As difficult a year as 1998 was, it defined a pivotal year in our history, and it was the beginning of a new era at Corporate Express. This new era will be characterized by renewed efforts to accelerate internal growth and to capitalize on the enormous potential within our industry.

This potential reflects a combination of market forces. The continuing consolidation within our industry presents us with the opportunity to increase our market share by emerging as one of just a few major suppliers to our customers. And the increasing focus of corporations on the reduction of their procurement costs through total outsourcing is expected to create greater demand for our products and services.

We have the right strategy to fulfill our growth objectives and a world-class management team to help us execute our plan.