Write a case study on Louis Quam
Reference Source: Book-Wiley plus – 3-1: Week 3 Case Questions Essay- Lois Quam
Case Study:-1 (05 Marks)
Lois Quam
Founder, Tysvar, LLC
After accompanying Will Steger on a trip to Norway and the Arctic Circle, Lois Quam's interest in global
climate change was sparked. There she witnessed firsthand the astonishing changes in the polar ice
masses and the resulting impact on wildlife. Inspired by Steger's call for action to reduce global climate
change, in 2009 Lois Quam left Piper Jaffray, a leading international investment bank, to become the
founder and CEO of Tysvar, LLC, a privately held, Minnesota-based New Green Economy and health care
reform incubator. In 2010, Quam was selected by President Barack Obama to head the Global Health
Initiative. This case is a retrospective of her executive experience at Tysvar.
“I'm focused on ways to finding solutions to really significant problems and taking those ideas to full
potential,” Quam said. “I want to bring the green economy to reality in a way that is much broader than
financing. I want to focus on areas where I can make the most difference bringing the green economy to
scale.”
Tysvar works with investors who can create the change they wish to see in the world rather than simply
reacting to events as they unfold. The company is a strategic advisor and incubator of ideas, organizations,
and people working to facilitate and build the New Green Economy (NGE) to scale. Tysvar's goal is to
contribute to a viable, profitable, and socially responsible industry of sustainability, clean technology, and
renewable energy sources.
Conscientiously working to play their part to create a more sustainable world for the next generation,
Tysvar's efforts include new creation of NGE industries, jobs, and investment opportunities, contributing to
building NGE public policy frameworks, trade for import/export of clean technologies, and renewable
energy sources around the world.
“We stand on the brink of a very exciting time in the world,” according to Quam. The interest in
developing renewable energy sources to replace dwindling fossil fuel supplies and reduce carbon dioxide
emissions is worldwide. “It is a very difficult time in the financial markets right now to do this, but that will
change. Good companies will find ways to get things done.”
“I am an optimist about our future,” said Quam, “Which is why I started Tysvar. The challenges we face
from climate change are immense, but so are our capabilities, and the rewards and benefits to humanity
are even greater in the New Green Economy.”
Lois Quam named her company after the hometown of her grandfather, Nels Quam. Tysvar is a
majestically beautiful area in western Norway which is becoming a clean technology hub as part of
Norway's growing NGE leadership and will soon be the site of the world's largest off-shore wind farm.
Lois Quam has continually worked for a better tomorrow. In 2005, Quam was named Norwegian American
of the Year. She believes there is much to learn from Norway: From balancing work and life, allowing
parents to fully participate in the economy while still being active parents, to how successfully Norway is
immersing itself in new energy technologies such as wind and biomass. As an arctic oil producing nation
with a carbon tax since 1993, Norway has reinvested its oil wealth to become a world leader in renewable
energy.
Internationally recognized as a visionary and leader on universal health-care reform and the emerging
NGE, Lois Quam embodies the skill sets needed to succeed in this new economy. Named in 2006
by Fortune magazine as one of America's “50 Most Powerful Women,” Quam has worked as head of
Strategic Investments, Green Economy & Health at Piper Jaffray, a leading international investment bank;
served as president and CEO of the Public and Senior Markets segment at UnitedHealth Group, a $30
billion division she helped create and run; chaired the Minnesota Health Care Access Commission, which
led to legislation that brought health insurance to tens of thousands of Minnesotans; and served as a
senior advisor to Hillary Clinton's task force on health-care reform. She graduated magna cum laude from
Macalester College in St. Paul and went on to attend the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, earning
a master's degree in philosophy, politics, and economics.
Lois Quam believes the New Green Economy will produce high quality jobs, improve our national security
via less dependence on foreign fuels, and prevent the most damaging consequence of all: irreversible and
diminishing climate change. She and Tysvar are committed to establishing universal health-care reform in
America. They believe universal health care is the answer for dependable, affordable health care for all
Americans and that it is necessary to help rebuild the American economy and restore American
competitiveness worldwide.
Recognizing this, President Obama recently appointed Quam executive director of the State Department's
Global Health Initiative. This $63 billion project will help developing countries improve their health care
systems, with a special emphasis on women, children, and newborns. In accepting this position, Quam
decided to step down as CEO of the company she founded and hand leadership to Norwegian Terje
Mikalsen, co-founder and former chairman of Norsk Data.
“Although we are sad to see Lois leave the firm, Tysvar will continue to follow through on her vision to
help bring the new green economy to scale and make quality health care affordable and accessible to
everyone,” Mikalsen said on Tysvar's Web site. “We wish Lois all the best as she assumes her new position
at the State Department. Her vision and leadership will help improve health care delivery and access for
millions of people around the world.”
On Earth Day Lois Quam gave a speech at the University of St. Thomas on the emerging opportunities in
the NGE after which she said, “I enjoyed sharing …how we can all use these key capabilities as a platform
for doing something you love. Imagine: helping to build the NGE with a purposeful passion. It doesn't get
much better than that!”
In another speech she illustrated her philosophy:
The change required to combat climate change and conserve biodiversity will create a change in
business and society similar to the Industrial Revolution. The new energy realities require nothing short
of an energy revolution, a thorough retooling of our energy economy in ways that match up with the
realities of the 21st century. It will affect every aspect of daily life and business, creating an immense
set of opportunities for investors, businesses and individuals.
For investors, there are highly diverse and immense opportunities to create and scale new sources of
energy, adapt our current methods of production and improve daily life in ways that drive down global
warming emissions.
It will also create unprecedented depth and breadth of opportunities for businesses and investors….
clean energy will always be in strong demand …the world will always have massive energy needs, and
they will always have to be balanced against the needs of the environment …the clean energy industry
is fueled by the laws of nature—and there is no force as powerful or promising.
Think about what we can achieve working together at this conference and as a region …and think about
the time sometime in the future when our work is reaching critical mass, when our environment is
safer and our energy is cleaner, when we too will have our eureka moments, our moments of life-
changing and world-changing discovery.
As individuals, organizations, and countries answer the call for action, we look forward to achieving Lois
Quam's vision of the future.
Assignment Question(s):
1. How does Lois Quam use emotions and moods in her speeches to convey her viewpoint? Cite
examples to support your statements.
2. Based on what you have learned about Lois Quam, create hypotheses about the attitudes of her
colleagues at Tysvar while using the three basic components of attitudes in your theories.
3. Take a moment to research the Global Health Initiative. Why do you believe Lois Quam was chosen to
lead this program?
4. Research question: Search news reports, Web sites, and blogs to find out more information on Tysvar.
How is the company faring in its quest to make the world cleaner and safer for future generations? What
implications might that have on Tysvar's employees, their attitudes, and job satisfaction?
Answer preview :
Word limit : 635