I cannot believe it has already been a year since we celebrated moving into our new world headquarters here in Tumwater, WA! I must say that our new home is everything we thought it would be and more. We really appreciate the little things we didn't have at our other location such as having heat in all parts of the building, waterlines not freezing up, a loading dock, enough bathrooms for all our employees, a showroom that can hold more than two people, and a paved parking lot so when you pull up on your motorcycle you're not fighting gravel anymore!

I have given many tours at our new facility and we are really proud of our new world headquarters! If you are ever in town stop by and take a look. If I'm here I'll show you around. Or bring your club down and we will have donuts and coffee for your group plus you can see what goes on behind the scenes at Gerbing's.

It has been an exciting year for our new Microwire! Once again Gerbing's leads the way in innovation. Everyone is talking about it, writing about it, and is now wearing it! It is so lightweight, you can't feel any wires, it's military tough, and it's a whole new warmth once you put it on. I just came back from the San Mateo International Motorcycle Show and I was amazed at how many people were already wearing it and the response was overwhelming. I was SHOCKED to see how many people were dumping the other heated clothing brands that they had spent good money on just to get the Microwire jacket liner. I hear this all the time "I knew better. All my friends have Gerbing's but I wanted to try brand X and now I'm back where I should have been in the first place but with a little less money in my wallet."

We have also launched our new eXtreme Element pants and jackets. The reviews out on this combo again have been nothing less than stellar. We take what the customer wants and then produce it! Nothing is done without a full year of testing and getting feedback from everyone involved in the production of the garment!

Keep watching for our new Hybrid gear to hit the market this next year where once again Gerbing's will set the standard and will change how heated clothing is made and used.

On a personal note, my three boys are doing great. My oldest son Tyler is working in the R&D department and continues to impress me with his eagerness to get Gerbing's out to everyone. Detlef is three and is just charming the socks off everyone. Diedrick is one and is walking which means he is getting into everything. My daughter Jordanne was just diagnosed in September with a rare cancer called Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma, so the past three months my life has been in a fog. We have been flying back to New York and Washington DC for surgeries and treatment. My wife Wendy has been so wonderful in taking the lead and making sure Jordanne is getting into the best hospitals and seeing the best doctors. The outlook is good but it is a long climb!

I hope you all have a wonderful year!