Dear Friends,

I reached a remarkable achievement this week: "My company's 25 anniversary". It was back in a similar mild day in January 1983 that I drove to the Tarrant County office downtown Fort worth Texas with the intent to register the "Assumed name" of my new company. I intended to call my new venture "Specialty Restaurant Equipment corp" a name that was to explain to the future customers its true nature. I was told by the clerk at the courthouse that the name conflicted with another outfit from California that was doing business in Texas with a similar name"Specialty Restaurants". One of the choices I had left was to call my new company (my new baby) SRE specialty restaurant equipment corporation. Thus was born my new company that was to bring me all the emotions a corporate outfit can provide all the joys of corporate success and a few non lethal (Thanks God) failures.The roller coaster I rode the past quarter century has all the making of a Thriller movie, all the suspense of a NY Times nonfiction bestseller and all the adrenaline needs a man would ever need. If I had scripted "the next 25 years" at the time I doubt I could have dreamed of a better scenario than it actually unfolded. I still tell and have always told my audience since that at the time I invested $ 2500 (all the cash I had) and "Abilliondollars"in "Iwanttomakeit" currency of which I still hold quite a lot of in that special account I set up back then. That limitless amount ofenergy mixed with enthusiasm provided me with 25 years of uninterrupted success and an equal string of satisfaction that at the time I did not even attempt to dream of. I told Matteo my 13 month old grandson on the anniversary day that I dream of the day 75 years hence when he and his siblings and cousins would sit at a sumptuous dinner and tell all their children grand and great grand of a grand father of theirs that started the company "One hundred years a go today", I just wish he understood me but I doubt it. I will just in case intend to repeat to him that wish in the how many years I will have the fortune to do so.For now I hope to be able to preside to the 50th anniversary 25 years from now.

I thank all the customers, friends and family that made my dream a reality, and God for giving me the health without which I could not have made to 1 let alone "25".

I wish you all a happy and a prosperous New Year.

Domenic