BILL RAFFERTY

Just finishing a race on the Baja Peninsula is a win! I would love to race again with my high school buddy in his class 1500 Baja VW bug. We were not fast, but we finished!

It was actually the birthday present I bought myself after the ARMA Staccato 2011 Executive Experience. I do love my new pistol. Staccato makes a fantastic product.

As first an Aggie, and secondly a longhorn, I would have historically said it was 11 plus one on the sideline ready to help. I really enjoy college football, just like so many others. But the stakes have become so high that even the Aggies had to make the appropriate decision to bow out of their bowl game this year. I do think the changes that lesson the exploitation of college athletes are increasingly needed, but I will miss the “good ‘ole days” of amateur college sports - when you took the field whenever given the opportunity.

I don’t know but manufacturers will be ready to face it head-on. The resiliency of manufacturers is amazing. I have seen it firsthand from the many that pivoted to produce PPE in the short term to those who still get production out despite all the supply chain, ices storm, and pandemic challenges of these past two years.

Attracting and retaining talent will remain our biggest challenge. Doing a better job of engaging and providing fulfillment to the next generation workforce is the key opportunity to accelerate to greater success.