As 2011 comes to a close it's appropriate to reflect back on the many successes Henderson, Inc. has had throughout the year and since the start of the "Great Recession" in 2008. We have come to realize that while 2009 was a year of downsizing and 2010 was a year of restructuring, 2011 has become a year of reinventing and reinvesting in our people, our company, our clients and our community. While the construction industry is obviously not out of the woods, there is a noticeable thinning of the trees and Henderson, Inc. has a renewed sense of hope.

Our People & Company

Henderson's employees continued in 2011 to be dedicated and cost conscious. We are proud of being able to maintain high levels of service, quality and reliability during a time of increasing fiscal strain across the industry. As a result of this commitment we have significantly increased our overall sales from 2010, made significant improvements to our net income and grown the number of employees at Henderson by 20% in 2011. A few highlights of these accomplishments are:

1. Superintendent Rich Warfield honored with Safety Achievement Award nomination
2. Grandy Village Learning Center Wins HRACRE Award of Merit
3. Matt Hipple participates in STEM initiative

Our Clients

A significant effort was made in 2011 to become more involved in our clients' businesses and interest. We challenged ourselves to think less conventionally about the types of projects and project approaches we considered and we worked hard to identify areas where we could bring the biggest value to our clients. We introduced new communication tools through Facebook and the Henderson Blog (thank You for your comments and feedback), developed new partnerships in new markets, and became more involved in our clients' organizations, associations and philanthropic efforts. The end result paid off as 68% of our current contracts and backlog are with new clients in new markets. A few of note:

1. HRSD North Shore Maintenance Center
2. The Pavilion at Williamsburg Place
3. USCG Rescue Swimmer Training Facility
4. Williamsburg Landing Renovations

Our Community

Henderson, Inc. has always taken great pride in our community and our philanthropic efforts. It was something we agonized about when cutting previous year budgets. I'm pleased to say that in 2011 we were back to prerecession contributions. Whether through time, talent or treasure, we are privileged to support the following organizations:

• YMCA
• United Way
• Boys and Girls Club
• ARC
• Habitat for Humanity
• Achievable Dream
• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Many of our communities recreational leagues and schools

Someone once told me "good fortune befriends the bold and sides with the man who dares." So as Henderson moves forward we will continue to take bold steps in support of our people, clients and community and dare to make 2012 better and more prosperous. We are always trying to improve and we recognize this is a journey, not a destination. With a little luck, a lot of hard work and mutual respect from each other, our clients and our business partners, we will continue to learn and grow.

Mike Van Sickel
Vice President
Henderson, Inc.

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