Episode 100: BAL CEO Jeremy Fudge and Managing Partner Frieda Garcia Thanksgiving Edition

Episode 100: BAL CEO Jeremy Fudge and Managing Partner Frieda Garcia Thanksgiving Edition

This episode of the BAL Immigration Report is brought to you by BAL, the corporate immigration law firm that powers human achievement through immigration expertise, people-centered client services and innovative technology. Learn more at BAL.com.

In this week’s episode, BAL’s Jeremy Fudge and Frieda Garcia celebrate the BAL Immigration Report’s 100th episode, and gratitude for BAL’s exceptional clients, historic milestones and growth over the last 44 years. You can also watch the video of this podcast on the BAL YouTube® channel.

From Dallas, Texas, I’m Rebecca Sanabria.

Founded in 1980, BAL celebrated its 44th BAL-iversary last month with more than 1,200 employees committed to pursuing the exceptional on behalf of clients across six continents, including North America, Europe and Asia.

Along with an expanding global audience, today marks the release of the 100th episode of the BAL Immigration Report.

BAL CEO Jeremy Fudge and Managing Partner Frieda Garcia joined the podcast for this special Thanksgiving edition to share their gratitude for BAL’s exceptional clients, continuous growth and the extraordinary team behind oneBAL.

[The following transcript has been slightly edited for clarity.]

FUDGE: Frieda, how’s it going?

GARCIA: Great.

FUDGE: Here we are. It’s September. We’re in Dallas. We’re recording for the podcast, the 100th episode, right before Thanksgiving.

GARCIA: Super exciting, I can’t believe it’s 100 already.

FUDGE: One hundred episodes is a lot of episodes.

GARCIA: It really is, and Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year.

FUDGE: Thanksgiving. Fall is my favorite time of year. Football.

GARCIA: Food. Thanksgiving food is my favorite.

FUDGE: Fun. All the “F” things.

GARCIA: For Frieda and Fudge.

FUDGE: For Frieda and Fudge. You know, the thing about 100 episodes to me is it started at zero and in anything we do in life, really, going from zero to something is a significant journey. I think the podcast itself, going from zero, just an idea in someone’s head, Kelly Rayburn’s, and then going all the way to 100 episodes is significant. It’s significant from the standpoint of what goes into that to make it happen.

It’s significant from the standpoint of building momentum around it and getting a feel for what it is and that sort of thing. I think that’s symbolic of a whole lot of things at BAL that you and I have experienced over the years. You started a little before me at BAL.

GARCIA: Almost 24 years ago.

FUDGE: A few years ago.

GARCIA: February 2001. But even just thinking about 100 is so exciting because it connects to so much of, as you say, “We are BAL,” we keep getting better. We’re sitting in our own studio, which we, as we started this idea with Kelly, we were building on all of that and continuing to be better in how we record these and how we deliver them. So, it’s great to be in Dallas, where we now have a second building with room and equipment for all sorts of events that has taken us to a different level.

FUDGE: You said 2001 is when you started here. I started in 2007, so a little bit after you. But the firm then, in either year, is very, very different than the firm today. We’ve grown in people, we’ve grown in clients, we’ve grown in sophistication, we’ve grown in the number of departments, we’ve grown in the kinds and numbers of services we provide, we’ve grown in … you name it and we’ve grown in it.

What’s your memory of technology when you first started here?

GARCIA: Well, I came from a place of no technology, so having some technology was fantastic and it was client-based, which then changed to visa-based. It was pretty cool that you could click a button and your forms were populated, even in 2000 when I was interviewing at BAL.

But just to see how we’ve taken ideas that our people have and are the experts in — tech making us better to where we are today with AI. I remember back then, not just how we operate, but what the expectations were from the Immigration Service, with filing documents in different color paper and with different orders and making those switches, to them finally saying, “We still want you to file paper,” and they still do today, but now it can be just regular white paper.

FUDGE: What was the G-325?

GARCIA: G-325 was green, pink and blue.

FUDGE: Green, pink and blue. And then the yellow IRS form.

GARCIA: Yes.

FUDGE: And the blue G-28.

GARCIA: Which was the goldenrod, remember?

FUDGE: The goldenrod, yes.

GARCIA: The goldenrod paper.

FUDGE: Not this. This is not goldenrod.

GARCIA: It’s just been, it’s been an interesting journey. And I think with everything in life, you have to just continue to adapt and change and see how you can get better. But back then we had fax machines that were pretty active and we had, obviously, email was around then, but it was —

FUDGE: Getting to fax your LCAs in and get a fax back from DOL of your LCA.

GARCIA: I remember the days when Department of State would fax the Visa Bulletin to the office and that’s how you learned about changes in visa numbers. So it’s been interesting and it’s been fantastic in just being able to leverage the strength of BAL.

FUDGE: I think what’s cool about technology is, it started at BAL in 1997 before you and I were even here. It was at a client’s request or demand or carrot of an RFP that said, “You know, if you build a system, we’ll give you the work.” It was really one of the first substantial corporate clients that BAL had, which would have been 17 years into its existence at that point.

But it was an attorney and a paralegal converted over to technologists that built the first system. To my knowledge, I think it’s the first immigration system that was ever in the industry, period — from either a law firm or from a vendor. That genesis of things to me is really cool because again, it sort of started from literally nothing and now Cobalt, which is our product today, is one, two, three, four, at least five versions, distinct versions, although lots of subreleases.

It’s evolved so much and it’s embraced technology as technology has changed, and it’s adapted to what we need to do work and it’s adapted to what clients want. Here we are today with this award-winning technology. It wins all these awards and is featured in all kinds of organizations, even like the IEEE and stuff, recognizing it for what it is.

Just again, see that journey and the innovation that’s gone into it constantly, but also just the commitment to this idea of pursue the exceptional, which is sort of our mantra. Like we’re going to just keep constantly going, “How do we make this better? How do we make this better? How do we make this better?”

GARCIA: I remember David Berry in my interview saying to me, we have a system that will allow you to spend time with your client versus typing, copying and pasting and manually doing work, versus being more attentive to the client, versus being able to be a more thoughtful leader, versus investing time in how do I get this data transferred?

The mindset was there then, and it’s also continued to what we’re doing today with —

FUDGE: AI, machine learning and all those things. I think the roadmap for the future with us and then at some point without us is the same thing in the sense of just how that “pursue the exceptional” DNA is going to drive us towards right now in the shorter term, next few years, towards more automation so that the work is done faster. It’s done with higher quality, all those sorts of things around the servicing of information, the way people want it and how they want to receive and use it to how we communicate with them on and on and on.

GARCIA: And because it is Thanksgiving, I am grateful that we’ve always had a firm like this with that mindset, with that collaborative spirit that has taken all those thoughts that make us better and really dedicated to immigration and with a focus of “How do we make that journey within immigration the best?”

FUDGE: I think the reason that’s happened and been successful for 27 years now of technology development is the culture itself, which today we call oneBAL. It wasn’t called that originally, but 2013 or so that was coined as a phrase for us. OneBAL at its core, on the external, it’s sort of about teamwork and camaraderie and oneBAL for one, one for all, we’re all in this together.

At the core, though, it’s actually our business economic model and that is super unique. People don’t maybe even know that outside of BAL necessarily, but having a single profit center model, having a single pot of money that all the owners and leaders are in together, is actually what drives it because you can sit there and say, we’re about teamwork and put a poster on the wall of people climbing the mountain or the one with the hands. But if you actually then deal with money differently where people are fighting over it, they’re competing for it, right? They’re trying to maximize their own thing, then it doesn’t matter what’s on the walls.

But for us, because it is that actual money motivator — what you do in San Francisco or what Edward does in Boston or what Gabe does in Atlanta or Maria in Chicago — I want to help because I’m paid off of that at the end of the day, just like I am here in Dallas.

I think that actually drives the technology because most places don’t. They’re like, “Oh, I don’t want to spend money out of my pot on technology.” So you get this kind of weird dynamic where it’s like there’s a hindrance to technology development and innovation, whereas for us, two years in a row now winning on the best workplace for innovators in magazines, all those kinds of things happen because of the cultural piece, the teamwork thing, the oneBAL thing.

GARCIA: It’s the intentional “We’re in this together in everything that we do” — including how we invest. And I go back to, again, being grateful for how we were set up as a firm and what we, you and I, have continued and with the help of others, to ensure that we have that mindset of what’s good for you in Dallas is great for me in San Francisco and vice versa.

That makes my job easier, and immigration has its ebbs and flows and our clients’ needs change all the time. That’s how we’re able to just come together whether it’s enhancing technology or moving manpower around to help in times of different needs.

FUDGE: And it’s great for us culturally and for what it produces in that sense. But it’s also great because of what it does then for our clients, what it does for the industry even in general, because the best is always going to come to the surface. It’s always like all of us together giving our best to a client or whatever it might be.

I think you’re right to point out these three guys originally, David and Jeff and Warren, didn’t always agree on — you and I saw this — they didn’t always agree on things. They were different personalities. They were different kinds of people, but at the end of the day, they said, “But we’re in this together. We’re going to maybe disagree, but I’m going to agree on this for now and consent and go forward.” Sort of the Amazon Bezos thing.

I think that spirit, even though it’s now much more than three people, that spirit has really permeated everything.

GARCIA: You and I don’t always agree on everything.

FUDGE: We don’t agree on a lot of things, actually.

GARCIA: But we do know that we have the firm’s interest at heart.

FUDGE: We don’t know how the election’s going to turn out. You’re watching this after the election, but maybe we disagreed. I don’t know.

GARCIA: So we know ultimately we want the best for the firm, for the country, for the world. We’ve learned over the last — how many years are we working together, you and I?

FUDGE: Since I joined in ’07, whatever that math is.

GARCIA: Seventeen years. Almost 18 soon. We’ve learned that, yes sometimes you’re not going to agree on everything. I mean, it is good to have diversity of thought in my opinion. That’s what makes us better. So how do you get to a point that you know that you’ve ultimately got the entire firm’s interest in what you’re doing?

FUDGE: One of the other things I think that is in what you’re talking about is the trust we have in each other and each other’s intentions that makes us able to spark and not blow up and not fall apart. And that’s core to how we try to develop leaders here as well.

Leadership is a huge part of our culture. I think these guys modeled some of that back in the day, and I think you and I are trying to permeate that through everything we’re doing too. But that’s a big part of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and how we’re doing it is our leaders.

As you’re reflecting on things we’re thankful for, I think that’s another thing we’re thankful for is we have really, really good leaders who come into it going, I want to be part of a thing, a movement of sorts, not just about myself. And I want to think about what’s best for everyone and I want to put aside my own selfish desires and my ego and all these sorts of things.

I don’t know that every place has leaders like that, but I think we’re fortunate to have leaders like that.

GARCIA: I’m amazed that as we’ve grown — and if you go back 10 years ago we were half the size — that we’ve been able to keep that going. I think that’s also been intentional, and we talk to our leaders about the importance of not just the business mindset but the leadership component and being able to believe in what we believe in that’s allowed us to flex and grow in a very successful way.

Part of that is the different offerings that we have with our leadership development programs and how you and I interact with others and how we come to the table in meetings as well as in all-hands to show people we’re all real people. People can make mistakes, we can make differences, but ultimately, let’s focus on what’s important, which is moving ahead at BAL, making a difference to our clients and to the world.

FUDGE: I think the thing that’s unique about our leaders in all of that is that they have embraced the idea of, “I am here to take care of this team I have and I’m here, I’m stewarding this team. You’ve given me this team. I’m going to have this team for a while. Then I’ll pass the team on to someone else probably.”

That idea I think is super important because often in workplaces, people are viewing management in the traditional sense of “I’m the boss and you’re just the worker” and it’s this transactional thing — you do this for me and I’ll pay you for it. I think what we’re doing and what our leaders are doing differently is saying, “No, I’m actually interested in investing in you as a whole person.”

We built the whole EPT program and growth assessments and all those things around that. Because a better person at the end of the day, a stronger person, a person who has confidence, a person who is motivated and cares about what they’re doing, they see the impact they’re having in people’s lives and in the world makes for better business.

That’s the actual full circle loop of it. Some people sort of go, “Oh, it’s soft and touchy- feely and why are you spending time on those kinds of things?” Actually, it’s a very strong business imperative, which I think then creates the results: number this or that on best place to work list and great place to work and all these kinds of things.

GARCIA: I think you and I have seen the results of that, like the investment in people. It’s not just about the numbers, that’s part of it, but how you show someone you care in their development and what time you set aside for that and how you connect with people.

It’s been really rewarding when I’ve been able to see new partners come to the table in a way that’s very impactful and successful, not just for their team, but for the firm. And there is a human component that is often left out in the development of people. And that is something that we’ve always cared about.

FUDGE: Which is funny because that then drives what we actually are doing and the level and the quality of which we’re doing it. We’re constantly balancing this thing of people matter and performance matters, right? Because it does, because we’re trying to both at a mission level provide experience that makes a positive difference in people’s lives. And then at an aspirational level, we’re trying to power human achievement.

That doesn’t happen if people are not giving their all, if people are sort of doing shoddy work, if quality is not great, if productivity is not great, etc. I think what’s fascinating to me is to see that you go from something small to something tremendous.

Look at our NPS scores for client service, for example. As a firm, we’re pushing 80, some teams, some client accounts, they’re running in the 80s, 90s, occasionally even 100, which is ridiculous. Those are the best in the industry scores, right? Like no one touches that.

But it’s coming from this place of people feeling like I can and I want to give my best that gets those results, and so performance is high. This isn’t a place for everybody. We’ve learned that over the years. I used to think like everyone, but it’s not. It’s a really hard place to be in the sense of our expectations are really high. To me, it’s the equivalent of the Olympics or the Marines or something elite. If you are here and you get in the grain of it all and you understand and you can do it, you’re at the top, top, top of your game.

GARCIA: You know, that made me think of one of the most memorable times I have had. There’s been a few of these instances where we get — whether it’s an AOS crunch where the Department of State tells us that thousands of applications are ripe for filing in four weeks, where it is crunch time, it is that.

What I love is there’s always been a situation where folks raise their hand and say, “How can I help that’s different or that’s beyond my current assignment?” It’s a combination of grit, but also the oneBALness that we’ve always had. And I really do think it sets us apart, and it’s recognized by our clients because we’ve always been able to meet all of those Mount Everest sort of deadlines.

And you’re absolutely right. It’s not for everyone, but it is so rewarding to see the investments that we made. I’m always amazed how many people, even in those times, say, “I’m available if you need me to do more.” We’ve got great ways of measuring what’s on everyone’s plate, but there are times, unpredictable times. We’ve had our marketing folks opening packets of adjustment of status documents. So the whole firm comes together and that’s part of what BAL is all about.

FUDGE: To close, what’s one of your favorite memories of any form of BAL in your years?

GARCIA: I mean, there’s really been so many. Maybe I can’t do one, but like several oneBAL moments. For example, during the pandemic I spent a lot of time in our San Francisco office and our lease was up and we had to move out, but it was the pandemic. It was March 2020, April 2020. The new building was saying, “Well, you can’t move in yet because it’s the pandemic and we don’t know, we don’t have movers.”

The San Francisco office came together to put stuff in storage and find other offices to support and we really had the whole firm helping us get filings out, process our mail as the country or the world was working from home for that March-April time frame. There’s been many times like that where we don’t know what the future is going to be in those few weeks and we come together in a very remarkable way.

I also love that we have fun and we’ve had fun over the years in many different ways, whether it’s Halloween, BALcademy.

FUDGE: BALoween, excuse you, you said Halloween.

GARCIA: Oh, yes! BALoween, BALcademy. All these wonderful — BALentines — all these wonderful events. I love the combination of that oneBAL. We come together, but we love to laugh and love to have fun.

FUDGE: Which I think is honestly just a reflection of you and I. We’re both of those things. We’re like super hard driving. We want things perfect. We expect so much. But we also love to have fun and laugh and enjoy life.

GARCIA: What about you?

FUDGE: I think I would have all the similar ones to you too. I think probably the most meaningful in a sense is you and I do office hours every week. Anybody in the firm can come and talk to us about anything they want. You’ve had similar ones to me, and we’ve actually had some of the same ones because they come to both of us.

But I think that for me it’s, whether the person’s saying, “Hey, I’m about to leave the firm and I want to just tell you something,” or whether it’s someone who’s here and just wants to come tell us something. But those moments of true humanity and the impact, not just you and I, but the whole firm has had and the mindset of the firm has had on them and their life.

Even if they’re leaving — which usually is normally, like in most companies, it’s bad, right? But here, they’re literally coming in to go, “I just want to thank you for all that you and BAL have done for me and my mindset. I’m going to go pursue the exceptional somewhere else …” And you’re just like, holy crap!

Again, to go from something small to what we are today and the impact that has, I think it’s just amazing that we get to be part of that.

All right. Happy Thanksgiving everyone at home. Enjoy it!

GARCIA: Yum, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, my favorite.

FUDGE: We’ll talk again soon.

GARCIA: All right. Grateful for so much.

Visit bal.com to see how we’re pursuing the exceptional for all of our clients.

Find all of our news at BAL.com/news. Follow us on X at @BAL_Immigration. And sign up to receive daily immigration updates in your inbox at BAL.com/newsletter.

We’ll be back after next week’s holiday with more insights from the world of corporate immigration.

I’m Rebecca Sanabria. Thanks for listening.

Copyright

The BAL Immigration Report is provided by BAL. Copyright 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. This report does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Visit bal.com for more information.