immitt, I agree that we need to keep a (mildly) jaundiced eye cast at NVEI in view of its past guidance and direction issues. Having said that, I believe that we also need to "take new pictures" since our current management is clearly separable from the previous one and should not be held accountable for those prior misfirings.
And the new pictures which we take reveal a team
headed up by the estimable Mr. Cooper and various affiliated high quality team members and advisors.
I would like to think that he has had come on board only those who can help him reach his clearly-defined goals, maintaining a lean management profile, and retaining only those who produce the results he hired them for, dismissing those who do not. He is under some financial pressure at the present - until he rounds up the funds of which he recently spoke as nearing attainment - which is no doubt front and center in his calculations and which
is, imo, a prime motivator of his actions. To this consideration he must also titrate the
specific needs for the individual activities within the company. I can't imagine his not keeping such thoughts in the forefront of his corporate responsibilities. His prior signal successes as a CEO in corporate America inform this opinion and I - currently - do not see him as having made any misstep in his actions or pronouncements. I know that there has been recent conversation regarding a possible slippage of time - nothing wrong there that a bunch of money wouldn't cure. He could have had the boys in the backroom bend their backs to accomplish things sooner with that money, but it is my understanding that the lack of these funds "only" resulted in our being on time rather than a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Let's not forget that there is the general impression that he is conservative in his time estimates, for whatever that is worth. If this seems like a rah rah Cooper
cause celebre, my critical DD evaluation of Tom Cooper could not have led to any other conclusion.
JMHO.
hitimer - Rob
