This past weekend I enjoyed a few days in Mobile, AL with my wife, as she attended an accounting educators' conference.  My main two jobs were to do the driving and explore area golf courses.

On Saturday the conference was over and there was free time to enjoy some of the local sites.  One of those was the battleship USS Alabama. The tour of the Alabama was enjoyable and very educational.  It was interesting to see the completeness of the ship.  It had everything imaginable for the completion of its task, from barber shop, to post office, and from a chapel to a jail, and 127 strategically-mounted guns in various sizes.  It was truly a floating fortress.  Having been on a few cruise ships, one thing we noticed right away was that the Alabama is not a very large ship compared to many ocean-going vessels today, but history records that it packed a very powerful punch and that her crew was cutting edge for the day.  The expertise of the crew of the USS Alabama was very instrumental in winning one of the more decisive battles in the Pacific during WWII, as she worked in concert with this rest of the fleet.

As we learned of the many perils that the Alabama and its crew had to endure during battle, different everyday I am sure, I was reminded of FICAP and our many producer members going through the perils of this current market and business in general.  We, like the Alabama, are not very big compared with many other companies, but we pack a powerful punch in good times and bad because of our ability to respond quickly to changing markets and, more importantly, to our customers' needs.  Like the expert crew of the Alabama, our battles are different everyday.  The reason we are so successful is because we, as owners and managers, are there in the midst of the battle daily. We can see first hand what is happening and take the appropriate actions immediately with "personal attention." 

The reason the Alabama was so successful was because of her preparedness, the dedication of her crew, and the unity of the fleet.  I believe we as independent concrete and products producers are prepared for, and dedicated to, seeing our companies through to the end of these difficult times.  It is the strength and the unity of FICAP, our education programs, and our free exchange of ideas, that will help us achieve this goal. General George S. Patton once said, "Always do more than is required of you."  I know we do every day in our businesses, and we should strive to also do it every day in our personal lives.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the Economic Forum on the 27^th, as we gather valuable information to chart our course for the future.