16 Year Anniversary

It is pretty amazing when you go back and look at the path you have traveled. The perspective is so much different while you are on that journey. While on a hike, or as I have been doing a lot lately, running a marathon, your eyes are usually focused on each foot step. Sure, from time to time you raise your head up and take a peek around and gaze upon the sights. However, more often each of us are paying attention to our feet so we don't trip or fall.

In comparison, last year I ran the RimRock Marathon in Grand Junction, Colorado. I was out of my league in many ways. Racers, altitude, hill climbing and being a novice marathoner. However the surroundings proved to be the most beautiful......before the race. Yep, I could see the mountains (I did say mountains) in the horizon that early morning. I was about to run up, over, and back down again. After about mile .5 I didn't see much. My head was focused on surviving this crazy run. Focused on getting past mile points that was required or the race officials would scoop me up off the track.

Yes I finished. And yes several times I was able to pick my head up and look at the canyon below. I felt a little like Chevy Chase in National Lampoons Vacation looking over the Grand Canyon. " yep, nice......lets go." I wasn't able to appreciate where and what I had accomplished up to that point. 

Head back down......keep running.

It wasn't until after the race when we took the drive retracing the race course. We actually ran on the roadway that spiraled through the canyon. WOW, I was amazed at the scenery. I missed a lot! WOW, this hill is crazy steep....in the car.......how did I do that? We stopped the car for time to time at various points to go out and look over various areas and admire the surrounding nature. It was beautiful.

I say all that because after 16 years of IONIC, I have, more often than not, had my head down and kept pushing forward. There was always something that required my nose to be on the grindstone. A new project. A new client. Most often they were all good things. Good things that I always enjoyed working through. I just didn't raise my head to look around and see the journey as much as I probably should have.

So now we have reached a milestone of sixteen years. I finally raise my head and look around and see the many blessings that we have experienced. We have made so many wonderful relationships during the course that I would be hard pressed to count every one of them. There are many! I remember them all.....and all of them are important and special.

I want to thank each and everyone of our friends that have made it possible to achieve so much. Our clients have given us the opportunity to create and provide for our families. Our consultants have made it possible to piece together wonderfully successful projects.....over 1000 of them! Our vendors have supplied us with inspiration and tools to implement beauty, sustainability and quality into our designs. Most importantly our family of employees have made all this possible by their unending perserverence to seek perfection in their work and giving IONIC a name that others can trust.

Thank you again my friends. We are engaged in many new wonderful projects and look forward to sharing them with you. Be watching for some exciting news that we hope to share in the very very near future......like maybe next week!

Until then.....keep your head up and enjoy the run!

Eugene Thompson

President + Founder

Ionic DeZign Studios, Inc.

www.ionicdezigns.com

"creating places and spaces that enrich the lives of those who use them."