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Francisco Morales '11

Francisco Morales '11
Venezuela, Spain
“Thunderbird professors are like a group of high-caliber consultants who are coaching the students on theory and how to apply it. They not only work with students, but also with businesses and government institutions around the world”


Francisco Morales '11

If you look closely, you’ll find the creative fingerprints of entrepreneur Francisco Morales ’11 on the products of familiar retailers throughout the United States, including L.L. Bean, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Royal Robbins.

And even though Morales has moved on to develop three different businesses today, many of his entrepreneurial ideas still exist in the corporate DNA of his initial employers.

Raised the son of a Spanish tailor in Venezuela, Morales says he never intended on remaining in the United States when he moved here at the age of 19; he simply wanted to learn the language for nine months. But when he discovered that U.S. institutions offered college degrees in textiles and apparel, he soon changed his mind.

“After graduation from the Philadelphia College of Textiles in 1998, I wanted to gain some first-hand work experience in the United States,” explains Morales. “I was hired by L.L. Bean out of Freeport, Maine, and in a matter of two years became one of the youngest managers.”

Shortly thereafter, Morales joined Dick’s Sporting Goods where he says he was able to put his entrepreneurial skills to work. “This was a new business at the time, and I had the opportunity to develop and introduce new brands, such as Ativa, that, today, continue to drive growth for the company.”

He then became a minority partner and eventually president of Royal Robbins clothing company, with the charge of growing the organization. “We doubled sales in less than two years and sold the business for double the original investment. And, in the process, we spun off a new business - 5.11 Tactical - and created a trading business out of Asia called Invigour8 Trading Co.”

Even with so much hands-on business experience, the 35-year-old Morales says he wanted to further sharpen his skills. “As a business owner, I am concerned with applying what I learn in school to my businesses so I can generate a higher return.”

From the moment he began Thunderbird's Executive MBA program in 2009, Morales says he was able to apply Thunderbird lessons to his three global enterprises daily. One of his roles is as president of a manufacturing group in Vietnam. “Our goal is to build a well-diversified apparel business,” he says. With Morales’s influence, the group continues to build and operate new factories that produce highly technical clothing for the outdoor, military, police and fashion industries. They have also diversified into real estate; expanded their fashion school in Hanoi; launched a B2C e-commerce platform in China; and opened two retail stores with their own brand, AK.

Morales is also chairman of the board for Washington-based New Forest Strategies LLC. He assists with corporate strategy as the company launches a revolutionary technology that enhances sustainably farmed softwoods so that they perform like hardwoods. The company has commercialized the technology and formed a joint venture to introduce BioCore™ wood to the U.S. outdoor market in 2010, under the DreamDex™ brand.

And finally, Morales also keeps his hands busy in California’s almond business. In early 2010, he completed the development of a state-of-the-art 250-acre almond orchard. “We worked with a group out of China to set up a joint-venture to process and distribute our almonds in China.”

Morales says he chose Thunderbird to make these businesses more successful. “Other business schools look at international business as one of the many subjects to cover, while Thunderbird looks at every subject with an international perspective. Globalization is here to stay. You can choose to embrace it and maximize the opportunities, or try to ignore it.” His choice is obvious.