My Greek Olympics: The Battle Plan and going to Siemens...

We had just finished the Olympics in Salt Lake and we had contacts with the Greeks who where doing the next games in 2004. Jay and David, plus Vic had all been working on getting in position to bid on the security contract for Athens. Since 2001 911, the need for security in these types of events had increased exponentially. We were in position to leverage what we did in Salt Lake and do it in Greece. The plan was to use what we had done as a model and expand and refine the system. This would allow fast integration and set-up so a system could be in place to allow for the needed training of the users.

Jay and David had been meeting with some Greeks the week after the games had ended and soon they were off to Greece to start the process. The Greeks would release an RFP and we would write a proposal to the specification. David was in charge of system architecture and Jay had the vision, Vic would provide the user needs requirements so the system would do what it had to do. I was to provide technical support in the areas of mapping and simulation, training and user support along with all the other system work I could do.

I went back to San Diego and resumed my old duties and waited for the call to go. I was doing training and traveling all over the country, but I wanted to go to Greece. Jay and David would call and email me to let me know what was happening and I would send them stuff as needed. We had assumed we would go straight in and start working with in a few months. Of course this didn't quite happen and it took a little while till I got over there. David and I went to DC to write the proposal, turned out to be $450 million when we finished. It ended up being $300 million after the "discounts" and negotiations.

Heading To Siemens offices going past the Parliament Building

Trip to Siemens:

The next morning we waited for the van to pick us up. We all meet down in the eating area of the hotel and had the breakfast that was provided. We planned to leave at a certain time, but we had to wait for the driver to show up. The van arrives and we start to go outside and then pile in the small van. Off we go in a flash, down the narrow streets that are no wider that the van which is forcing people to jump out of our way. The horn is a constant, we joke that the Greeks think it will speed then up. I have no idea where we are going and we finally get to a major road. Then we dart into traffic and start the agonizingly slow drive out to the Siemens headquarters. Our hotel is in the "center" of town and Siemens office is out on the edge of the city.

We pass the Parliament building and up past the embassies, then onto the main road out of town. Athens has only one freeway and at the time it was under construction. All traffic is on surface streets and Leof Sophia and Leof Kifisias are the main roads to the east. There are an endless stream of motorcycles and scooters that work their way between the cars. We are only going about 6 miles, but it take more than an hour to get out of the center.

There is massive construction going on and lots of digging and detours. We finally get to Siemens and I meet our Greek counter-parts, they all seem tired and smell of smoke. I had talked to some on the phone and heard them on teleconferences but this was actually meeting them in person. David and Jay are off to a meeting and I have to stay and go over the contract with George, Ron and a couple of new people.

This is the time when the people would show up and then disappear. One guy said he was getting married in a month and then he was leaving. I couldn't believe he was working on the project, but then he didn't seem to do anything. The Greeks never came to talk to us, they were in their own offices and we were in ours. I couldn't talk to anyone or ask for information and I was tasked to review the contract requirements and bill of materials. That was my job for the first two weeks.