Lois Quam
Founder, Tysvar, LLC
After accompanying Will Steger on a trip to Norway and theArctic Circle, Lois Quam's interest in global climate change wassparked. There she witnessed firsthand the astonishing changes inthe polar ice masses and the resulting impact on wildlife. Inspiredby Steger's call for action to reduce global climate change, in2009 Lois Quam left Piper Jaffray, a leading internationalinvestment bank, to become the founder and CEO of Tysvar, LLC, aprivately held, Minnesota-based New Green Economy and health carereform incubator. In 2010, Quam was selected by President BarackObama to head the Global Health Initiative. This case is aretrospective of her executive experience at Tysvar.
“I'm focused on ways to finding solutions to really significantproblems and taking those ideas to full potential,” Quam said. “Iwant to bring the green economy to reality in a way that is muchbroader than financing. I want to focus on areas where I can makethe most difference bringing the green economy to scale.”
Tysvar works with investors who can create the change they wishto see in the world rather than simply reacting to events as theyunfold. The company is a strategic advisor and incubator of ideas,organizations, and people working to facilitate and build the NewGreen Economy (NGE) to scale. Tysvar's goal is to contribute to aviable, profitable, and socially responsible industry ofsustainability, clean technology, and renewable energy sources.
Conscientiously working to play their part to create a moresustainable world for the next generation, Tysvar's efforts includenew creation of NGE industries, jobs, and investment opportunities,contributing to building NGE public policy frameworks, trade forimport/export of clean technologies, and renewable energy sourcesaround the world.
“We stand on the brink of a very exciting time in the world,”according to Quam. The interest in developing renewable energysources to replace dwindling fossil fuel supplies and reduce carbondioxide emissions is worldwide. “It is a very difficult time in thefinancial markets right now to do this, but that will change. Goodcompanies will find ways to get things done.”
“I am an optimist about our future,” said Quam, “Which is why Istarted Tysvar. The challenges we face from climate change areimmense, but so are our capabilities, and the rewards and benefitsto humanity are even greater in the New Green Economy.”
Lois Quam named her company after the hometown of hergrandfather, Nels Quam. Tysvar is a majestically beautiful area inwestern Norway which is becoming a clean technology hub as part ofNorway's growing NGE leadership and will soon be the site of theworld'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 thereis much to learn from Norway: From balancing work and life,allowing parents to fully participate in the economy while stillbeing active parents, to how successfully Norway is immersingitself in new energy technologies such as wind and biomass. As anarctic oil producing nation with a carbon tax since 1993, Norwayhas reinvested its oil wealth to become a world leader in renewableenergy.
Internationally recognized as a visionary and leader onuniversal health-care reform and the emerging NGE, Lois Quamembodies the skill sets needed to succeed in this new economy.Named in 2006 by Fortune magazine as one of America's “50 MostPowerful Women,” Quam has worked as head of Strategic Investments,Green Economy & Health at Piper Jaffray, a leadinginternational investment bank; served as president and CEO of thePublic and Senior Markets segment at UnitedHealth Group, a $30billion division she helped create and run; chaired the MinnesotaHealth Care Access Commission, which led to legislation thatbrought health insurance to tens of thousands of Minnesotans; andserved as a senior advisor to Hillary Clinton's task force onhealth-care reform. She graduated magna laude from MacalesterCollege in St. Paul and went on to attend the University of Oxfordas a Rhodes Scholar, earning a master's degree in philosophy,politics, and economics.
Lois Quam believes the New Green Economy will produce highquality jobs, improve our national security via less dependence onforeign fuels, and prevent the most damaging consequence of all:irreversible and diminishing climate change. She and Tysvar arecommitted 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 necessaryto help rebuild the American economy and restore Americancompetitiveness worldwide.
Recognizing this, President Obama recently appointed Quamexecutive director of the State Department's Global HealthInitiative. This $63 billion project will help developing countriesimprove their health care systems, with a special emphasis onwomen, children, and newborns. In accepting this position, Quamdecided to step down as CEO of the company she founded and handleadership to Norwegian Terje Mikalsen, co-founder and formerchairman of Norsk Data.
“Although we are sad to see Lois leave the firm, Tysvar willcontinue to follow through on her vision to help bring the newgreen economy to scale and make quality health care affordable andaccessible to everyone,” Mikalsen said on Tysvar's Web site. “Wewish Lois all the best as she assumes her new position at the StateDepartment. Her vision and leadership will help improve health caredelivery 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 shesaid, “I enjoyed sharing …how we can all use these key capabilitiesas a platform for doing something you love. Imagine: helping tobuild the NGE with a purposeful passion. It doesn't get much betterthan that!”
In another speech she illustrated her philosophy:
The change required to combat climate change and conservebiodiversity will create a change in business and society similarto the Industrial Revolution. The new energy realities requirenothing short of an energy revolution, a thorough retooling of ourenergy economy in ways that match up with the realities of the 21stcentury. It will affect every aspect of daily life and business,creating an immense set of opportunities for investors, businessesand individuals.
For investors, there are highly diverse and immenseopportunities to create and scale new sources of energy, adapt ourcurrent methods of production and improve daily life in ways thatdrive down global warming emissions.
It will also create unprecedented depth and breadth ofopportunities for businesses and investors…. clean energy willalways be in strong demand …the world will always have massiveenergy needs, and they will always have to be balanced against theneeds of the environment …the clean energy industry is fueled bythe laws of nature—and there is no force as powerful orpromising.
Think about what we can achieve working together at thisconference and as a region …and think about the time sometime inthe future when our work is reaching critical mass, when ourenvironment is safer and our energy is cleaner, when we too willhave our eureka moments, our moments of life-changing andworld-changing discovery.
The answering should be from your ownwords.
1. How does Lois Quam use emotions and moods in herspeeches to convey her viewpoint? Cite examples to support yourstatements.
2. Based on what you have learned about Lois Quam,create hypotheses about the attitudes of her colleagues at Tysvarwhile using the three basic components of attitudes in yourtheories.
3. Take a moment to research the Global HealthInitiative. Why do you believe LoisQuam waschosen to lead thisprogram?
4. Research question: Search news reports, Web sites,and blogs to find out more information on Tysvar. How is thecompany faring in its quest to make the world cleaner and safer forfuture generations? What implications might that have on Tysvar'semployees, their attitudes, and job satisfaction?
