very important for me to surround myself with supporters, who were ready to show mercy to this country and its people. And I was happy when a group of directors of our future fund had agreed to be led by Elena Trincher.
The millionaire-philanthropist Elena Trincher, who was The President of the Christian Coalition of Florida, was a big contributor to the Republican Party as she was awarded with the Life Member of the Republican Senatorial Inner Circle. The Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee had presented Ms. Elena Trincher with the rights and privileges that accompany inclusion on the Ronald Wilson Reagan Founder’s Wall.
I felt so happy that I was able to verbalize the screaming poverty of the people of Cambodia. She was able not only to hear that, but she understood this tragedy, as she was agreeing to lead this movement and lend her support.
The other important person for the charity movement, whom Leslie Schwartz had introduced to us, was Dr. Sonny Lee. He was a recognized visionary, well-respected leader, and honorable dignitary who promoted world peace, humanitarian efforts and environmental harmony. Whether focused on the national or international sector, successful business enterprises, or global development projects, Dr. Lee was a consummate professional who was dedicated to improving the world in which we live in. At that time Dr. Lee was elected as a National Chairman of AAPNRA (Asian American and Pacific Islanders National Republican Association) to represent fifteen million Asian Americans in the Republican Party of the United States of America.
Also, Dr. Sonny Lee had kept close relations with Ban Ki-moon, who was elected eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly on the 13th of October 2006. This was giving us a promise of an opportunity to maybe void any bureaucratic or other political barriers in order to accomplish the removal of land mines project.
Meanwhile, Brother Bunnaroeun, who dreamed of coming to the United States, had informed me of his schedule and the possibility of seeing me. He sent me a kind e-mail;
Dear Brother,
Thank you for your e-mail. I have seen the presidential roundtable commission with some pictures of Elena with President Bush. Your friend Elena is a great lady. I shall prepare some documents regarding what you mentioned in your email today. I must get the air tickets by Monday 21st September 2006. If I delay the ticket, there will be no more seats available until next month, therefore my schedule is tight by next month. If you don’t mind, please kindly forward the air ticket money by moneygram or Western Union to my name in Cambodia. We do not need passport number, only the name I gave to you in the invitation letter and send to me the 10 or 8 digit code to verify for the withdrawal on my side. It will only take around 15 minutes to transfer. The round trip air ticket fees is only USD 3,800.
I will let you know my exact flight schedule by tomorrow after issuing the air ticket. Brother, I hope this trip we will also talk about a foundation for my boss the Chairman of the Senate.
Thank you for your great support and I am looking forward to seeing your responses as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Bunnaroeun
I wired him the asking sum and couldn’t wait to have my Cambodian brother as my guest in the most beautiful city in the world. I was also eager to move ahead with the charity fund that would be applied to remove land mines in that region, which will give a more secure future for the people.
After I’d wired him the money he was kind to keep me informed with the Ukrainian Urea project, with the expectation of big future earnings.
Time passed, summer was gone and autumn covered New York in gold, but the sun seemed to listen to the endless demands of the urban dwellers, not to leave them with its warmth and light, so-even as the end of November approached it did not get too cool.
I got a message from brother Bunnaroeun that he had scheduled, a week away, a flight to New York to be my guest on November 25th 2006.
I was so excited to see soon in New York my dear friend the Minster Bunnaroeun. A week passed quickly as I was preparing his comfortable stay at my place of residence. I was thinking it was not proper to get a room for him in the hotel as long because of his language barrier and our developed relations. And definitely, my beautiful apartment with the spectacular view from the 62nd floor would give him more understanding of what I meant by the words “to build Cambodia for the happiness.”
Unfortunately, I was quite limited in my ability to meet my brother with the same amenities and privileges afforded me on my trip. There would be no sirens, escort, or other honors despite my desperate pleas. But still, just the view of New York during the drive from the airport was enough grandeur for any guest or visitor to Manhattan.
He was so thrilled with his finally achieved life’s dream of visiting the US, as he couldn’t hold back his tears when he had hugged me and thanked me.
The next day, we met with Mr. Leslie. When I had introduced them, Leslie expressed, “Oi, Vai!” Yiddish. (Eng. expression of dismay or hurt). The Minister appeared very humble and did not at all reflect the American model of the all-powerful minister, of the people with whom Leslie had to communicate the past 30 years.
Leslie was the owner of a well-known printing company whose main clients were Harry and Leona Helmsley. Mr. Schwartz was even able to establish respectable relations with Leona especially, something that not too many were able to achieve.
Mrs. Helmsley, till she died, called him “Tateh” Yiddish.(Eng. father) God, let her rest in peace.
In the Manhattan business community, life all appearance and details are very important. So it’s all a game and we had to pay respect to those players. I realized that the portrait of the Minister needed to be the best and we had a very short time. I had purchased eyeglasses from Cartier, a DuPont briefcase and a brown cashmere Italian coat, and some small attributes, in order to meet the eyes of the American businessman. In other words, it was dress up for the corresponding norms of the circle, so, more if it affects the future of the Kingdom and its children.
When the first step of the Minister’s evolution was complete, Leslie had announced, “We might be lucky, if I will be able to invite Mr. Armao for the meeting.” Leslie had insisted that I review Mr. Armao’s profile before we met. I “googled” him and was so thrilled to learn who Mr. Armao was and couldn’t wait for the upcoming meeting, as long as Robert Armao was a man of ability to change the Kingdom to a better life:
Robert F. Armao serves as Chairman of Armao and Company, Inc., an international marketing communications firm with headquarters in New York City, and partner in DMG, Inc. He represents a broad range of clients including numerous foreign governments, major financial institutions, hospitals, labor organizations, maritime concerns, food services companies, real estate firms, and political candidates both in the US and abroad. In addition, Mr. Armao has a controlling interest in Armao Energy, Inc.
Previously, Mr. Armao had an illustrious government career. For many years, he served the Hon. Nelson A. Rockefeller as Assistant to the Governor of New York State and as Labor Counsel to the Vice President of the United States. Mr. Armao also served as Executive Officer and Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of Labor in 1973. In 1978, the Hon. Edward I. Koch, Mayor of New York City appointed Mr. Armao Chief of Protocol and Commissioner of Public Events, an honorary position responsible for hosting visiting dignitaries to New York City.
During his governmental career Mr. Armao served as Chairman of the Board of the New York State Maritime Museum at South Street Seaport, as a member of the New York State Racing Commission Advisory Board and the New York State Public Health Council. Mr. Armao's charitable endeavors include membership on the Board of the Cabrini Medical Center, Patron of the Metropolitan Opera, the Girls Club of New York and the New York Medical College at Flower and Fifth Avenue Hospital.
A native New Yorker, Mr. Armao attended the Loyola School in New York and received his B.A. from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He was awarded his Juris Doctorate by New York Law School.
Part Eight: Robert F. Armao
To be continued:
Thank you very much for the interest in my book and for the number of letters I had received from you.
Also, please be advised that the full version of my book "The Kingdom of" will be exclusively posted on the site of Cambodia Business Network at: http://www.
The Kingom of
Part seven: New York
Fragment II
Read Part seven fragment I here.
I was so happy to be with my family, even though I felt guilty about my trip to Cambodia, where the pleasure and fun in places like Rock outweighed the future business prospects.
I definitely couldn’t share the loving part of my adventure. Only my little pug “Ponchik” had reminded me about some of them. He missed me so much and wouldn’t leave me for a minute, while I was home.
Only the films and the photographs described my mission in The Kingdom of Cambodia. My comments attached to the films and the photographs, gave them an idea about this country and of course the hard life of the children, their hellish physical labor and the evil of child prostitution. This filled them with dread but also stirred in them compassion for those people.
I returned to my regular routine quickly, doing business and enjoying New York and a beautiful summer with my family.
We were honored at that time to have my dear friend, Leslie Schwartz on the Board of Directors at Bon-Bon World. He was the first business associate with whom I shared all the details of my trip to Cambodia.
By then Leslie was 77 years old, which for him was just a number. His energy and ability made him appear much younger. Well known for his high level contacts, I shared with him my views on Cambodia that I had gathered during my trip. I told him about Minister Bunnaroeun, who had become almost a brother to me. That his immediate superior was the President of the Senate, who was an aged man and Leslie, was very pleased to learn that the minister took care of his boss and was able to find a doctor who was providing the president with some much needed medical assistance. Also, I didn’t hide that the old man liked him very much, and that he had bought him a house, where on every Wednesday the president came to visit him and for the sauna. I told him that the President was a very sick man and eventually we may need to have some doctor visit him over there, if he couldn’t endure the eighteen hour plane flight to the U.S. And of course I told him about Rock-Entertainment. These stories seemed to put a spark in his eyes and gave him a purpose and a new outlook on life
I have known Leslie more than 10 years. He is a New Yorker and a great person. He survived the Holocaust and I’m very thankful to him that in Denmark in 2007 he had published his first book “Living in Hell”, which was his life story and a number one bestseller. And as of today a German publisher will soon publish his second book in German and English.
That is a biography starting with his childhood, his experiences in the War, and at Auschwitz, where he had sustained a gunshot wound to the cheek as a fifteen year old teenager, when the Nazis began massive execution of all the prisoners’ of the concentration camp. The bullet exited through his neck but thank God, he survived. His story highlights the crimes of the Nazis, which should never be forgotten. Nor forgiven.
I have empathy with him and his story because it happened during my parents’ lives and it happened to their contemporaries. The Nazi atrocities scarred a whole generation.
Even though I was born 12 years after the war, I lived with the aftermath and the memories of those times with the tears, knowing that in the USSR more than 25 million people had been killed and 6 million Jews alone, men, women and children.
Leslie had believed in my faith in this country and he was ready to dedicate himself and to try to bring prosperity to the world, giving support to the people of Cambodia. But at his age one begins to wonder if this may be his last project. Everyone wants a feeling of accomplishment.
We had spoken with Mikhail several times on the phone, reporting on the level of accomplishment of my ideas. And our friendly relations had progressed even though my first visit to Cambodia, on Mikhail’s invitation, was not as promised and expected, but as long as “Man proposes and God disposes” there were not any hard feelings for me about that.
Brother Bunnaroeun, which is what we called him at that time, kept in contact with me every day. He had not stopped sending me, for review, all new projects. Among them was General Ke Kimyan’a project. Along with their joint photo and map plan in the Cambodian language, some of the specifications were in Ukrainian Urea. His friend, Mr. Kanara had referred some of his friends who wrote to me:
Dear Sir:
It was a pleasure meeting you on the phone today, Mr. Kanara had shared with
me what a great person you are. I hope I get an opportunity to meet you here
in the US or Cambodia.
I am currently operating a VOIP phone business between Cambodia - US, UK and
France. I have gateways (systems) set up in Cambodia and servers here in San
Jose, California. The business model is that the Gateway in Cambodia allows
me to pull minutes from there and wholesale in the three countries ranging
from 10-18 cents per minute up to 5 million minutes per month.
The system cost me around $270k and about 3 weeks to set up, but this
all depends on the cooperation of the government agency.
I have already introduced Mr. Kanara with the system supplier here and he
will follow up with you on this matter. If you have further questions please
feel free to contact me.
Sam Ung
One week prior to this letter, Mr. Kanara met with me in New York. I was so happy to see my Cambodian friend in my home town. I showed him Manhattan, where I live, and Brighton Beach, to give him an idea what the Russian community of New York was able to achieve, bringing their culture to this continent.
He was impressed. I gave him my opinion that this country, though far from perfect, should still be a model for our fallible world. I’m sure that with caring, wisdom and goodness we will be able to build a dream for the millions of poor in Cambodia.
Mr. Kanara was generous, offering me some projects to do business in Cambodia under government supervision. One of them was the lottery project, and they were raising three million dollars. Unfortunately, I was not that interested in either understanding this business or getting involved and I had to regretfully turn down this opportunity. But in order to help him, I had set up a few meetings to refer him to some business individuals I had known.
He was kind enough to introduce me to his family in New York. His two brothers, who were martial arts experts, then the owners of the Tai Quan Do school in Brooklyn.
For me, having previously been a boxer it was interesting to meet with them. They even offered me bodyguard services, probably seeing me driving around in a new Porsche at that time. But as long as I had a safe lifestyle I did not require that privilege.
Even today many of my friends have recommended that I use such security services, because of my book, as I reply: “Security is the chief enemy of mortals.” - William Shakespeare said once.
Isn’t it interesting that many, who have dedicated themselves to building safety around the world, must surround themselves with guards. Obviously, the gift of safety, which is declared to be the great gift among all gifts in this world, must be defended.
Brother Bunnaroeun was tirelessly sending me new offerings on business opportunities in Cambodia;
Dear Brother,
I am sorry for my late reply due to my business with Micheal Egel. Now we gain the license for mobile phones and need to finish in this 23rd. Now we receive the information about the Urea as I attach for you, the above. Please take a look at all these documents and I will contact you again by phone. The buyer from Australia will come in on the 28th of this month.
Sincerely,
Bunnaroeun
I was thinking what a great person he was, as he has located a buyer and a seller and he wants me to be his partner. Isn’t that incredible? Sometimes I really didn’t understand some of my involvement in such projects. I realize thought that he had employed some marketing research guy and they keep me busy. I was right. It was Mohan Gunti, a very nice and loyal guy who was working inexhaustibly for his boss, my Brother Bunnaroeun.
There was an endless flow of e-mails, everything that they found, available or not, was being sent to me for review which, at times was inundating me. I was also working on my personal projects including my charities so Cambodia began to take up all my time.
I had meetings and discussions with a number of ambassadors referring to a land mine project through the United Nations in order to learn a political mechanism and the possibility of coming up with a UN resolution for such a need.
In parallel, we had discussed with Rabinovich in Kiev, an alternative, to the establishment of a charitable fund to support the required project to remove mines in Cambodia.
It was very important for me to surround myself with supporters, who were ready to show mercy to this country and its people. And I was happy when a group of directors of our future fund had agreed to be led by Elena Trincher.
The millionaire-philanthropist Elena Trincher, who was The President of the Christian Coalition of Florida, was a big contributor to the Republican Party as she was awarded with the Life Member of the Republican Senatorial Inner Circle. The Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee had presented Ms. Elena Trincher with the rights and privileges that accompany inclusion on the Ronald Wilson Reagan Founder’s Wall.
I felt so happy that I was able to verbalize the screaming poverty of the people of Cambodia. She was able not only to hear that, but she understood this tragedy, as she was agreeing to lead this movement and lend her support.
The other important person for the charity movement, whom Leslie Schwartz had introduced to us, was Dr. Sonny Lee. He was a recognized visionary, well-respected leader, and honorable dignitary who promoted world peace, humanitarian efforts and environmental harmony. Whether focused on the national or international sector, successful business enterprises, or global development projects, Dr. Lee was a consummate professional who was dedicated to improving the world in which we live in. At that time Dr. Lee was elected as a National Chairman of AAPNRA (Asian American and Pacific Islanders National Republican Association) to represent fifteen million Asian Americans in the Republican Party of the United States of America.
Also, Dr. Sonny Lee had kept close relations with Ban Ki-moon, who was elected eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly on the 13th of October 2006. This was giving us a promise of an opportunity to maybe void any bureaucratic or other political barriers in order to accomplish the removal of land mines project.
Meanwhile, Brother Bunnaroeun, who dreamed of coming to the United States, had informed me of his schedule and the possibility of seeing me. He sent me a kind e-mail;
Dear Brother,
Thank you for your e-mail. I have seen the presidential roundtable commission with some pictures of Elena with President Bush. Your friend Elena is a great lady. I shall prepare some documents regarding what you mentioned in your email today. I must get the air tickets by Monday 21st September 2006. If I delay the ticket, there will be no more seats available until next month, therefore my schedule is tight by next month. If you don’t mind, please kindly forward the air ticket money by moneygram or Western Union to my name in Cambodia. We do not need passport number, only the name I gave to you in the invitation letter and send to me the 10 or 8 digit code to verify for the withdrawal on my side. It will only take around 15 minutes to transfer. The round trip air ticket fees is only USD 3,800.
I will let you know my exact flight schedule by tomorrow after issuing the air ticket. Brother, I hope this trip we will also talk about a foundation for my boss the Chairman of the Senate.
Thank you for your great support and I am looking forward to seeing your responses as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Bunnaroeun
I wired him the asking sum and couldn’t wait to have my Cambodian brother as my guest in the most beautiful city in the world. I was also eager to move ahead with the charity fund that would be applied to remove land mines in that region, which will give a more secure future for the people.
After I’d wired him the money he was kind to keep me informed with the Ukrainian Urea project, with the expectation of big future earnings.
Time passed, summer was gone and autumn covered New York in gold, but the sun seemed to listen to the endless demands of the urban dwellers, not to leave them with its warmth and light, so-even as the end of November approached it did not get too cool.
I got a message from brother Bunnaroeun that he had scheduled, a week away, a flight to New York to be my guest on November 25th 2006.
I was so excited to see soon in New York my dear friend the Minster Bunnaroeun. A week passed quickly as I was preparing his comfortable stay at my place of residence. I was thinking it was not proper to get a room for him in the hotel as long because of his language barrier and our developed relations. And definitely, my beautiful apartment with the spectacular view from the 62nd floor would give him more understanding of what I meant by the words “to build Cambodia for the happiness.”
Unfortunately, I was quite limited in my ability to meet my brother with the same amenities and privileges afforded me on my trip. There would be no sirens, escort, or other honors despite my desperate pleas. But still, just the view of New York during the drive from the airport was enough grandeur for any guest or visitor to Manhattan.
He was so thrilled with his finally achieved life’s dream of visiting the US, as he couldn’t hold back his tears when he had hugged me and thanked me.
The next day, we met with Mr. Leslie. When I had introduced them, Leslie expressed, “Oi, Vai!” Yiddish. (Eng. expression of dismay or hurt). The Minister appeared very humble and did not at all reflect the American model of the all-powerful minister, of the people with whom Leslie had to communicate the past 30 years.
Leslie was the owner of a well-known printing company whose main clients were Harry and Leona Helmsley. Mr. Schwartz was even able to establish respectable relations with Leona especially, something that not too many were able to achieve.
Mrs. Helmsley, till she died, called him “Tateh” Yiddish.(Eng. father) God, let her rest in peace.
In the Manhattan business community, life all appearance and details are very important. So it’s all a game and we had to pay respect to those players. I realized that the portrait of the Minister needed to be the best and we had a very short time. I had purchased eyeglasses from Cartier, a DuPont briefcase and a brown cashmere Italian coat, and some small attributes, in order to meet the eyes of the American businessman. In other words, it was dress up for the corresponding norms of the circle, so, more if it affects the future of the Kingdom and its children.
When the first step of the Minister’s evolution was complete, Leslie had announced, “We might be lucky, if I will be able to invite Mr. Armao for the meeting.” Leslie had insisted that I review Mr. Armao’s profile before we met. I “googled” him and was so thrilled to learn who Mr. Armao was and couldn’t wait for the upcoming meeting, as long as Robert Armao was a man of ability to change the Kingdom to a better life:
Robert F. Armao serves as Chairman of Armao and Company, Inc., an international marketing communications firm with headquarters in New York City, and partner in DMG, Inc. He represents a broad range of clients including numerous foreign governments, major financial institutions, hospitals, labor organizations, maritime concerns, food services companies, real estate firms, and political candidates both in the US and abroad. In addition, Mr. Armao has a controlling interest in Armao Energy, Inc.
Previously, Mr. Armao had an illustrious government career. For many years, he served the Hon. Nelson A. Rockefeller as Assistant to the Governor of New York State and as Labor Counsel to the Vice President of the United States. Mr. Armao also served as Executive Officer and Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of Labor in 1973. In 1978, the Hon. Edward I. Koch, Mayor of New York City appointed Mr. Armao Chief of Protocol and Commissioner of Public Events, an honorary position responsible for hosting visiting dignitaries to New York City.
During his governmental career Mr. Armao served as Chairman of the Board of the New York State Maritime Museum at South Street Seaport, as a member of the New York State Racing Commission Advisory Board and the New York State Public Health Council. Mr. Armao's charitable endeavors include membership on the Board of the Cabrini Medical Center, Patron of the Metropolitan Opera, the Girls Club of New York and the New York Medical College at Flower and Fifth Avenue Hospital.
A native New Yorker, Mr. Armao attended the Loyola School in New York and received his B.A. from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He was awarded his Juris Doctorate by New York Law School.
Part Eight: Robert F. Armao
To be continued:
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