Donald Trump is NOT my President

It's time to finally turn the page into a New Year.

L. Brent Goates

Since my last entry much has transpired. Chief among the events in my life was the passing of my father, L. Brent Goates, on November 20th. It was surprising how many of his contemporaries and others seemed to pass during this holiday season. On the way to the cemetery in the mortuary limo, Patsy observed that it seemed so many people were dying, and she asserted most people seemed to die over the holidays. I challenged that statement, observing that people die every day. A brother-in-law, quick on the draw with Siri, queried, "What day do most people die?" The immediate response was a graph showing that Christmas Day, December 25th, is the number one day of the year on which people die. Who knew?

Dad lived a long and productive life. It seemed so appropriate that he died the week of Thanksgiving. We planned the funeral events for the Saturday following Thanksgiving, and providentially all our children and grandchildren except one family were in attendance. The night before the funeral, November 25th, we had a visitation for friends and family on what would have been my Mother's 91st birthday were she still living. Our missing family was sending a missionary off to Mexico and simply couldn't be in two places at once.

Dad's passing lifted a burden from my shoulders that was unexpected. He was the last of his generation on both sides of the family to pass on, and I felt all the uncertainty of his situation resolve in an instant upon his death as they rolled the gurney carrying his body down the sidewalk to the waiting mortuary van. It was the end of an era. I was so happy for him I could hardly contain my exuberance. Some people may not understand that emotion, but it arises from my certain faith in a life after death and a reunion with all his loved ones on the other side. Coupled with that I felt the moniker of "Skipper" that had attached to me in my childhood by my Grandfather had finally been erased. The release was tangible and welcomed.

He had reached a point in his existence where living became a burden for him. His body was slowly deteriorating day by day and the dilution of his physical, mental and emotional energy was palpable. Finding the exit door to mortality had seemed so elusive. He kept asking me, "Does everyone have to go through this? Why is it so hard?" Of course, those are rhetorical questions no one can answer except those who pass through the portal, and once they are gone it's impossible for them to tell their tale.

Despite his demise, because he lingered so long we had ample opportunities to discuss everything and to say our farewells until we were fully satisfied. I miss him a lot. I find myself reaching for the phone to talk to him, then realize he isn't here any more. But I rejoice in his escape from his decrepit physical frame. He and we were blessed that he maintained his sense of humor and his quick wit right to the end, an outcome for which he prayed continuously.

Just before his passing the Cubs triumphed in the World Series. Later the Utes would fade to number 21 in the final college football standings after losing to Washington, so in that one case things DID get worse.

And then the improbable election of Donald J. Trump happened. He received no help from me, and neither did Hillary Clinton. I've heard so many say since then, "Donald Trump is NOT my President." However, I am not one of those people. I was as gracious and accepting of Barack Obama when he was first elected and then re-elected as I knew how to be, but surprisingly I have not had such magnanimous feelings for Trump. Why? I guess it's because no one can predict with any accuracy where we're headed from here. On the one hand I believe his agenda more closely resembles mine, but on the other hand at least I knew what we were getting with Obama. After eight long years, the Republic survived, an outcome many doubted when he first took office. That's what leads me to hope we just might survive Donald J. Trump too. America is resilient, if nothing else.

On the day of our 47th wedding anniversary, December 19th, Packsize held its annual Christmas party. We're actually more politically correct than that, so it's now called a "holiday celebration." Because of the conflict in our calendar, I excused myself and took Patsy on a date to celebrate our anniversary. When we returned home later that night I was surprised (shocked, more accurately!) to learn that I had been voted "Person of the Year" at Packsize by my peers. It was a humbling recognition. My first reaction was to wonder if we had somehow lowered our standards as a company.

Donald J. Trump, 45th POTUS

I watched the inaugural in part on Friday, January 20th. "The most important election of our lifetimes" had mercifully come to a conclusion. I was mostly underwhelmed with Trump's inaugural address, seeming as it did a compilation of his campaign stump speeches with little or no substance I could discern in it. I remain convinced that our political system in this country is beyond help. Time will tell if it can be rescued, but don't hold your breath. I plan to look to inspired Church leaders and the scriptures for guidance from here on in. There won't be any political saviors anytime soon, though we all seem to cling to that hope. I'm still turned off by the media coverage, and the harder I seek to avoid political coverage the more pervasive it seems to be.

I can't conclude without a passing tribute to God for the prodigious amounts of snowfall that have landed in our front yard this year. In the thirty years we've lived in Pine Valley at 7333 feet above sea level, we have never seen so much snow so early in the winter as we have experienced this year. It culminated two weeks ago with snow each day and mechanical failures in the equipment owned by the man who plows our road. The snow kept piling up, drifting in, and once I got out one morning I could not get back in for over a week. Patsy remained behind snowbound in the house, and I camped out night after night at my father's home in Salt Lake. Finally, we secured the help of a local excavator with a robust 4x4 front loader who was able to scoop out the road so we could be reunited. This is the first year I have heard the term "atmospheric river," and I can validate it's a "real thing".

Any discussion about snow at our house is always a conversation against self-preservation. If I express gratitude for all the snow, I am expressing hope in the coming summer when we so desperately need the water from the reservoirs so we can drink and water our livestock. On the other hand moving this amount of snow around and navigating through it can be challenging (and expensive).

So those snow events led to the purchase of another gas-guzzling SUV with more clearance, more power and 4x4 muscle than my environmentally friendly Prius. I kept the Prius and now I have a 4Runner to bail me out on the dicey snow days.

We begin 2017 with hearts filled with hope and happiness for what the future may hold this year. For me at least, it is the beginning of a new era as we embark on an exciting and unknown future.

And like it or not if you live in America, Donald J. Trump most certainly is your President.

Being an Old Man in a Technological Golden Age

We live in a truly remarkable age of technological "miracles." As I think about what's happened in my little orbit in just the last month it gives me pause to reflect upon a few of those miracles.

It might be useful to describe my definition of "miracle" in this context, since the word gets tossed around a lot without the needed context. If we were to discuss the miracles of Jesus, like turning water into wine, walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee or raising Lazarus from the dead, we would say they are events without a logical explanation.

What I am talking about here is something akin, so stunning based upon technological advances that they also defy explanation. My finite simple mind likens them to "miracles" as a way to explain them.

In the last six months my vision has deteriorated rapidly due to cataracts that have developed in both eyes. I was warned a year ago by my optometrist that I needed more than an adjustment to my optical prescription for glasses. Now, she said, I needed to schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist to have the cataracts removed surgically. But like most things in life I suppose I tend to let things slide until they reach crisis stage. Especially when they involve someone slicing into my eyeballs with a laser.

Crisis stage was finally reached with advancing double vision and blurred vision, and my glasses rapidly became obsolete. An impending date with the eye exam for a driver's license renewal also started pressing down upon me because I knew I couldn't pass it even with my glasses. Such are the realities of old men.

One of my favorite missionary companions was Phil Hoopes. We were only together for one transfer over Christmas way back in 1967, but we made the most of our time together in West Hartlepool on the northeast coast of England. Today Phil is a renowned eye surgeon practicing here in Salt Lake City. Even though we hadn't seen each other since then, I sought him out. Gratefully, he remembered how I'd shared my Skippy peanut butter (a rare commodity in those days). How old is OLD? I asked his eldest son to perform my eye surgery, since Phil Sr. has "retired" from cataract surgery.

Acrylic MICS-IOL in holder

I'm halfway there at this writing. Phil Jr. performed an intraocular lens implant on the worse of the two cataracts about a week and a half ago. Post-op exams have confirmed my youthful 20-20 vision has now been restored. My glasses are gone. The whole procedure took about seven minutes and I was awake throughout. On Wednesday of next week I'll have the same thing done on my other eye. The contrast today between the two eyes is stunning. I feel to say, like the young man Jesus healed, "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25).

So I would call that a modern-day "miracle," defying a logical explanation from one like me who has no knowledge of the scientific explanation.

Another example. Some of our sons have suffered from male infertility. Through means of a grant the University of Utah Medical Center is now conducting a genetic study on our family to see if they can help unravel the mystery of male infertility not only in our family but also in the larger population.

This month one of those sons with the aid of in vitro fertilization has announced he and his wife have been successful with their second pregnancy. Their first was a "miracle" birth defying all the medical odds they would conceive naturally on their own. Certainly, by my definition of having no scientific knowledge of "how" it is done, the ability to replicate the natural sequence of events scientifically outside the womb to produce a viable fertilized egg, then to implant it into the mother's womb to produce another living soul is a "miracle." (In this case they may possibly have TWO living souls - time will tell on that). It's nothing short of "miraculous" to an old man like me who never had a moment's difficulty in fathering thirteen healthy children.

And finally, a third example. I have never considered myself a tree-hugging liberal on social issues, nor do I give much credence to global warming enthusiasts. I think Al Gore is nothing more than a money-grubbing opportunist playing on people's fears. However, that said, I am becoming increasingly more aware of my ability to reduce my personal carbon footprint and this week I made a decision to give up style for practicality. I am no longer in love with those interlocking four rings of silver on the front of my Audis. That alone would qualify as a "miracle," but I am now speaking about reducing my consumption of gas by 50% (at least) with the aid of modern technology.

2012 Toyota Prius

Another son and his wife gave us an old Saturn they had outlived several months ago. It finally gave up the ghost at the top of Parleys Summit on Monday morning at 187,000 miles. As I said, I tend to wait until the engine blows up before seriously considering a car purchase decision. In a rapid chain of events, working through our good friend and "adopted son" Clint Page at Western Fleet Sales, we found a more "politically correct" vehicle, a 2012 Toyota Prius. Give Clint a call whenever you're looking for a used car solution. Why would anyone ever buy a new car if they know Clint? He's the best.

What led to that decision was the shining example of Packsize's CEO, Hanko Kiessner, who perhaps owns the largest private fleet of Prius cars in the US. The Packsize portfolio of cars has been growing over the years, but now totals around 70 on any given day. Hal Johnson, who runs the fleet internally, told me all they've done in the way of major repairs is to replace a fuel valve at around 200,000 miles on average. Other than oil changes and tires, they are essentially maintenance-free and Packsize consumes as little gas as possible. The fleet policy was to drive them until they hit 200,000 miles, then trade them in, and now they've extended that to 250,000 based upon their favorable performance. Anytime you can benefit from a sample size that large, it's hard to ignore. At least it was for me. I find it amazing! We just turned over 300,000 miles on our Audi A-6 wagon, but I replaced the engine and the transmission on it. Because I'm not "on the road," I don't qualify for a company-owned Prius, but this was an e-mail I sent to Hanko yesterday summarizing my first week's experience in driving one:

"So, here are some interesting data points you asked for. I bought this 2012 Toyota Hybrid Prius (non-electric) for $19,900 through a friend who buys direct from the auto auction here in SLC. That price includes the leather and heated seats kit he is adding for $1295. It had 27,852 miles on it, and now it has 28,360. When he delivered it to me on Tuesday this week, it didn't have a full tank of gas in it. I’ve driven 508 miles, used 8.5 gallons, and that translates into 59.76 miles per gallon! [Hanko cautioned it will likely be reduced in winter conditions to about 46-50 mpg]. I drive about 100 miles per day up and down Parleys Canyon. There is no loss of power going uphill. I’m stunned at the early returns. Now I’m wondering why everyone on planet Earth isn’t buying the Prius."

Hanko's been buying new cars with a fleet discount through the Larry H. Miller Group, but when I told him about Clint my guess is he's going to rethink spending significantly more than he needs to on new ones. I still haven't bought gas this week, and the range indicator says I've still got 63 miles left to go on this partial tank. And by the way, it's not "cute." The Prius has to be one of the ugliest vehicles on the road. But you've got to love the efficiencies in the hybrid technology. I have become a true believer, and I've swallowed Hanko's Kool-Aid.

In case you missed it, here's his explanation of his sustainable business model.

So, once again, this old man is still learning lessons about modern-day miracles. My knowledge of cars and what makes them tick is limited. I know how to put gas in them, change the oil and buy new tires. That's about it. How that hybrid engine works to produce twice the mileage on a gallon of gas, effectively reducing my consumption by 50% or more is nothing short of miraculous.

I'm an old man in awe of what technology hath wrought.

Hanko Kiessner named "Rainmaker" by DC Velocity

Hanko Kiessner

Hanko Kiessner is chief executive officer of Packsize International, a privately held "on-demand" packaging company he founded in the United States just over a decade ago. Packaging is in Kiessner's blood — his family's business in Germany has been providing corrugated materials since the 1960s. In a bid to expand the marketing opportunities for corrugated material, Kiessner started to experiment with corrugated converting machines in Europe in the 1990s. In 2002, he introduced the machines, which produce cartons tailored to the exact dimensions of their contents, to the U.S. market.

Kiessner is a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, Warehousing Education and Research Council, and the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. Ernst & Young recognized Kiessner with its 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Manufacturing and Distribution category for the Utah region. He holds undergraduate and graduate business degrees from the University of Utah.

Q: Packsize is your family's business. Can you tell us how it came to be?
A: My father started in Germany as a supplier of corrugated material, the same basic product that now feeds our machines. We developed the machines in the 1990s and introduced them to the United States in 2002 with a new business model that provides day-one savings. The corrugate and the equipment are a complete solution.

Q: Your company's business model is rather unique, in that you supply customers with the corrugated converting machines at no cost, as long as the customer buys its corrugate from Packsize. How did that model come about?
A: Well, it was born out of several years of no success. While I was in Europe trying to sell the packaging machines, it was not working. It was just too much for companies to make the initial investment. As I was driving on the autobahn one day, I had an epiphany, and this model was born. I concluded the machines were not yet saleable, but I believed in the product. So, we would have to give away the machines. I called the office and told them this, and they laughed at me. Then, when we opened the office in the United States, we tried this model and it worked.

Q: What are the advantages of this model?
A: The benefit of this model is that it makes it easy to become a customer of on-demand packaging.
Customers get the benefit of the machines without having to justify the upfront capital investment. It also provides ongoing savings on corrugated and fill materials, since less volume is used. Other benefits are reduced product damage and some labor savings. It also reduces shipping volumes by up to 40 percent, which translates into transportation savings. And the end customer's experience improves significantly since that customer receives a right-sized package.

Q: What are the biggest challenges you and the supply chain profession face today?
A: For us, the biggest challenge is that not everyone adopts the same technology at the same time. Usually, to get mass adoption, you need 15 percent or so of early adopters. We need to be patient to work through the early adoption phase.
On a grander scale, energy is the biggest challenge. Moving products will always require energy, but we need to be able to switch to new forms of energy.

Q: What has been the most satisfying part of your career?
A: The single most satisfying piece is that we have a product that meets sustainability objectives. Staples, for instance, is saving some 122,000 trees a year with on-demand packaging. That is less pollution, less bio-mass—basically, we are able to keep a small forest intact. We have also helped companies cut costs, such as in manufacturing, which has helped to save jobs here in the U.S. And lastly, we have a team at Packsize that is passionate about what we do and the impact we can make. It is exciting to build a business that can make money while doing the right thing.

5 Reasons Why Packsize Qualifies as "Disruptive Technology"

Five Reasons Why Packsize Qualifies as “Disruptive Technology”

July 3, 2013 | 0 comments

By David B. Goates

The first time I heard the term “disruptive technology,” it was associated with Clayton M. Christensen, a business guru at Harvard in his 1995 article Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave. The theory stated that in order to be considered a disruptive influence in the marketplace, an innovation would not necessarily have to be “new” in the sense it had never existed before, it would only have to offer better value for an existing process.

Such disruptive innovation can be seen in the commodity markets for corrugated materials handling. Most companies have been buying pre-made corrugated boxes the same way for the last fifty years. They figure out what sizes are “pretty close” to accurate for the goods they needed to ship out, then they negotiate the lowest prices possible by pitting the suppliers against each other. Corrugated has long been viewed as a commodity, and the lowest cost wins. End of discussion. Left unaddressed in this conversation, however, was the void space inside the box; and whole industries sprung up to fill the void with Styrofoam peanuts, wadded up paper, or recycled cardboard. 

Without knowing he was describing Packsize at the time, Christensen stated: "Generally, disruptive innovations were technologically straightforward, consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product architecture that was often simpler than prior approaches. They offered less of what customers in established markets wanted and so could rarely be initially employed there. They offered a different package of attributes valued only in emerging markets remote from, and unimportant to, the mainstream."

And so it began for Packsize founder and CEO, Hanko Kiessner. Today, there are at least five significant reasons his company qualifies as “disruptive innovation.”

1. The barriers to accessing this technology innovation have been removed because there is no capital acquisition cost associated with adopting it.
2. The freedom and flexibility to create and mass produce corrugated boxes on site in an endless array of possibilities have freed up valuable floor space so ordered box sizes no longer need to be inventoried.
3. Producing the right-sized box has eliminated the need for fillers of all kinds, thus cleaning up the environment of unnecessary waste.
4. Companies who now ship their products in the right-sized boxes are reporting the ability to put 15% to 20% more products on each delivery truck, sharply reducing gas consumption and infrastructure impact.
5. The elimination of waste means companies are now buying significantly less corrugated material, reducing the environmental impact up to 66% from forest to landfill and every step along the way.

Unlocking Corrugate Supply Chain Savings

Now there's a way to unlock all the potential savings associated with the corrugate supply chain.

Packsize has the answers:



Never before in history has the technology been so accessible and so easily integrated. To learn more, click here.

On Demand Packaging Produces REAL Savings

This article might seem a little "obtuse" to the casual observer, but trust me, the numbers are real and the potential savings available are proven again and again by the adopters of this lean green technology. Right-sizing packaging is as simple to understand as opening the last product you received in the mail from someone you ordered it from - it likely had filler material in an over-sized box, most of which ended up headed toward a landfill somewhere. Customers are increasingly demanding that the companies who ship to them get it "right-sized" and that helps everybody - the company, the consumer and the planet.

So Just How Much Money Can On Demand Packaging® Save You?

June 19, 2013 | 0 comments

I recently came across an article written by Greg Newman of Agile Network titled "5 Reasons Your Distribution Center May Be Paying Too Much For Shipping." The article as a whole is well-written and informative, but there is one section in particular I wanted to highlight. The # 3 reason your distribution center may be paying too much for shipping is because you're "Shipping Too Much Air." To quote the article:

"Most customers have been buying cartons from the same supplier in the same sizes for many years. That’s good for the price of boxes, but it’s bad for freight costs. UPS tells us that not only do smaller tighter packed cartons cost less, but there is far less damage too. Take a look at your orders and see where you can save money. For example, the list price for a UPS Next Day Saver rate for a 15 pound 20”x12”x 14” carton from Philadelphia to Chicago is $141.19. Shave an inch off all sides, and the cost drops to $121.66 almost a $20 savings per carton!"

Sounds a little too good to be true, right? Well, that's why I went ahead and checked UPS's "Calculate Time and Cost" website on my own to try this out for myself. Take a look at my results below.

Here we have a 15 lb. box being shipped from Philly to Chicago with 20"x14"x12" dimensions:

And here is the same package with a one-inch cut on all sides of the box:

As you can see, the prices are a little different than the ones listed in the article (I attribute this to not knowing the exact zip code Mr. Newman used in his test), but the results of the cut are the same.

	20"x14"x 12"	19"x 13"x 11"	Difference
Next Day Air Early AM	$198.33	$184.20	$14.13
Next Day Air	$165.33	$151.20	$14.13
Next Day Air Saver	$157.69	$136.35	$21.34

We see not only a $20 cut to the next day saver price, but also a $14 cut to other next day shipment prices. Do you realize what a huge deal this is? If you ship a dozen or more boxes a day, the cost-savings per year quickly become astronomical! I'd like to invite you to do a little investigative research of your own and see how much you can save with right-sized boxes. Your wallet - and the environment - will thank you for it.

For more information, please visit us at Packsize.com. We're growing, and we're hiring. Check out the jobs available on our careers tab.

Packsize Responds to Voice of the Customer

Packsize International is putting big smiles on the faces of their customers. When you order goods online to be delivered, you're the customer of our customers. Many have complained when they open a package from the large online retailers that their goods come in a box way too big filled with styrofoam peanuts, air pillows or crumbled up newspaper. Our customers have been listening to their customers who open those boxes, and we've solved the problem for everyone. A typical example of inefficient packaging is not hard to find, as these pictures illustrate:

60% void in this box - shipping air

This box contained some stereo components, and came filled with styrofoam peanuts that filled a bag (see below). Shipping "air" is a very costly proposition, since shippers are charging for the space inside the box whether it's filled or not. Customers hate receiving boxes like these because of the waste generated by the fillers.

Last year I ordered a handbag on line for my wife. The box I got was five times larger than the contents and it was filled with crushed newsprint.

Here's the bag of peanuts - all waste

Consumers are now demanding that their providers offer a more intelligent solution. Without identifying the company in these pictures, the story has a happy ending. This company, like Staples, has adopted Packsize technology and is well on its way to reducing their overall costs associated with their corrugated supply chain by 60%.

These are significant costs that can be completely eliminated. We engage our potential new customers with a complimentary business case to prove the cost savings before we ask for a commitment from them. We want to make certain we have surfaced all their packaging and shipping inefficiencies associated with current operations, then suggest what might happen if they adopt On Demand Packaging(TM).

A recent article appeared in DC Velosity describing the Packsize revolution in packaging, and specifically the gains Staples has made by answering the voice of their customer in demanding more efficient packaging. Not the least of the benefits cited by Staples is the increased sustainability of their corrugated supply chain, but their decision has dramatically reduced their carbon footprint annually. And that's a good thing for Mother Earth.

It's a compelling story that is rapidly gaining acceptance as companies increasingly give heed to the voice of their customer.

Staples Announces Adoption of Packsize Technology

In a long-awaited announcement today, Staples, the number two online retailer in America, has implemented On Demand Packaging. They will call their internal system "Smart-size packaging."

The press release, issued this morning, states in part: "Staples has implemented Smart-size packaging in several facilities in its nationwide network of delivery fulfillment centers, and will continue the roll-out through 2013."

Packsize is helping Staples reduce air pillows by 60%.

Packsize is helping Staples reduce its corrugated needs by 20%.

To date, Packsize technology is deployed in 12 Staples facilities with an entire network rollout scheduled for completion next year.


Staples is the world’s largest office products company and second largest internet retailer. The company provides products, services and expertise in office supplies, copy & print, technology, facilities and breakroom, and furniture. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and now has annual sales of $25 billion, ranking second in the world in eCommerce sales. With 88,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, making it easy for businesses of all sizes, and consumers. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media.


Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Packsize International LLC is the world’s leading provider of lean packaging systems for businesses with complex corrugated packaging needs. Recognized by Inc. 5000 and listed by Forbes as one of America’s Most Promising Companies, Packsize delivers an alternative to the existing corrugated supply chain with On Demand Packaging®. For more information, visit www.packsize.com/press.

To learn more about how Packsize can help your organization realize the same efficiencies Staples is reporting, please contact David Goates, at (801) 944-4814, ext. 142, or dave.goates@packsize.com.

Change Doctrine

I awoke this morning with my first conscious thought - embracing change in our lives is what brings improvement.



Let me illustrate. In my daily work I am tasked with introducing Packsize to businesses all across the country who have expressed not only an interest in our value proposition, but are committed to change. We deploy On Demand Packaging, an end-to-end supply chain improvement for corrugated paper. Our founder and CEO, Hanko Kiessner, is fond of asking the rhetorical question, "We can put a man on the moon, but we can't make the right-sized box?" His life's work is devoted to answering that question.

Businesses we target exist and continue to thrive in this country despite all the negativity and regulatory hurdles that swirl around them from the political class, because they are constantly evolving to a higher level of efficiency. They manage budgets. They seek profits. They employ people. They reject wasteful practices. They look for ways to innovate. They are rarely content with the status quo. They embrace disruptive technology like ours.

I train my team to look for the decision makers in organizations who are committed to these principles. Rarely do we have success by engaging low-level managers. When I talk to a purchasing manager who tells me, "We already have established relationships with corrugate suppliers," I know I am speaking to the wrong person. Those people exist for one reason only - to make the status quo work. They defend what they are doing. Change for some managers threatens their existence. No, I tell my team, those aren't the people we are interested in engaging for our conversation about change. We want strategic thinkers who are risk-takers; senior-level executives who are willing to extend themselves into the future lives of their companies. We want the people who are judged by their organizations on their willingness and courage to embrace change. We want the executives that understand change is painful but necessary for their future survival as a company.

Just yesterday, we engaged the strategic thinkers at Panasonic, US Auto Parts, Knoll Furniture, Bosch Rexroth, and Berry Plastics. These are each innovative and dynamic companies with an eye on the future. Our competitors might read this and look with envy on how we managed to engage these stellar companies. Am I worried? No. They cannot begin to compete with what we do and how we do it. We are agents of change, and initially we often impose painful realities on our clients. We get a commitment that they are open to exploring change. But invariably they thank us later. Our video testimonials are testament to that fact.

Our area managers, deployed now around the world, are not traditional salespeople. Instead, they are team captains who are adept at engaging the client with our engineers to develop customized solutions with an eye to improvement. The business case must be made to the satisfaction of each side. We invest a lot of up front consulting to discover the needs of our clients. We are confident in our ability to deliver that change with an accompanying significant cost reduction. We obliterate the status quo. And we are very profitable.

This pulsating Democrat political meme that corporations are somehow to be denigrated and criticized for making profits is wrong-headed and misguided. Profits in the hands of wise entrepreneurs are routinely re-invested and often plowed right back into the operations of their companies so they can continue to grow, thrive and prosper. THAT's where jobs come from. Anyone whose address is Washington D.C. cannot assert they create jobs. I've worked in the private sector my whole life. I can tell you who the job creators are. They are the innovators and the decision makers, the risk-takers, who routinely figure out ways to employ people and meet their payrolls and pay taxes.

They are people like Mitt Romney. They are NOT people like Barack Obama. We all know what makes America tick. In 2008, anxious for change, we made a mistake, but it was only an aberration and we can adjust and correct it this year.



Governments are NOT the solution to ANYTHING. They exist to serve us as the people, and for no other reason. We have allowed our federal government to consume and waste far too many of our resources. We  must now assert CHANGE on the political class on November 6th. We must take remedial action to improve as a country. It will be painful to some (those who don't embrace this year's change agent, Mitt Romney), but it must be done if we are to have any hope of changing the trajectory of America's future.

On a personal level in a gospel paradigm, think about what change means to you. It often comes under the label "repentance." I am not impressed with people who steadfastly reject repentance because they think it is just too painful. They defer, they procrastinate, and they resist change. They "manage" the status quo. I will never forget one young man I interviewed, when he said to me, "Bishop, I just don't want to repent fully because I love my sins too much." It startled me when he said it, but as I reflected later on his words, even after all these years, I realized he was speaking a marvelous truth. Change is often painful. Repentance is often hard at first. Stepping over the hurdles that would impair our desire to change, however, often brings improvement and innovation.

Many people tell me they feel "trapped" by their circumstances. Those people embrace a "victim mentality," suggesting that everything that is going on their lives is beyond their control. I remember so many disgruntled employees I worked with years ago at Zions First National Bank (back in the day), who hated everything they did on a daily basis, but refused to quit and find something better. I resolved I would never be one of them. They are in agony, most of them. They lament that things are the way they are, and they seem helpless to change and improve. They cite factors beyond their control as evidence of their inability to effect real and lasting change in their lives. Happiness seems to elude them. They find little joy in their daily existence.

These are fanciful falsehoods. Their author is the enemy to all righteousness.

In the gospel of Jesus Christ we encounter many seeming paradoxes that are worth considering. They may even be called "divine paradoxes." Let me give some examples and see if this is not true in your life.

"Come unto me, all ye that are labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28).

"Take my yoke upon you. . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-29).

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:25).

To be brief, let me just say it - the quest for happiness in this life does NOT consist of lifting up our heads and glorying in our own strengths, skills and successes. Rather, happiness in this life consists in finding Him. That usually involves repentance. We will only repent if we believe He can heal us, and that requires faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. He becomes the true change agent in our lives. We cannot bring about that needed change on our own. It takes someone who can help us manage through the needed changes for improvement. It takes perfection to make one perfect.

We often cite the 32nd chapter of Alma as the definitive explanation for what constitutes "faith." But upon more careful examination you will discover something much deeper. Alma was not making a general statement about faith in his teachings to the people, rather he was suggesting something very specific and singular about faith as the only unseen power that can change one's soul. That's more than saying, "I have faith the sun will rise in the morning skies to the east."

Alma teaches about having enough faith to begin "an experiment" on THE WORD. That experiment is about finding the truth about the divinity of Christ. Only a Divine Redeemer can effect an infinite and eternal change in us. And only Jesus Christ could offer an infinite and eternal sacrifice because He was Himself "infinite and eternal" by His very nature as the sinless Only Begotten Son of the Father.

In the next chapter, Alma, sensing they did not understand his meaning, offers this commentary on his words by citing his listeners back to the words of an ancient prophet, Zenos:

Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship?
For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me.
Yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.
And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer.
And when I did turn unto my closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me.
Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou wilt hear them.
Yea, O God, thou hast been merciful unto me, and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations.
Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger with speedy destruction.
And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son. (Alma 33:3-11).

And thus we find once again the power of The Book of Mormon. It is a book replete with references to people and their deliverance from sins and afflictions of all sorts based upon the merciful intervention of God in their lives. We always may find solace and comfort in THE WORD. When we exercise even a particle of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, and embrace His perfection, we are healed and we are on the way to perfection ourselves as we change from our fallen state. We see His mercy at work in our lives. In our anguish He succors us. He assures us change is possible and desirable so we may have the long-term improvements we seek. And it is more than disruptive new technology. . .

. . . It is the stuff of which eternal life is made.

Packsize and On Demand Packaging

"We can put a man on the moon, but we can't make the right-sized box?" asks Hanko Kiessner, CEO of Packsize. His CTO, Niklas Pettersson, is the creative genius behind the company. Together they have come up with one of the truly disruptive technologies that changes our world for better: