"The longer a big company waits to enter the world of e-commerce, the more it will have to spend to catch up," Perot told the audience of 300 of the region's top business and civic leaders who gathered for the Jan. 23 luncheon at the Boston Harbor Hotel. He said on-line commerce is expected to grow 87 percent in the next three years alone, and hit an estimated $3 trillion by 2004.
"This is happening, whether you like it or not," he said. "You can't maintain the status quo. You need focus, discipline, strong leadership and creativity.
"Creative people have always made the difference," Perot told the group, urging that the government and private business take an immediate and active role in the improvement of the American education system.
"In 1960, the United States was the best in the world" in educating its young people, Perot said.
"Now, we are at the bottom of the industrialized world. We are not going to have the intellectual talent we need" unless this trend is reversed, he said.
-Reid Oslin