Dear friends,

Welcome to our November 2007 Thanksgiving edition of BIC — your Business & Industry Connection. Our Thanksgiving issue is always one of my favorites because it gives me an opportunity to write about a subject that is near and dear to my heart — thankfulness.

I’d like to begin this issue by thanking all of our staff, BIC readers, contributing writers, suppliers and BIC marketing partners who make BIC North America’s No. 1 multi-industry, multidepartmental magazine. Thank you, and God bless you all.

When I was a little boy, my family blessed God at least four times a day. We said a blessing before every meal and before going to sleep at night. My parents and grandparents were firm believers that children who were trained to be thankful and courteous would have a better chance of growing into adults with the same values. They were raised in a family that worshiped regularly and counted their blessings each day, both in good times and bad. The idea of saying “yes” or “no” instead of “yes/no ma’am” or “yes/no sir” was not even an option.

“Thank you” and “please” became a part of our vocabulary when we learned to talk, and it remains a manner of respect in our family that has been passed down for generations. My wife, Bodi, and I are especially thankful because our daughter, Dane, married a young man — Thomas Brinsko (now president and COO of BIC Alliance) who also learned about courtesy and thankfulness at an early age. Like Bodi and I, Dane, Thomas and their children not only worship together, but they also treat others with courtesy, kindness and respect.

Recently, at The Center for the Advancement of Process Technology’s Critical Issues and Best Practices (CIBP) Training and Development Pre-Conference where I was privileged to be a keynote speaker, one of the presenters asked the attendees to write down a mission statement for our companies. Immediately, I wrote down BIC Alliance’s mission statement of connecting people in business and industry for the betterment of all. As I glanced around the room, I noticed that some responded immediately and others seemed to hesitate before writing. I couldn’t help but wonder how many folks in the room or who read BIC actually have mission statements for both their professional and personal lives. Just the day before, I had encouraged the same audience to have a written mission statement for both their business and personal lives.

Here at BIC Alliance, each of us submits our business mission plan every year during the fourth quarter. Additionally, I encourage everyone to submit a personal mission plan, so that others can help achieve those goals. I found that like courtesy and kindness to others, planning ahead is contagious. One of the great things about courtesy, kindness and planning is that the more folks do it, the more others around them respond in kind. This actually has a name — the Law of Reciprocity. When we’re thankful and kind to others, they will respond in kind. It is the same way with sharing referrals, tips, etc.

It is the same way with enthusiasm and work ethic. Excitement generates excitement just as indifference, complacency and mediocrity generate low morale and a poor environment. I experienced this when I attended the recent LSU vs. Florida football game. LSU’s fans became more and more excited, even when their team fell behind late in the game, and it became contagious. The players caught that excitement and went on to win the game. I have been attending LSU games since I was a youngster, and I have never felt more passion in the air. At the time of this writing, LSU was 6-0 for the first time since 1973, and was ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in almost 50 years.

As you read this issue of BIC, I believe that you will understand why our staff and BIC readers have so much for which to be thankful. We have great articles about excited and enthusiastic folks in industry, written, edited and published by folks who are excited about our mission and thankful for the opportunity to share good news.

Good news in this issue of BIC includes Cytec President Jas Gill’s look at the big picture and Site Manager Jim Hodges’ plans for expansion at Shintech in Texas’ Chocolate Bayou area. We also explore issues important to industry, such as the Spill of National Significance exercise program, the new Houston Ship Channel Security District and the “Big Crew Change.”

In this time of thanksgiving, we encourage you to pass the good news you read in BIC along to your business associates, clients, co-workers and others for whom you are thankful and with whom you want to share the message of safety and best practices in industry contained in the pages of BIC. And, as always, we invite you to be a part of the BIC Alliance team by sending us an e-mail with your news of what is going on in your company and your community, as well as any suggestions for topics that you would like to contribute an article on or about in BIC.

Additionally, we hope that you will refer your friends and colleagues to www.bicmagazine.com, where BIC magazine is being read in its entirety online. Our goal is to double BIC’s readership, and you can help! Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving!

To contact Earl, you can e-mail him at earlheard@bicalliance.com.