A Message of Gratitude from Merritt Lane

Hi everyone,

I want to share a brief note of thanks to all of you for all that you do for CBC. Your constant commitment and professionalism is inspiring and much appreciated by all of us. I especially want to recognize all members of the CBC Family who are working today and who are away from their family this Thanksgiving providing our customers with the flawless service they have come to expect from CBC.  As you know, we continue to experience challenging market conditions that are, in many ways, the worst we have seen in our industry since the mid-1980s. Fortunately, we have a sound business strategy, numerous committed partnerships with our customers, some of the best employees in the business and an experienced management team who understands how to navigate through the market cycles. I believe that the combination of all of these assets and attributes ensures that CBC is built to last, but my greatest source of confidence is all of you.

Adversity reveals character. At times like these we must focus on managing what we can control and reminding each other that we can make a meaningful difference. I am even more confident these days that we have a strong and improving culture and an organization comprised of “ideal team players” who are indeed “humble, hungry and smart” and have the commitment to excellence as well as to each other that will create lasting success.

I love Thanksgiving as much as any of our holidays because it truly causes us to reflect on our many blessings. Regrettably, it seems that the discourse in this country is increasingly shrill and disagreeable. Our leaders in Washington spend more time tearing each other down than focusing on working together to build opportunities for future generations. Our media is so polarizing we can’t tell the difference between facts and ‘fake news’. How unfortunate to be so divisive when our country’s greatest strength derives from its diversity and granting of individual freedom. Despite this daily barrage of negativity, we should not forget that the United States remains the greatest country in the world and how blessed we are to be Americans. I personally try to filter out the noise, stay focused on making things better for the people and institutions that I love and to maintain an attitude of gratitude in my daily life. Remaining grateful and focused on improvement seems to make everything at least a little bit better.

“Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

My wish for all of you is that you and your family enjoy good health, safety, security and each other. Thank you again for everything and have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Stay S.A.F.E. !!

Merritt