Happy New Year to everyone! We are excited about the opportunities 2021 presents for our collective growth. We will take a look back at 2020 once the final results are calculated. While it was an incredibly difficult year for many, from strictly a company performance perspective, we did well last year. Given the pandemic and a unique set of circumstances, housing was one area of the economy that prospered. And, we were well-positioned to share in that prosperity.
Our focus in 2021 continues to be providing exceptional results for our customers and continuous learning, so we are prepared to offer the best solutions for our customers’ challenges. We strive to provide all of you with continuous learning opportunities throughout the year, so we all become better at what we do.
We start the year with some exciting news about a change in the business structure of CSS. As many of you know, Isabella Bank Corporation (“IBC”) has been an investor and partner in the ownership of CSS for the past 12 years. On New Year’s Eve, we completed the buyout of IBC’s ownership interest. We have been working hard toward that result for the past 18 months.
That transition leaves the ownership of CSS vested solely in the Jelinek family and Debbie Bartlett. Most importantly, it means we, as a company, move past the restrictions and limitations associated with a corporate investor. As a result, we will collectively have more freedom to create, innovate and produce growth for all those who work at CSS! We look forward to working together to do exactly that in 2021 and beyond!