When we launched the original Fleet Sheet 10 years ago, on Feb. 24, 1992, things were different than they are today. The country was Czechoslovakia, the predominant foreign language was German, and faxing a single sheet of paper across town wasn't as easy as it is now. (Thank you, TelSource.) In fact, we hand-delivered our first issue to more than 200 businesses because it was the simpler solution. We thought at the time that our little business would have a 3-4 year life span, after which our foreign subscribers would turn their companies over to Czechs, and we'd find something else to do. But Czechs have supplemented our original list of predominantly British, American, Dutch and Japanese subscribers and now make up 65% of our readers. We've enjoyed 10 years of uninterrupted growth, and we added a new product, the Final Word, last year. The CR has seen its ups and downs over the past decade, but in general it has remained a place where those who work hard and smart are rewarded. Those who rest on their laurels soon find themselves lost in the crowd at the back. We're proud to have served many of those who have consistently been at the front. Without their efforts, the CR wouldn't be as far along as it is today.

Erik Best, publisher