Message from Gail Miller
I always find January as a time for renewal. The Holidays are behind me, the weather is cool and crisp—January seems to let me catch my breath and look ahead to a new year with excitement and renewed energy. It also makes me want to express my gratitude for everyone and everything that has enriched my life over the previous 12 months.
As we move now into February, with March just around the corner, I continue to feel gratitude, but I also feel pride for the impact you—our associates—and your families have on our company and the communities where you live and work. Together we have created the right to be identified with the word “honor.” Honor is carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage. Our history is rich with events and experiences that have earned us the right to be honored and the right to claim a reputation built on those qualities and values.
You are the engine that makes everything happen. You are the driving force and the strength behind the results—the wind in our sails, the backbone of everything we have accomplished or will accomplish. I never tire of bragging about our people, and I took the opportunity to do so at our annual Leadership Conference in January. You are the best of the best, and I honor you for your continuous dedication and thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. Without you, we are nothing.
In our Leadership Conference, I also had the opportunity to speak about philanthropy. It’s a very big part of who we are. Sharing our good fortune with others to enrich lives has become a hallmark of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. We reap blessings every day from the good we are able to do in our business communities. The rewards not only benefit our company and me, but they also flow back to you personally as each of you contributes to and becomes a representative of a company that cares about our neighbors.
Two other points I shared in Leadership Conference that I would like to share with you are patriotism and education. From our beginning in 1979, we have had a strong history of patriotism. We honor those who have preserved our right to be free, who have protected our right to perpetuate freedom and free enterprise, and who created a country where we can grow our businesses and where the American Dream can flourish. Please protect those freedoms by exercising your right to vote and letting your voice be heard in support of freedom.
Now to education. We believe in and support education. When we have an educated society, everyone benefits; we have stronger families, better leaders, prosperous businesses, and more compassion for each other. Some people have a formal education, but whether you have a degree or not, you can be a lifelong student by learning something new every day no matter where you are or what you are doing.
I encourage you to continue to use your time, talents, and energy to contribute to the communities where you live, work, and play to make them better for everyone. It is important to become part of the bigger world around us and contribute to the good of society in every way we can, whether big or small. Thank you for being seen and heard doing good, for being people of honor and for helping to move our company forward. I am grateful for each of you!