While watching a recent documentary on a U.S. military operation in the Middle East, the commander in charge said, “to be part of a military operation is to be part of something bigger than you.” I have always felt the same way regarding our role in business. The truth is, no matter what role we play in our organization, all of us have a limited window to make a positive impact. Nobody achieves success on their own, without everyone working together. Our obligation is to be good stewards of this company. We wish to leave a healthier organization for future generations of employees; all while providing a safe and positive workplace for our employees, being mindful of our impact on our environment, and giving something back to those less fortunate in our community.
I cannot help but think Bill Pettibone felt the same way because after over seventy years of his family’s stewardship of CCC, he transitioned ownership to a team of executive employees. In doing so, he felt this provided the best scenario to ensure the continuity of his family owned business for future generations. It’s hard to believe that transition occurred a little over three years ago, and just like when it was family owned, we have had our share of challenges and success stories. I am proud to say, because of the fine team of employees pulling together at CCC, we achieved a new milestone in 2017 with Group sales exceeding four hundred and eighty million.
Success never comes easy. We continue to face many challenges within our industry, including an aging and shrinking workforce, tighter schedule demands from our customers and increasingly complex regulations. I’m proud to say that through the dedication of the fine team at CCC, we continue to meet those challenges and find success in spite of those difficulties. Congratulations to all of you at CCC for being part of the dedicated team to meet those challenges head on and achieve a new record sales volume. The achievement of this milestone is a great compliment to all of our employees.