A popular Thanksgiving tradition is going around the table and professing for what you’re grateful. Here at Clearfield, we have another tradition: our annual Gratefulness Party. Saturday’s party was our 11th annual gratefulness celebration, as we have held it every year of Clearfield’s existence. (In fact, the first one, in 2007, is where we unveiled the name and logo!)
The website happierhuman.com reminds us that being grateful is a state of mind. It’s being consciously aware of the things around us, each day for which we are thankful. Sometimes that can be difficult. Many of you read how earlier in the year I lost my dad. At first, all you feel is grief. But now, I’ve watched my family establish a state of gratefulness for our memories and the strong family he left behind.
I am truly grateful. But I’m probably not very good at showing it. As CEO of this great company, my challenge is striking a balance between gratefulness for where we are/how far we’ve come and always wanting more.
But, I think there’s a big difference in pining for more and planning for growth. To that end, we just finished our fiscal year and reported a 5% increase in revenue. I am grateful for every Clearfield stakeholder — employee, customer, supplier, and shareholder – who made it possible. And, of course, now I want MORE. We are cautiously optimistic about 2019 and we are launching our 3-year plan we call “Coming of Age.”
You’ll hear a lot about the Three Legged Stool in our Coming of Age Plan. Our next phase will be defined by three major initiatives:
- Expanding our core Community Broadband business.
- Enhancing our competitive position and operational effectiveness.
- Capitalizing on disruptive growth opportunities
These initiatives will play a critical role in our efforts to continue to grow Clearfield as we continue moving forward and moving up.
But for now, I am doing a little soul-searching about how I can not only feel grateful, but demonstrate gratefulness. So, thank you! Thank you for allowing me to be a little self-indulgent in this blog each month. I appreciate the investment of your time to learn a little more about me, Clearfield and the work we are doing to make fiber-fed broadband a reality for more homes and businesses in the coming year.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
By Cheri Beranek
A founding member of Clearfield, Inc., Cheri Beranek is considered a communications visionary. Her extensive leadership experience and unique management style combined deliver outstanding corporate performance.
Under her direction, Clearfield has recorded 10 consecutive years of profitability and posted historic gains in both the market capitalization and shareholder equity. Today, Clearfield is a multinational business with more than 250 employees and over 700 customers.