Let’s get physical

Did you know 1: Ayala Land, Inc. president and chief executive officer Jaime Ayala keeps trim by playing volleyball in a sort of amateur league among fellow corporate executives.

Even then, Jim Ayala’s physique pales to that of his chairman, Fernando Zobel de Ayala, who is into all sorts of calorie-burning activities, in part due to his incurably sweet tooth.

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Did you know 2: Even RCBC Towers along Ayala Ave. is close to full occupancy in large part because of, uhm, more flexible rental terms.

Why, taking any elevator in this truly beautiful building is quite an experience.

Consider the people you may meet – from Popoy Juico checking up on De La Salle Professional Schools to one of the Yuchengco sisters going to Fitness First.

And the languages spoken! These range from those spoken by the career officers of different embassies to the weird English spoken by employees of call center companies.

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Rustan’s SuperCenters marketing and merchandising head Catherine Yu Tantoco isn’t shy about getting ideas from other industries. Take, for example, the practice in doctors’ offices of issuing sequential numbers to patients so that all will be attended to in the course of the day. Well, that’s now being done in the five-store Shopwise chain during rush hours.

The results are impressive. Customers are happy because they don’t have to crowd and worry about the creation of more than one line leading to the cashier. And the company is happy because of efficiencies created that lead, of course, to healthier bottom lines per store.

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Since quitting his day job in a bank, Milkin Corp. president and chief executive officer Ricardo Cuna has added joint venture opportunities to his franchising package for Fiorgelato. The joint venture set-up (with Milkin taking a majority stake) applies to bigger (in size) outlets which sell not only ice cream but also coffee and snacks.

As an advocacy, Ricky Cuna has taken time to talk to overseas Filipino workers – from entertainers in Japan to construction workers in the Middle East – on how they can make their money work for them when they return home.

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I’ve written as much but Cosette Romero of Fleishman Hillard would like to clarify the official corporate designations of the top executives of Isla Lipana & Co., a member of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Jerry Isla – yes, that’s the name in both his birth and baptismal certificates – is the company chairman and senior partner. Tomasa Hernandez Lipa is managing tax partner; Jose Lavares Jr., is managing director and chief operating officer and concurrent managing director for advisory and finance partner; and Judith Lopez is managing partner for the assurance or auditing services.