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Mike Washbourn and wife, Eileen. After graduation, as Washbourn was beginning his professional career, the United States was undergoing an economic contraction. Although the 1990s proved to be the longest period of growth in the United States, one would not know it entering the workforce in the beginning of the decade. Late 1980s interest rate increases, new banking regulations, oil price shock, and debt accumulation factored into a short economic recession. Having been raised on Long Island in the shadows of Manhattan, Washbourn’s early goal was to work on Wall Street. He says that is what a young man growing up in that environment wanted; having witnessed his neighbors and others he looked up to doing the same. So he went to school to study finance. Armed with a degree in business administration and facing a difficult employment environment, he took a job selling insurance—sales being one of the few jobs available at the time. He realized a fondness for the customer service aspect of the job, and though actually selling insurance did not thrill him, he was good at helping anyone who came to him with a problem. At the same time—similar to today—mortgage failures were 26 MOBILITY/JANUARY 2010
hurting the real estate market. His next career step was into an entrylevel position as an assistant inventory manager in the REO division of Weichert Relocation. There, he learned the ropes of selling and managing properties and worked his way up to inventory manager. He quickly took a liking to real estate. He enjoyed the responsibility for the assets, working with customers, real estate agents, and banks, and was able to use the finance skills he developed in college. Like every business cycle, the recession of the early 1990s came and went, and as the volume of REOs waned, relocation began to pick back up. His boss and mentor at the time offered Washbourn the opportunity to get into the workforce mobility side of the business. He learned about counseling, as well as the ins and outs of rentals and homesales. He says that working directly with corporate transferees right from the start—how mobility works from the ground up—has given him perspective. And not just the mechanics of the business—the human side, too. Then, an option opened up at a client’s company, Warner-Lambert.
His boss gave him the opportunity to take over the manager role there. The corporate culture proved a great fit. Pfizer merged with Warner-Lambert in 2000, and Washbourn worked closely through the merger with Pfizer’s thenmanager of relocation services. After the merger closed, the Pfizer manager was promoted and Washbourn was offered the job for relocation. “I had to think long and hard about it, but ultimately Pfizer was a great company, it was a great opportunity, and it really made sense for me to take that jump. So he gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to join Pfizer and I was able to work in Manhattan for a little over four years, managing an on-site program that was global in nature.” Washbourn says he always has had an optimistic and thankful attitude toward life. He says that in his world, things happen for a reason. Looking back, he marvels at ending up in Manhattan after all. “It is interesting in life how people give you chances,” he said. “Like most others who land in this industry, relocation is not one of those things that you plan, but once it happens, you see what a perfect fit it can be for your skills and education.”
The Corporate Environment Washbourn has been with Pfizer since February 2001, and has watched the mobility program grow along with the company. After having a responsibility for both U.S. domestic and global mobility, he now focuses exclusively on global mobility. It has been a busy few months trying to create a global platform and launch new policies. He says reinvention is what this business is all about—determining the situation within a company, sizing up the situation with the global economy, and looking for solutions. But he enjoys the responsibility. “We’ve got people around the world