Wow! The Extreme Pond Build was the coolest, most exciting, successful event I've ever had the pleasure of participating in. And I have you to thank for that! Thank you for coming to Chicago. Thank you for sweatin' alongside your fellow CACs, WGE members and distributors. And finally, thank you for being an intricate member of the Aquascape community - the most passionate, most successful and most fun group of water feature lovers in the world! I'm honored to be among you.

Every man and woman should experience being part of something bigger than themselves. That to me is what makes the Aquascape community. It's not just our product offering but contractors, retailers, certified guys, distributor partners, vendors, supporters and the Aquascape teammates that are the number one thing that together makes us number one in the world. The mojo of positive energy that surrounded the entire Extreme Pond Build recharged everyone's batteries for the remaining half of the year. Without the Aquascape Community, work is just work. It's the relationships we make along the way, the people who make up the Aquascape Community that let us all know we're part of something bigger than just our own business (and that includes me and Aquascape itself).

Now more than ever, with economic uncertainty part of our daily lives, we need to rely on the network of people in the Aquascape community to stay successful. Case in point is the new opportunities with rainwater harvesting that for all intents and purposes, debuted with the Extreme event. Who among us is going to run with this concept and blaze a path others in the network can follow and expand upon?! And furthermore, what other new markets exist out there utilizing the same products - or new markets with new products still in development like SandSplash™? There's so much going on all the time in the Aquascape community that's being so freely shared. Is it any wonder why collectively we're the worldwide leaders in the water feature space?

When you give back you get back and the Aquascape Foundation was started to do just that. Utilizing the core competency of the network and putting it to work for the greater good of humanity is the ultimate mission of the foundation. With our winter trip to Africa and an early March trip to the Dominican Republic, members of the Aquascape community will be able to use their gifts to give to those with far greater needs than their own.

There's one more thing I need to mention because of its significance. For whatever boost you guys got during your annual visit to Chicago in July, we receive an equal or even greater boost from you! It's been a tough year at Aquascape and everyone being here in our home, workin' and networkin' for days-on-end really brings everyone's energy and spirits up. I loved the fact that we were at Aqualand the whole time and that you, our best customers, could be comfortable here and that the Aquascape teammates could be around all that positive energy. Your spirit always gives us a boost in the middle of summer. This year because of the format, it was the best ever for raising the morale of all of us.

Lastly, know this. Your business, our business and the Aquascape community is an ever-evolving entity just like it needs to be in order to stay viable in the future. Never have we had a more solid base to build on than we do now. With the economy, water shortages, even the EPA and just the daily grind of closing the next sale and managing the business together, we need to build off of that base. The Extreme Pond Build brought everyone together. The results of that event were magical and I’m not just talking about the water feature in front of Aqualand. The Aquascape community is alive and flourishing, which is what these few days in July proved. You're an intricate part of that community. Thank you for being part of something bigger than yourself.