Message from NEFC Incoming President Bill Beck To all my friends and colleagues of the NEFC: It is June 1 and today I start my term as President of the the NEFC, taking over from my fellow fiber zealot, Marge Katz. I would like to thank Marge for stepping back into the President's spot last year AND directing our two recent FiberFest conferences.  I would like to thank her also for helping to prepare me for my new role as President of the NEFC. As many of you know, I have been a strong supporter of the NEFC for a long time.  I recently enjoyed two years on the program committee, now in the able hands of Bill Emkey of Worldtech Consultants.  My career in fiberoptics has spanned 25 years, starting in the early days of the first telecom rollout in '80'-86. I, like many of you, lived through a number of ups and downs and ups again. Throughout the numerous technology and business cycles over the years, I have maintained a guiding optimism which, though now well tempered by experience, continues today. Fiberoptics and Photonics continue to evolve and mix with new technologies, applications and entrepreneurial spirit;  the field is growing again. I start my term with this ongoing vision: that fiberoptics continues to offer new capabilities, solutions and bases for new products, services and companies.  Think of Photonic Bandgap Fibers, high power fiberlasers, distributed fiber sensors, integrated optics on a chip.  We have a lot of work to do. In the coming year, the NEFC will continue to sponsor monthly dinner programs that introduce or describe new technology, applications, companies and people.  We will expand the use of our mailing list to better communicate with our members and allow them to communicate with each other. As the business outlook in our industry continues to improve, we expect to rebuild our both our corporate and individual membership levels.  I challenge each and every one of you to bring in two new members over the coming year.  Invite them to a dinner meeting or to exhibit at FiberFest and we will sign them up on the spot. Finally, my e-door is always open - to suggestions, criticism, new ideas and best of all, new volunteers.  I am looking for program ideas, new companies, new products and technology, and a few new board members or committee chairs.  Feel free to contact me anytime at billbeck@mhcable.com or on 617-290-3861. I look forward to seeing friends, colleagues and new members in the coming months. We will be in touch. Best regards, Bill Beck Incoming President NEFC