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Emerick Woods (MBA '81) is CEO of Vicinity Corp., a provider of Internet-based marketing infrastructure services, headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Vicinity's "clicks-and-mortar" solutions enable its clients to direct consumers searching for a specific product or service to the nearest bricks-and-mortar location that offers it. Vicinity's services are currently utilized by more than 250 diverse companies, including Barnes & Noble, McDonald's, and Nike.
In an interview with the San Jose Mercury News (January 17, 2000), Woods, an African American, commented on the underrepresentation of African-American executives in Silicon Valley. "Most executives tend to hire, recruit, and work around people who are like them," he said. "I don't think you necessarily have to have the same color skin. In fact, I know you don't. But you need to speak in a language they understand.
"The opportunities are there," Woods continued. "I'm certainly proof of that. It's just that we haven't achieved critical mass yet."
But with Woods as a role model, that day may not be far off. An active mentor, Woods said, "If I can open the door for five people who open the door for fifty more. . .before you know it, you're starting to make real change."
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