By R. Christopher Haines, President and CEO
It’s that time of year when we’re supposed to be giving thanks. A little fact about me – turkey and dressing is pretty much my favorite meal. Any time of year. But I’ll take any excuse to have a whole meal dedicated to carving the turkey. I know I’m somewhat downplaying the importance of the holiday, but I think that’s because I’m the kind of person who thinks we should be giving thanks every day of the year, not just in November. And if you read my blog you know that every November, I go on pretty close to this same spiel.
There’s nothing in my life I could have done or could still be doing without the help of others. I’m thankful for this every day. From my childhood on, there are too many people to mention who have helped me become the person I am today. Family, teachers, friends, coworkers, role models, mentors, the list goes on and on.
There are also many things to be thankful for when it comes to Marias. At Marias, I get to work with some of the greatest human beings I’ve ever known, internally and externally. Our staff members are dedicated, hardworking people. They give everything they have to help our customers succeed. I’m thankful to get to work alongside them.
Our customers are more than just a source of revenue to us. I’m grateful Marias allowed us to cross paths with people we may have never met otherwise. The same can be said for the software vendors and other insurance service providers we get to work with. Though the relationships were often strictly about work in the beginning, in many cases they’ve grown well beyond that. I’m thankful that my coworkers and I have been able to create some lasting friendships with our customers and partners.
One of the things that has amazed me the most, and that I am very thankful for, are the number of people out there spreading the word about Marias. Some of these people are longtime friends and some of these are people we just met. But many of our opportunities come from these people. They ask for nothing in return. They just see a company that may be struggling in areas where we may be able to help, and they get us connected. It’s a win-win for those companies and for Marias, but the people who introduced us didn’t have to go to the trouble to do so. It wasn’t their problem, and they could have just walked right on by. But they didn’t, and we thank them. We can’t ever express our true level of appreciation to these people who are out there spreading the story of Marias.
So give thanks. Not just on turkey day, but every day. The world is a lonely place without great people in your life. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.