Flow Control - Jan 2012
viewpoint Through the Struggle V G G RAND V I E W M E DIA G ROUP John P Harris 205 408 3765 john@ grandviewmedia com Asociate Publisher MICHAEL C CHRISTIAN 732 200 5963 mikec@ grandviewmedia com Executive Director of Content MATT MIGLIORE 610 828 1711 matt@ grandviewmedia com Managing Editor Amy W Richardson 859 317 9763 arichardson@ grandviewmedia com DAVID W SPITZER JESE YODER Art Director julie@ grandviewmedia com Marketing MANAGER MARY BETH TIMMERMAN SUBSCRIPTION Reprint REQUESTS flowcontrol@ halldata com Administrative Team General Manager Vice president of Operations Vice president of marketing Director of Circulation Fulfilment CIRCULATION MANAGER Circulation Analyst Vice president of finance brad youngblood Editorial Advisory Board Larry Bachus Bachus Company Inc Gary Cornell Blacoh Fluid Control Jeff Jennings Equilibar LLC Peter Kucmas Elster Instromet Jim Lauria Amiad Filtration Systems James Matson GE Measurement Control John Merrill PE EagleBurgmann Industries Steve Milford Endress Hauser U S David W Spitzer PE Spitzer and Boyes LLC Tom Tschanz McIlvaine Company John C Tverberg Metals and Materials Consulting Engineers Jesse Yoder Ph D Flow Research Inc WINNER PUBLISHER Columnists Larry Bachus julie flynn BARRY LOVETTE BRENT KIZZIRE HANK BROWN DELICIA POLE STACIE tub Anna Hicks WINNER WINNER WINNER U nless you staked a claim to a piece of land in a remote swath of wilderness and have been living the life of Thoreau at Walden Pond your experience over the past few years of the Great Recession probably feels as if each time you pulled yourself up off the mat there was another punch in the stomach waiting for you So as we begin the 2012 campaign most folks including yours truly seem to be tiptoeing about looking back and forth waiting for the next batch of bad news to come However for the sake of kicking the new year off with a touch of optimism the following items in particular have me entering 2012 with a little more hope than I have in recent years past 1 According to the Institute of Supply Managements Dec 1 Report on Business economic activity in the U S manufacturing sector expanded in November for the 28th consecutive month and the overall economy grew for the 30th consecutive month The report which is based on data compiled from purchasing and supply executives nationwide shows that while world markets remain turbulent U S manufacturing has trended upward for an extended period 2 According to a year end report by Industrial Info Resources project construction starts in North America posted positive growth in 2011 when compared to the year prior up an impressive 299 percent Industrial Info reports firms in North America have continued to invest capital equipment and maintenance outlays in select sectors such as oil gas renewable energy automotive and mining 3 Finally based on my conversations with end users and equipment suppliers 2011 was by most accounts a strong year And while there is concern about the European debt crisis the risk of prolonged gridlock in Washington and general uneasiness following the harsh period of recession we seem to be emerging from the folks I chat with on a day to day basis are mildly optimistic Taking the aforementioned items as a barometer of more promising times to come I enter 2012 with lessons learned through the struggle of the past few years 1 Dont Get Wrapped Up Faced with an onslaught of bad news and truly shocking events say for example Arated financial institutions going kaput it was at times difficult to see anything but doom and gloom ahead My solution was to stop looking toward the future and push forward with a bull headed short sightedness focused on the goals of the day Hours became days days became months months became years and I got a lot of work done along the way Now as I take this opportunity to look up the landscape seems a bit more promising 2 Seize the Opportunity to Self Reflect Reinvent Here at Flow Control weve used the past few years of recession as an opportunity to self evaluate and bolster our foundation Among the most obvious examples of our recent efforts along this line are the introduction of a fully redesigned website FlowControlNetwork com and the hiring of our new managing editor Amy W Richardson Now as we enter what appears to be the early stages of an upswing we are well positioned to capitalize on business opportunities as market conditions improve 3 Recognize Your Good Fortune Finally going forward perhaps my most important lesson learned is that I need to be more mindful of my good fortune When I look back to late 2007 early 2008 the thing that sticks out in my mind most is that I didnt realize how well things were going I was so focused on keeping up with all of the work we had to do that I never took the time to truly appreciate our situation Now however I do take a minute here and there to recognize how fortunate I have been to have made it this far with my job in tact and no real financial turmoil to report And with this in mind my heart goes out to those who havent been so lucky and I wish you all good fortune in the year to come FC Matt Migliore Executive Director of Content Matt@ GrandViewMedia com WINNER 4 January 2012 Flow Control
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