Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners by Jane Austen that follows the development of Elizabeth Bennet, as she grows to understand the repercussions of her decisions, and appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. I like to characterize the growth of Clearfield as “Pride and Potential.” Not that our story mirrors that of a 19th century work of fiction. More so, because we are proud of where we started and recognize the need to stay close to the base on which we are built – and we need to constantly seek out new adventures and opportunities.
Clearfield’s fiscal year wraps up at the end of September. Every year around this time, we hold our annual sales meeting to talk about the year that was, and look forward to the year ahead.
Our first sales meeting consisted of a half dozen people sitting around a few movable tables, pondering strategy. A half day and it was over. For this last one, we rented the amphitheatre at the Marriot Northwest. It consisted of 80 people (who have direct customer-contact every day) from 22 different states and 4 different countries. This one was 2½ days long. While the program was fabulous, it still felt rushed, because there was so much ground to cover.
We’ve accomplished so much — and we have even more potential in front of us. As we continue to focus on our Fiber to the Home and Business strategy, we are investing in all things fiber – especially the Fiber to the Antenna needs of 5G.
As the graph above explains, 5G is a key growth area. By 2025, it's anticipated that 5G will serve 34% of the U.S. population. The 5G market is believed to be more than a $200 billion sustainable opportunity.
Obviously, this is all coming about after countless hours of strategic planning by some of the best minds in the business. It’s ambitious, but it certainly can’t be said that we’re “putting the cart before the horse.” In fact, we like to think of it as “the trunk before the elephant.”
We are heading in the right direction, and we could not be more proud of where we’ve come from and where we’re headed.
That’s Pride and Potential.
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.