December 1998
 President's Letter
As your outgoing two-term president, I will forgo the traditional recap of my year. Instead, I would like to share with you some thoughts about your business, the Chamber and the future.
Commerce is quite fundamental to us all . . . the buying and selling of goods and services. Our common interest of developing, understanding and succeeding in commercial endeavors is the reason we exist as a Chamber.
However, even during my two years as serving as your president, the fundamentals we have understood and accepted are changing forever.
In a word, it is technology.
Perhaps the greatest mistake we can make is to believe our business is securely tucked away in Plymouth, Indiana and is immune or protected from this technology monolith. Your business - any business - must be efficient, relevant, informed, accessible, productive and profitable. How well you succeed in achieving each of these objectives is directly linked to your use of the technological tools available to you.
Remember, while you may choose not to employ technology, you must assume your competition will. Can you afford that risk? I urge you to break down any barriers of intimidation and ignorance you may have. Technology is incredibly useful and must be embrace.
Your Chamber will be a leader in providing resources and information to
help you develop the knowledge you need. I commend Executive Director Doug
Anspach and his staff for their leadership and commitment to this task. I will be happy to try and assist you if you want to call me at U.S. Granules Corporation. Why don't you make a New Year's resolution to maximize the technology benefits to your business.
I am grateful to my board and committee members for their countless hours volunteered to make your Chamber an essential part of your business success. Finally, I want to thank my new bride, Nadine, for her support and you, the Chamber members, for making our work both interesting and rewarding.
Sincerely,
John C. Oliver, Jr.
President
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