Dear Tension Associate,

As you likely know by now, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This year, I am very much looking forward to being together with our family. Our middle daughter, Kate, will be home with us along with my sisters and their husbands and our niece, nephews and cousins. Unfortunately, our son, Matthew, and our daughter, Caroline, her husband, John, and the newest and most important family member of all, our five month old granddaughter, Eloise, will not be here. Fortunately, Eloise and Caroline just visited for five days and our whole family will be here in a few weeks for the holidays. We are very excited. Bert, at 99 years old, is now a great grandfather and is looking forward to being with his family. 

Each year I write this Thanksgiving letter to the Tension Family. Before I started writing this year, I reread my letters from the past three years, starting in 2019. As I read them, I was struck by just how much has occurred since my 2019 letter which contained no mention whatsoever of Covid. Within months, the pandemic would upend the lives of every person around the globe. We have come a long ways from the beginning of the pandemic to today where I am happy our lives have returned to a more normal state. I share your relief that we have come so far, but there are still 40,000 new cases of Covid reported to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) each week. Out of caution, if you have not gotten vaccinated and boosted please do so for your own safety and that of your family, friends, and coworkers.

Though there is much about 2022 that has returned to a more normal state, what has not changed to the extent we would like is the challenging operating environment in which we work each day. For the most part, the shortages of paper and people have gotten only slightly better, in spite of all the efforts made by the Tension team. We see the supply of paper improving slightly and our hope is that the trend will continue in 2023. 

Thank you very much for all that you have been doing and accomplishing during this challenging time. Your dedication to succeeding in each phase of the business is reflective of why Tension is viewed by our customers, and the marketplace in general, as the leading organization in the industry. I have never received so many appreciative comments from our customers as I have over the past two years because collectively, we have kept them supplied with the highest quality products delivered in a timely fashion that allows them to run their businesses with greater certainty. This is a significant accomplishment as our competitors have fallen short of the high performance standards we have set. Not only are our customers appreciative, but so am I, as I know that what you accomplish each day and make look easy is anything but easy.

Further, what has distinguished the Tension organization during this time has been teamwork—not only working together to produce quality products, but the teamwork that reflects the care and concern you have for one another. The organization has learned to work together better, communicate better, and support one another better than we ever have. That is a great credit to each individual and the team, and I know we will continue to improve even more.

As we head into this Thanksgiving and holiday season, let’s remember that we have much to be grateful for. I am grateful for the Tension team and its resilience. The past three plus years have not been easy, but whatever adversity has come our way, I am inspired by the way the Tension team has come together and responded to the challenges with its positive attitude and innovative approaches. There is no playbook for success for what we have experienced the last three years, but if there was one, the Tension team could have written it.

I hope that you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving and celebrate this year with a sense of gratitude and optimism. Please reach out to those who are important in your life. Continue to demonstrate kindness and concern for others. As always, take the time to rest, relax, and exercise. Enjoy all the preparations, cooking, and eating that comes with the Thanksgiving holiday.

Most importantly, be safe and stay healthy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Warmest regards,

Bill