Hi, Guys!

When Rob brought up the "Buggy Whip" analogy, it reminded me of what happened to the once-great Pennsylvania Railroad.  The PRR in its heyday was known as "the Standard Railroad of the World".  It was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue for much of the 20th century and still holds the record for longest continual dividend history, in that it paid an annual dividend to it shareholders for more than 100 years in a row.

A big part of what led to the downfall of the PRR and the eventual bankruptcy of its successor, Penn Central was its refusal to adapt to changing times.  The executives in charge at the time failed to realize that they were not in the railroad business; they were in the transportation business.

Similarly, we abstractors must realize that we are not in the title searching business, we are in the information business.  As such, I believe that the answer lies in devising and implementing better and more efficient methods of delivering the information our customers require.  Easier said than done, I'll grant you, but Source of Title and NALTEA have gone a long way toward making that a reality.

We shouldn't be so willing to write ourselves off, just because change isn't happening fast enough to suit some of us.  At least we're having a dialogue now, which is more than we had before.  As far as I'm concerned, it's a step in the right direction.

Regards,
Scott L. Perry, President
Jireh Business Inforation Solutions, Inc.