I had the honor of meeting Ambassador John Rakolta, Jr. this past summer in New York City. His name may not sound familiar, but John is a serious visionary who currently serves as chairman of Walbridge, a $6.5 billion construction firm based in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1916, Walbridge boasts being one of America's largest contractors with deep roots tied to building automotive and manufacturing facilities. Impressively, John predicted the importance of technology in American commerce and steered Walbridge into the future.

Today, Walbridge is a leader in building electric vehicle facilities and hyperscale data centers. But here's where it gets interesting: Mr. Rakolta served as the United States Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and played a lead role in architecting the Abraham Accords between the UAE and Israel. Since then, the Middle East has been literally on fire.

On this episode, Ambassador Rakolta provides an in-depth analysis of the Middle East and shares for the first time how the Abraham Accords were established, how they have been effective, and what's next in the region. Ambassador Rakolta also shares his insights on effective leadership, his personal work ethic, and reflections on the current state and future prospects of peace in the region.

The episode concludes with thoughts on national security and the importance of bringing manufacturing back to the United States.

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Episode Links:
Amb. John Rakolta Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amb-john-rakolta-jr-ret-9883507/
Walbridge: https://www.walbridge.com/people/john-rakolta-jr/

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