And as we look forward to 2009, today I wanted to also look back as it is the twentieth anniversary of my joining The Dow Chemical Company. These days twenty years seems like, and is, a long time to be with one company, and I wonder whether it will be possible or even desirable to do so in the future.
As I look back, these are years that are filled with great memories: good friends, wonderful experiences, hard work, achievements, disappointments, lots of fun, departed colleagues, but always a sense of personal and professional development. Dow is a company I specifically selected to join, and I'm glad I did and I trust that Dow is glad too.Of course those twenty years coincided with the courtship and marriage to my wonderful partner Monkey. Frankly this is also the anniversary of her twenty years with Dow, and this journey has been a shared one and any success I have had along the way could not have happened without her unwavering support.
And then there are our terrific kids Bear and Dragon -- born "on the road" as we moved from location to location, and who have had the benefits of seeing the world but have had to balance that with not always seeing enough of their Dad and their extended family. They are growing to become wonderful people and we are very proud of them.
So twenty years has passed oh so quickly. We look forward in a crazy world to the certainty that what's really important are our family and friends and the time we have together. This wasn't meant to read like a farewell speech (it isn't) but it is perhaps an appreciation speech for all of you have made this past twenty years one that I look back on happily. It also reflects me missing my family as I sit in a hotel room on the wrong side of the planet on a business trip (again). So onwards towards an exciting 2009 -- let's make the most of it!
