PIEDMONITOR Volume 9 No. 1 published and Printed by piedmont Aviation, Inc. JANUARY 1957 essaqe A NEW ERA FOR PIEDMONT AND FOR YOU The freshness of a New Year, like that of a beautiful dawn, is chal lenging to a man's soul. So it’ is, too, with a company - at least a good, wide awake,progressive com pany. And I think you will agree that each of Piedmont's New Years has, in the past, offered an ever increasing challenge and opportunity for all of us. It seems to me, however, that this New Year of 1957 is perhaps more challenging than any previous year. Indeed, 1957 will herald a completely new era forpiedmont. During the past nine years, our Airline Division has, from modest beginnings, de veloped and grown to an enviable position as a compony and as an integral part of a vital, dynamic industry. Now we are going to forge ahead, or go backward; there Is no such thing as just holding our own. During 1956 we have laid the groundwork to embark on this great new era that lies ahead. In 1957, with divine guidance and the enthusiastic support of each of us, we will take off to far greater accompi ish- ments during t h e next nine years. And, as we all know, a good take-off is the first essential for any successful flight. Last year we placed orders for our new F-27 fleet of airplanes. We planned the most intensive sales and promotional campaign in our history. We moved into fine new headquarters and maintenance buildings. We established one of the best pension plans In the industry. Our Fixed Base Division enlarged its facilities and had the biggest and best year In its history. We filed applications to extend our route system to Chicago. The coming year wi! I,however,be thetrue test of our abilities, our strength, our character and our stamina. Briefly, we have two tremendously lmpoi+- ant jobs ahead of us in 1957. Our first big job is the financing of and preparation and training for our new equipment pro gram. Next will be the successful prose cution of our application to extend our routes to Chicago. The acconiplIshment of these two objectives will make possible far more growth, more public service, and more opportunities for all of us than any thing else that has been done in the history of piedmont. In addition, I am confident that this program will make It possible for us to operate profitably without subsidy within a relatively short period of time. To successfully complete this big under taking will require the hard work of every Piedmont employee . For example, in order to prove to the banks and financing com panies that we can earn a profit to pay off loans on our new F-27s, it is imperative that we Immediately Improve our earnings record. Furthermore) In order to convince the CAB that piedmont , rather than some other carrier, should be selected to provide the service from the area we now serve to Chicago, we must reduce our operot - ing costs sufficiently to prove that we con provide this additional service and reduce our subsidy need at the same time. Now you may wonder where you fit into all this, what can you do to make this possible? The answer - A LITTLE EXTRA EFFORT I This is The Number One Rule of Success. It Is as simple as that. T o be more specific, we must get more pass engers on our airplanes and cut expenses wherever possible. |f each of us can say to ourselves at the end of every day during the New Year that we have made a reel effort to get one more passenger to ride our airline and that we have done a better job in our particular assignment than ever before, then we have nothing to worry about. Our task ahead wil 1 notbeeasy. We have many problems and stumbling blocks to overcome. But I am confident we can do it. And the rewards in the future for all of us will be worth for more than the extra effort. So let's forge ahead during 1957 to afast take-off into a bril I iant new era forPied- mont and for you.