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On New Year’s Eve, everyone at OWC received a very encouraging letter from our Founder and CEO, Larry O’Connor. After reading it through, I reached out to see if he wouldn’t mind posting it on the Rocket Yard blog. Why? Because I believe that the more we share the heart and soul of the man behind OWC, the more you understand who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Larry leads us by his example, and by his example, we serve you!
– OWC Mark C
Thursday, December 31st, 2020 Woodstock, IL
Happy New Year, Team OWC!
This has been a year like none other. I can say that about most years, but the enduring challenge of 2020 is neither of our choosing or doing. While the challenges remain going into 2021, I am confident there is real light at the end of the tunnel and an endpoint to the worst of what Covid-19 has made our world’s “temporary” normal.
Even with the Covid-19 headwind, we’ve navigated a path of growth and opportunity that should drive an amazing 2021. Our Software and Hardware teams have never gone idle. Innovation has continued at a breakneck speed. We’ve introduced—and have in the pipeline—an amazing outlay of solutions people around the world need and are benefiting from. Our excitement is further bolstered by the many recognitions received from industry authority organizations, and with more to come next at CES.
We never laid down. We never stopped. And while being prepared for the worst, we operated looking for the best and stayed the course. OWC invested and even doubled down to be ahead of the curve, delivering what our customers need today and readying ourselves for their needs tomorrow. The world doesn’t stop, and neither do we. Together we have come through 2020 with our vision not only intact but proven.
None of this would have been possible without our onsite teams that kept the lights on, the products flowing, the payments rolling, the IT infrastructure humming, and the safety protocols engaged. While we were ahead of the curve and well prepared to deal with Covid-19, I sincerely appreciate the trust placed in our leadership concerning the safety provided at our OWC facilities. The health and safety of everyone at OWC are paramount. We don’t exist as a company or a culture without this being a core value and concern. Thank you all for your commitment to everyone’s safety on-site, too. I know it was an adjustment for everyone.
“Work From Home” has now become a real part of our program – just as it has for many across the globe. In record time, all of our team members who could make the shift to WFH did so. The success achieved will redefine how we operate going forward. It also removes geographical limitations when it comes to the talent we need to make OWC go further and faster, and convert opportunities to the benefit of all. Kudos to IT and our overall management team for the amazingly swift, successful, and necessary transition to this WFH state.
We never give up. We never back down. We even continue to make strategic acquisitions that further align and enhance the Intellectual Property we already have – and combining them for a sum of the whole that is far greater than its parts. The value and importance of IP being built—and its solutions—are not always visible right away. Great IP, and the solutions implemented from it, do not just appear overnight – they take time… But I promise you, as I’ve done so in the past, more amazing things are yet to come. I’d like to say the best is yet to come, but I can’t because it’s kere now – all around us. Because the “best” is what Team OWC already maintains – continuing to build and deliver better and better products each day as we and get better and better ourselves in the process. Some big leaps are coming in 2021!
All of us at OWC made 2020 a year to remember for a few of the right reasons. We prevailed and will continue to excel in the face of unprecedented challenges. Together we are strong and prepared to take 2021 to new heights with more of the challenges we choose to pursue, conquer, and deliver on.
Let’s not let our guard down. None of this just comes to us naturally – we work hard for it every day. We are here for our customers and will never stop finding ways to be better and offer more of the right solutions for their needs. We also do this by taking care of each other and taking the right steps to keep all of our team members and their families safe and supported.
Goodbye 2020, hello 2021…. May you all have a Happy, Safe, and Healthy New Year! There is light at the end of the Covid tunnel – let’s all stay the course, keep crushing it, and be ready for a new, post-Covid-19 norm that’s around the corner. We need to get there first, and together we will!
Larry O'Connor is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Illinois-based Other World Computing (OWC®). Starting as a one-man business in 1988, O'Connor has provided the leadership and vision to establish OWC as the leading provider of technology products and services today.
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