Having just approved the 2006 annual operating plan, I and the other directors believe the company is essentially on the right course for long-term growth, and that our employees and senior management team have a sense of urgency about improving the company's financial results. However, we will take this opportunity to re-examine the strategic direction of Gateway to fine-tune our products, services and approach to our professional and consumer direct markets. |
However, we will take this opportunity to re-examine the strategic direction of Gateway to fine-tune our products, services and approach to our professional and consumer direct markets. |
I don't want to handcuff any [new] CEO and I don't want to make any major changes. |
I think we have a good opportunity. I think we can be an exciting company even with those players. This has always been a really tough market, and it's gotten tougher in terms of lower price points. You can't sit back on your heels; you have to go out and earn your business every day. |
I'm not willing to concede that we can't find a good niche for us and become a player. |
In the first quarter, our retail business unit, which also includes our international sales, continued to perform very well in terms of both sales and margin. Unfortunately, our positive retail results were partially offset by losses in our professional sales unit. As a result, we essentially broke even in the quarter, prior to litigation expenses of $14 million. |
It's important to note that these specific tax adjustments predominantly date back to the mid- to late-1990s, and therefore should not detract from the operating successes Gateway enjoyed in 2005, including posting its first full- year profit in a half-decade. |
She's a trusted, wonderful young woman. |
Thanks to the efforts of the management team and employees, Gateway last year posted its first GAAP profit since 2000, and recognized a $643 million improvement in operating income from 2004, while experiencing an increase in brand awareness and continued positive reception for its products and services from customers and trade press alike. |
There is a bias toward favoring developers. This time, we won. |
There is a certain challenge to directing an older play. In the '50s, there was a politeness that doesn't exist anymore. For instance, the language is more polite than we would perhaps have today. The challenge is to bring out the emotional depth that exists under that surface. |
These are real people with real emotions. To love and be loved, to be loved for who you are, to be young again. These still touch our hearts in the same way. Society may change but people's emotions pretty much stay the same. |
Those are all areas I think we can look at. |
We were viewed as a unique player that had special attributes. So the question is, can we bring some of that sparkle back? |