I am not one to contrive milestones.  Life is full of important events and we do not need to make up any more.  So with humility and more importantly, gratitude, I am marking my 1001 posting on Corruption, Crime & Compliance.

The journey has been amazing and the future looks even more incredible.

At the ripe old age of 57, one important principle of life stands out — gratitude.  It is important to remember each day everything and everyone for whom you are grateful.  It is a sure way to start each day in a positive frame of mind and is sure to bring you great joy and happiness.

With that in mind, and in recognition of this milestone, I wanted to express my gratitude to those in the blogosphere, my professional life, and my wife and family.

Blogosphere:

Dick Cassin:  I am grateful for my early association with Dick Cassin, the creator of the FCPA Blog, and an early supporter of my entry into the field.  Dick is a gracious and wonderful man.  He and I have collaborated on many occasions.  Dick gave me consistently correct advice and direction.  His blog is the preeminent blog in the field, with talented contributing editors and authors, many of whom I have had the professional fortune of meeting.  Dick is a testament to class, careful writing, and talent.

Tom Fox:  I am grateful for my past, current and hopefully future collaboration with Tom Fox.  He is a loyal friend, supporter and colleague.  Tom is prolific with his blog and his numerous books.  I learned a lot from Tom about the FCPA, blogging, and pubic speaking.  Tom is an amazing speaker and is the most sought-after speaker on the FCPA and Compliance Circuit.  Aside from his professional talents, Tom is a great friend.  He and I share many similar experiences, the love of baseball (and other sports), and the ability to see the humor in life.  I am lucky to have him as a friend and mentor.

I have to take a minute to note the significant loss we all felt when Jim McGrath died this year.  Jim maintained a valuable blog on Internal Investigations.  Anyone who met Jim would never forget him.  He was a warm person with talent.  He was an advisor and supporter to me on a number of issues.  We all miss him dearly.

Professional:

Donna Boehme:  I am grateful for my association with Donna Boehme.  If there is one person who represents (and helped fuel) the rise of the compliance professional in the corporate world, it is Donna Boehme.  She is a force to be reckoned with and she knows it.  She is a vigorous and creative advocate for the compliance profession.  Donna is a great friend and mentor.  It is an honor to be part of her thought network (and believe me she has a network).

Pat Gnazzo:  Donna Boehme introduced me to Pat Gnazzo three years ago and it was one of the luckiest days of my life.  I am grateful to Pat for the opportunity to work with and learn from him.  There has never been a more gracious and talented compliance professional.  Pat is very modest.  He was a leading compliance professional before there really was a compliance profession (as defined today).  Recently, he was appointed the Ethics Monitor for BP, and I have had the honor to work with him as part of his Team.

Family:

When it comes down to it, or as I tell my children every day (assuming they listen, which is a big assumption), the most important achievement in life is to love and be loved.  I will forever and always be grateful to my love, Rosetta, who inspires me and makes me a better person every day.  She is my love.  I am grateful for every moment we share together.

My letter of gratitude could go on forever because there are so many people who I am grateful to know, to work with, to call my friends, to call my family, and to love.  For all of that, I thank you all.