Red Level moved into our new headquarters a little more than a month ago. The paint was barely dry, the furniture freshly installed, the floors completely scuff-free. Most of our employees could barely wait to move in. Within a matter of minutes after the certificate of occupancy was issued, most were on their way, and our old Catherine Industrial Drive headquarters became a ghost town.

Since then, it’s been an exciting time: We’ve settled well into our new quarters, and we’re making the most of having enough space to work as efficiently and effectively as we’d like – and we certainly like having more room to grow. All of us have the palpable sense that this move marks the start of even bigger and better things to come.

There’s a lot to be said for big moves and new beginnings. And there’s even more to enjoy when you have friends, supporters and colleagues along to celebrate with you. This past Wednesday we staged our first real “public” event in our new home – our inaugural open house. More than two hundred local business and community leaders, vendors, partners, and clients joined us for an inaugural ribbon cutting ceremony, facility tours, feasting, and socializing – and we have to say it was a wonderful experience.

To outsiders it may have looked like just another corporate event, but to us it was something truly special: A homecoming.

We’ve been proud to call Novi and Oakland County our home for most of our existence as a company. This is a great community which shows outstanding support for entrepreneurial and visionary businesses, and for us it’s always been an excellent base of operations. Our recent move has made a good thing even better – not only because we’re in a space that’s completely our own and tailor made for our needs, but because so many of our friends and neighbors chose to be an enthusiastic part of this very special day.

We were honored to be joined by Novi Mayor Bob Gatt and Mark Adams from Oakland County Economic Development as my partners Ed Aube and Rob Tessanne and I snipped the bright red ribbon in the entryway to our office area. It was the formal opening of our new offices – but more importantly to us, it was the culmination of a long-held vision, and the product of years of hard work.

This, after all, is a company that began around a single rickety card table, with little more to show for itself than three dedicated partners and some good ideas. Thirteen years later, we’ve become something considerably more substantial – a growing family of rock-solid professionals who’ve demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, that with the right knowledge, attitude, work ethic, and commitment to quality they can build a thriving, growing company starting from nothing much at all.

That’s an achievement – and the presence of so many friends, colleagues, clients and other supporters on this unforgettable day tells us that we’re among people who recognize and celebrate that success along with us, and who share our enthusiasm for aiming even higher, reaching the next milestone, and building something even greater in the years to come. With gratitude and humility, we offer all of you our thanks.

And now that the party’s over, we’re ready to do what we do best – roll up our sleeves and get to work.