Monday, April 1, 2013

Blinders On!

For GWC Warranty, it’s been an eventful first quarter, highlighted by the successful sale of our company to Stone Point Capital in February (see the press releases on the home page of our website.)  After a sale process that practically consumed the GWC leadership team for much of 2012, we’re eager to be re-focused on our mission of expanding our sales team and products to better serve our growing customer base across the U.S.

Just after the transaction was finalized and we turned to the daily tasks at hand, our VP of Strategy and Business Development, Mike Melby, coined a phrase that has become our mantra for 2013:  "Blinders On!"  No matter the distractions, we are committed to continuing our superior growth and profitability trends in 2013.

With 33 consecutive months of year-over-year revenue growth, record sales and all-time-highs in earnings, I’m pleased (and a little relieved!) to say that the company is already doing just that.

With used car sales showing sustainable signs of life, vehicle availability slowly improving and buyers flowing into dealer lots, it’s a great time to be in the auto space. Success will go to those who ignore the trivial and focus on the critical, to which we at GWC eagerly shout “Binders On!”

What Am I WATCHING?  A Change of Pace...

Although I love books, I’m also very passionate about music, movies and, of late, great television.  Over the past few years, we have been enjoying what many are calling “The Platinum Age of TV”, with amazing, cinematic-quality shows debuting with regularity.  Networks like HBO, AMC and Showtime have taken outsized risks and dared to be great.  In the process, they have minted passionate  viewers of shows like:
Game of Thrones (whose return last night I’m celebrating at the moment!)

Breaking Bad
(can’t wait for the final 8-episode arc starting in July.  Who knew meth dealers could be so compelling?)


Boardwalk Empire
(whose prohibition-era characters get deeper and richer every season)


Mad Men
(for helping us view the ‘60’s through the jaded eyes of an advertising agency's various geniuses and miscreants)


Homeland
(with its intense spin on the cloud of terrorism we live under in 2013)


Even Netflix has gotten in on the action, with its original series House of Cards tempting us to binge-watch 13 all-new episodes over a weekend. And, by streaming classic shows like Twin Peaks, Netflix is giving a new generation a chance to savor amazing treats from 20 years ago that laid the groundwork for today's classy serialized shows.


It is really exhilarating to have shows like this coming into our homes as virtual palate cleansers for all the mind-numbing reality TV that has erupted in recent years.  If you’re loving these shows like I am, congratulations!  And if you haven’t, I envy you a little:  When you watch your first episode of “Breaking Bad” or “Game of Thrones” your fresh eyes will be embarking on a thrilling ride.