Great Expectations
It is Time to Thrive
by DAN BARBER

We have all used the line, “it is the best of times it is the worst of times” from “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens, probably more than once in the past five years. Somehow the words resonate with me and reflect how we view our lives and our businesses.

To say the times have challenged us is an understatement. We have truly lived through swings of historic proportions in both directions. Yet those still in this industry must deal with what we have been given.

I would optimistically state that it appears we have more of this recession behind us than ahead of us. This is certainly a good thought. Managing our lives and businesses for the future will most assuredly be as tough as or tougher than the survival modes we have weathered.

I will still look to the recovery and the future with more anticipation as it will surely bring more pleasure back to our days. Some of the decisions and actions we have taken to survive as company owners and managers have been difficult to face and brought no joy.

To survive we have all done whatever we needed to do, including changing our business models and plans continually. Now as others have stated “it is time to thrive.”

Just how we do this will certainly take many different paths. We are all in the industry that provides for a basic life need—shelter; a need that is consistent across all persons but, like the weather, varies regionally.

My belief is that the common threads we will find that are consistent across all regions will be a focus on the principals that have served and preserved us to this day. These would be our core values of providing good product, service, or both, that meets a need in the marketplace and delivers it at a fair and reasonable total cost, not just a cheap entry price, but providing overall value.

Every article I have read recently talks about change, its necessity and importance. Unless we have made those changes we would not even be around at this juncture.

We must return to the real core values that built this great country; honesty and integrity in all we do. There will always be evil driving many decisions, but if those who care will grasp these values we will survive, thrive and find pleasure in doing it.

May God bless our great country and you as we begin this journey for 2012 together.

Dan Barber serves as vice president of finance and administration for Barnett Millworks Inc. and as AMD 2012 president.

DWM
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