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tomorrow, the company that i work for turns five years old...

that's not a big deal to most. after all, lots of small firms have made it to five years, only to fail down the road. hell, lots of big firms have made it five years only to fail down the road...

but i remember very well about 5 years and 2 months ago. my boss took me and another close compatriot to lunch. and on the way he broke loose the bomb - i'm leaving... i'm starting my own firm... i'm tired of the bullshit that i've been dealing with and i've got the support of my wife. and i'm done...

i remember that day so well because i felt abandoned in a way. but i soon realized that it was the best thing for him. he deserved better. he had earned what he would never be given. and i was happy for him...

then about a month after he left, he called me. wanted to go to lunch. and over the next month, we figured out how we could make it work. and by make it work, i mean - i could go work for him. along with one of my best friends. we were about to make a leap of faith - all of us - in a vision for a better job, and a better life...

on july 12, 2001, i went to work for a one-person firm that immediately became a three person firm. we spent the next couple months doing small work, not knowing where the next job would come from - but believing in who we were. we worked out of my boss's garage. for two months. oh my - that feels like a lifetime ago...

today, we're ten people. in 9 months, we're moving to our fourth office space. and we're doing work that is eons above where we came from or where we began. we have a vision. and while we're not perfect, we have incredible people and a great philosophy and a tremendous direction. and we honestly believe in doing great work...

so for our fifth anniversary, my gratitude goes out to my boss and to my co-workers and to my profession. because i love what i do. and i appreciate who i work for and who i work with. and i look forward to the next five years - with the very acute memory of where the last five have taken us...

congratulations, dennis. and thanks for inviting me all those years ago to be a part of it...