Last year proved to be an incredibly successful year for HARDI, full of progress, growth, and remarkable ambition. As we move forward, I am proud to lead HARDI into a new year that continues the outstanding strides we made in the past year, and also forges new development that will assist in accomplishing strategic goals set forth in 2014. Together, we can take proactive steps to ensure that all objectives are met and surpassed in the year ahead.
I would like to begin by thanking Brian Cobble for his extraordinary leadership in 2013. His guidance and support led our members to unprecedented progress in the past year, and serves as a testament to his dedication and enthusiasm for the industry. I would also like to acknowledge all of the hard work that is continuously put forth by our active HARDI members. It is this time and effort that allows HARDI to encourage positive change within the industry and guarantee that our members maintain their competitive edge. We also encourage members who are not very active at this point to look to HARDI as a resource that can only enhance their business performance. As a member-guided organization, HARDI relies on your input in determining the direction we take in the future. Make sure your voice is heard. This year we expect strong member participation for the various conferences and networking events, as well as interaction with the incredibly useful industry benchmarking reports. It is our hope that these tools will help all of our valued members maximize business, further industry growth, and build beneficial relationships.