There will come a day when each of you will reach the fork in the road. One way will be straight and easy and lead to a life of mediocrity where everything is dictated to you. The other path is an ascending climb. The way is steep and demanding because the ones who came before laid the groundwork higher and higher with each passing.

The harder path leads to great achievements, great responsibility and great possibilities. I promise you that if you choose to accept the challenge of the climb, your life will change forever. The journey will bring you empowerment rather than power. Rising to meet the future will allow you not to dictate the lives of others through business but to give others inspiration through your own actions.

Some of the best days of my life have been spent sitting in a conference room with my father and grandfather, talking the days into nights. Think of our company’s conference room as the family’s dining room at home. We will sit there together and discuss business, family, life, education and helping causes. We will grow together as any other company in this nation but we will not be united by share prices or ownership. We will be united by simple family values and heritage.

Kambiz Merabi

New York, New York

March 14, 2002