1. Design Your Career
Stephen Dovala
September, 2014

2. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
Agenda
2
Guiding Principles
The Journey
Dubai – Where Things All Came Together
What’s Next?

3. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
Guiding Principles
What Miami Taught Me
BED & MArch:
 Integration
 Collaboration
 Problem Solving
 Critical Thinking
 Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
3
Key Learning: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

4. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
Guiding Principles
What Business Taught Me
 Build and Lead Teams – it is always about people
 Culture Trumps Money
 Thrive on Uncertainty
 Recognize & Seize Opportunity
 Take Risks
 Be Entrepeneurial within Structure
 Make it up as You Go
 Remain Optimistic
 Divide and Conquer
4
Key Learning: Seize Opportunities

5. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
The Horse Latitudes
The Journey
30 Years of Change
5
Graduate
Program
Move into the Pre-
Engineered
Building Field
“Take a Message to Garcia”
Travel to
Taiwan
Join Colliers
Graduate Miami
Singapore London
Belgium
Head of
CRE
Provident
What’s Next?Decline in MetLife
Revenue
Construction
Downturn
Leave JLL
Start Local
Office for a
National
Firm
Join JLL
Dubai
Experience
Mismatch
Cultural Fit
1st Job in
Architecture
$6 million in
Annual
Revenue
Boss at
Bank
Resigns
Next
Phase
in
Career
Defining Moments
The Day-to-Day Set-Backs
What’s Next?
Architectural
Association

6. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
The Journey
The Dubai Decision
6
2 Weeks Can Change Your Life
May 9
May 20
w/o May 12
May 24
May 26
May 21-23

7. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
Business Lessons Learned
Doing Business in MENA
 Insha’Allah
 Large lead times for hiring and especially background vetting
 Very safe environment
 Dubai is MENA Lite
 Labor is very inexpensive
 Expo 2020 will increase pressure on labor
 Confluence of so many cultures makes for a constant state of holiday
 Doing business with the ministries is fluid and sometimes appears arbitrary
7
Key Consideration: The Rich Cultural Diversity

8. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
Business Lessons Learned
Life as a Guest Worker
8
Personally
• Calling on Scratch
Cards
• 30 Day Visa
• $60k+ Total
• 40+ Separate
Expense Reports
• 1000+ Lines of Entries
• $10k Reimbursements
• $500 ATM Fees
Dubai #’s
• 1.9 million Foreign
Workers
• 200k Emirati’s
• Wages as low as $300
per month

9. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
9
Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Over 79 Towers Clustered A-Z
Most Over 35 Floors
Dubai

10. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
10
The Dubai Teams

11. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
11
This Day last Year was a Sunday
the start of the Work Week
3 days later I would be skydiving
over the Palm Jumeirah on a
Memorable 9/11
The Palm Jumeirah is the World’s
Largest Artificial Island. Brilliantly
adding 330 Miles of Shoreline
Dubai

12. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
12
Longest Automated Metro System in the
world – Air Conditioned – 50 miles long
and Carbon Neutral
Dubai

13. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
13
Dubai
Burj al Arab the 3rd Tallest
Hotel in the World.
Smallest room is 1,820 Sqft
$10k iPad on Sale

14. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
14
Burj Khalifa the Tallest
Building in the World.
2,722 Ft. – 163 Floors
Dubai

15. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
15
Over 70 Shopping Malls
Dubai Mall 13 million Sqft
Over 1,800 Shops
Dubai

16. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
16
The Dubai Sevens
Dubai Rugby Sevens
2,600 Players
41,000 Attendees
Over 3 Days

17. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
Dovala’s Top Pick: Skydive Over the Palm Jumeirah
When in Rome
Things to do in Dubai
 Skydive Over the Palm Jumeirah
 Friday Brunch – Observatory Marina Marriott
 Atmosphere at the Burj Kahlifa
 Al Mahara at the Burj Al Arab
 The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
 Iftar (Ramadan)
 Dinner at Rivington’s Overlooking the Fountain
 Dubai Mall Aquarium
 Ski at Mall of the Emirates
 Tram to Atlantis
 Souk Madinat
 Buy some Sand Art
17

18. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
18
Muscat
Oman #’s
• 240kForeign Workers
• 390k Omani’s

19. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
Dovala’s Top Pick: Mutrah Souk
When in Rome
Things to do in Muscat
 Visit or Stay at the Shangri-La
 Safari Rooftop Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt
 Mutrah Souk
 Buy a Pair of Arab Sandals
 Buy a few Cashmere Scarves
 Buy an Omani Dagger (but don’t try to take it on your carry-on)
 Rugs (if you know what you are doing)
 Spend Time with an Omani
19

20. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
What’s Next?
Into the Unknown Again
20

21. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
What’s Next?
Real Estate Data
21

22. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
What’s Next?
Real-Time Occupancy Tracking
22

23. Design Your Career
September 2014
Stephen Dovala
(513) 703-6030
sdovala@gmail.com
What’s Next?
Sunset IWMS and Related Culture
23

24. Ma’a as-Salama
Insha’Allah