With appreciation and grand optimism

[ASHampton]

No "doom & gloom" here! We all are pulling for you! We love and appreciate you and what you have done for this community. I am greatly looking towards the future of casablancaexpert.com.

Seth Hampton
seth@camaudio.com

"The Prize is Worth the Price"

[erictom]

Hi Chet.

What a shocker! Always thought the "C" in you was what Casablanca is about.

Is Macrosystem downsizing? Does your leaving show a snapshot of the viability of the company in this debilitating economy?

Will miss your skill and expertise and your passion in what you do.

Eric T.

[CraigJanos]

Dear Chet, my friend, my colleague;

I am truly saddened, shocked and stunned by the news of your departure. I believe that MS will regret this decision. I wonder where MS would be right now if it wasn't for your heart, infectious enthusiasm and love of the Cassie products. You put a human face on the corporation. I have no doubt that your new endeavors will be successful, even in these tough economic times. Please be assured that I will use your services in the future.

The best of everything to you Chet. God Bless you and your family.
Craig Janos

[IanPearson]

Chet
I obviously do not know what the driving force was in you parting with MS, but I really do wish you all the best in your new enterprise.

Although we across the pond were never officially part of your customer base, we have always been treat as part of the MSUS family and over the years I have considered you a friend. Thank you for the past few years and may you prosper well in your new career.

Ian

[SYLRENAUD]

Hi Chet,
Thank you for your leadership and prompt replies to all questions i've had in the past including the last 2 weeks (about my upgrade to the S4000 PRO).
I am definitely subscribing to your new endeavor and i know it will be very successfull !!
MS might be saving on the payroll but i feel i will be gaining more from you with your knowledge and expertise through your Webinars,training DVD,s ect...
Hope your travels will take you north over or close to the border one day soon.

Tks
Syl

[CKNewman]

Dear Chet,

To start with, I would echo all of the good things that have been said so far. I'm looking at the "smilies" to the right as I'm trying to figure out what to write. I think I'd pick the one with the big smile in the upper left corner to represent much of what I feel.

I think you've thought long and hard about this next chapter in your life and planned your steps well. I admire that. I've always been impressed by your contribution to this community and to the company by virtue of your abilities, knowledge, and positive attitude. I am sure that bringing those qualities to your new endeavor will make you a success.

I will miss you and wonder how your leaving will affect us. I hope that the powers-that-be recognize and respond to the needs of their customer base. I am glad you'll still be helping us - even if it isn't as often as we'd like it to be.

Sincerely,
Craig Newman

[timthrift]

Thanks for everthing Chet! I wonder if this is the beginning of the end of Casablanca in the US. I noticed at classes in CO this summer the place looked like a ghost town. Who is left minding the store? Are we going to be left out in the cold after buying new equipment? Do things seem a little shaky or is it just me?

[erictom]

I believe Volker can enlighten us on that one. Dayum, you mean I have to go PC editing again? It happened with the Toaster, just my luck.

Repeat after me. The S4K is not vaporware....the S4K is not vaporware....the S4K is....

[EricKloor]

I'd like to address some of the concerns raised here. Yes, no longer having Chet as an employee is painful, all the more so for me. I hired this amazing man 9 years ago, and thrilled to have him on a "larger stage" as I told him at the time. I love Chet ... I'm a huge fan of his. He is knowledgeable, enthusiastic, humble, thoughtful, committed, quietly passionate, and intelligent. He's top shelf all the way through, and having him around, knowing he was here all these past years as I was away, was comfort indeed. How he's handled himself in this difficult time speaks even more loudly about the depth of his quality. They say if you really want to get to know someone, divorce them. Well, I can tell you I've seen a side of Chet I didn't want to view, and it's remarkable.

To those here who believe our service will suffer, I take that as a personal challenge. Methinks you're wrong, but I've got to prove it to you day in and day out. Our connection to Germany is strengthened by my return, as Jorg and I have a 20 year friendship and business partnership. We've been speaking for hours many days these past weeks as this transition has unfolded. I've watched the staff here in Boulder reinvigorated, re-energized, revitalized ... even in this difficult time.

To those here who believe I've made a mistake ... maybe you're right. Yet the options were limited. And maybe I'm being pollyannish, but I think Chet's still a part of the family, still integral, and will be for a long time to come.

And should I be wrong about our revenue numbers, should we do more than I'm conservatively projecting, I've no problem at all admitting I made a huge mistake. I'll get on my knees and beg Chet to return as an employee. And we'll video it and post it ... cream pies included.

Eric Kloor

[PaulBusta]

Welcome back Eric. On your next conversation with Jorg maybe you could convince him to upgrade the quality of most of the effects packages. Most are still using 8 bit, I've only seen one that uses a somewhat professional 16 bit and while you have his ear try to get alpha channel support.