Welcome to the first year of the rest of your life. Say what you will about 2020, but getting into 2021 has never been so welcome in my life. Things got to be better, right? Just agree with me on this one.

When I throw a party, I usually don't expect a lot of people to show up. When I have a few friends over, I'm happy if one or two show up at the door.

Now more than ever before, it is imperative for finishing and coating shops to have partnerships with suppliers who are responsive and responsible. In the world we live in today, having experts at your fingertips to call on to help when assistance is needed could be the difference between jobs going out the door on time or losing jobs ($$$) altogether.

As we head into the final quarter of 2020, most finishers and coaters are looking to put this year behind them and have their eyes set on next year. Truly, with what has occurred this year, looking forward to tomorrow is sometimes the only thing most in the industry can do to shake what has been a hellish year for many.

No matter what I do in this business, there is nothing more satisfying to me than telling the story of entrepreneurship and ingenuity. And that all starts with the people who own and manage the coating and finishing shops in North America.

I can’t tell you how many finishing and coating shop managers and owners have told me over the years how they started out racking parts or running a forklift, and now they are calling the shots. Even the ones who were brought up in the family business often gleam with pride knowing that they earned their current job through hard work and pushing a broom.

I’ve never had to meet payroll. I’ve never had to put money on a credit card to keep a business afloat. I’ve never had to go without a paycheck as the owner of a company in order for my employees to be paid. In other words, I have no idea what it is like being the owner of a finishing or coating operation, or any business in the U.S. for that matter.

I’m back. Did I miss anything?