I spend a lot of time these days thinking about our industry and where it is headed. I must confess, I have some very serious concerns about what I see going on, which makes me wonder about the future of our industry and the legacy we will leave for the next generation.
This industry has certainly been good to me, my family, my employees, and the many friends whom I have come to know and respect over the years, some of whom must surely share my concerns. A number of issues need to be considered, but the single biggest thing that bothers me is the “commoditization” that I see going on around us. To be blunt, some of what I see happening is just plain stupidity, born perhaps out of ignorance, fear, desperation or something I simply can’t get my hands around. I am referring to something my dad use to call “whoring up the market.” You know what I mean. We talk about selling value, while our actions exhibit something entirely different. It’s almost as if we are trying to outdo one another in our quest to be the cheapest guy on the block.