I'd like to wish all of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year. I hope everyone had a good holiday and was able to find some time to relax with family and friends. Pat and I went to San Diego for a few days to visit family – I even got in a fun round of golf. We stayed in the Old Town section and each morning woke to the smell of freshly cooked tortillas in the air. It’s a great place to walk around with plenty of shops and restaurants - we may even have found a location for a future Master Dealer Kick-off Meeting.

I'm a regular follower of Seth Godin, and the title of his New Year’s post yesterday caught my eye;

<strong>"Do you remember?" A year ago, do you remember where you stood? </strong>

I do. It seemed like the bottom had dropped out of the economic recovery and I wondered if Aquatherm and our industry would ever be the same. Well the gloom and doom passed, we all survived and many of us even flourished. Aquatherm's international business grew to new heights and in California, AB 2249, which will add commercial solar pool heating to the existing California Solar Initiative Program was passed and signed into law. This program, which is scheduled to begin by the end of the second quarter, is legislated to continue until 2017. The program will provide rebates per displaced therm of natural gas that could equal as much as 50 to 60% of the cost of a solar pool hearing system. There are nearly 50,000 commercial pools in California and Aquatherm - along with our Network of Distributors and Dealers - is in the best position to make the most of this program.

Seth goes on to ask (compared to last year) if we are more trusted? More skilled? More connected to people who care about our work?

Have you become more trusted, more skilled at what you do and more connected than you were last year? I think Aquatherm has - I believe that the work we're doing today is better than the work we've done in the past - and the work we'll be doing in the future will be even better than the work we're doing today. Maybe it can be phrased as trust, plus skill, equals better connections to those whom our work really matters.

If you’re not more trusted, more skilled and more connected than you were a year ago, what can you do so that by this time next year, you will be?

While New Year's resolutions may rarely work, this is still an opportunity to take stock of where you are and set some goals in writing for the New Year.

Personally, in 2013 I plan on continuing to make more time for myself. Arriving at the office before everyone else, being the last to leave, taking work home at night and not taking a vacation rarely leads to getting ahead like we think it will.

We've all heard the safety briefing when we fly reminding us what to do if an oxygen mask drops down in front of us, right? I ask this question a lot of others - especially if they are a parent and have flown with their child. Their first thought of course is to put their child's mask on first - not realizing that they, themselves, may pass out while trying. You’re supposed to put your mask on first, so you can then help others around you. It’s good advice in life too.

I’m looking forward to seeing most of you in Las Vegas later this month. Every one of our Distribution Centers will be represented and all but three our Master Dealers will be in attendance. We realize this is a commitment of your time and effort – a responsibility we don’t take lightly, so we've been putting together what we feel will be one of our best Kick-off Meetings ever.