The goal of building bridges between the Pacific Basin and the United States can be accomplished by focusing on economic considerations. Trade agreements, business and university collaborations, and the mobility of populations between the Pacific Basin and the United States serve as examples of common experiences and cooperation. As education in the workplace is becoming more of an integral part of what is done in the Pacific Basin and in the United States, then building a bridge is not as necessary as "retrofitting" the one that has already been created. The two communities share a similar belief about a correlation between education and economic growth. This commitment to education can be the foundation for retrofitting the bridge between academics and business. To increase production, the way corporations and the people in them are viewed must be changed. Clark's Effective Company Model (1993) defines the relationship between academics and business as one that encourages mutual respect between the two disciplines. The paradigm is based on the fact that teaching and learning is an integrated discipline directly linked to the success of the corporation. It accomplishes the goal of addressing teaching and learning at the workplace in conjunction with creating greater productivity and reinforces the belief that to increase productivity the chief executive officer (CEO) must make a decision representing a commitment to the people in the organization as it identifies the role of the CEO as the primary instructional leader, in an environment where teaching and learning is celebrated and rewarded. (Contains 11 references.) (YLB)