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Craig Stevens: I am going -- I am Craig Stevens, I'm the director here in Fresno submission processing, and I want to welcome you to the Fresno submission processing closing ceremony. Woman: I can't hear anything.

Craig Stevens: Just so you know, the hosts have muted all of the lines so that there's not background noise while we have speakers.

The session is being recorded and we plan after receiving approval from the review board, the video review board, to be able to post this for our former employees to view.

So again, appreciate you taking time to join us this morning, and we're going to kick off the morning with our national anthem.

All right, is Commissioner Rettig, I was told, is actually on the line, I'd like to turn this over to Commissioner Rettig for his comments.

Charles Rettig: Thank you, Craig, and thank you to everybody for letting me participate today and certainly opening with "The Star-Spangled Banner." A bit of a segue for those of you who may at some point in time come to DC or if you're in DC, the original flag is at -- over at the Smithsonian.

And if you haven't seen it, I think you should see that.

But also if you walk up, I'm not good with directions.

If you walk that way, if you walk from Iris toward the Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue and the block between 6 and 7, there is a brass plaque that I would encourage you to take a look at.

It indicates that the hotel that was there back in the day is the site where "The Star-Spangled Banner" was sung for the first time in the United States of America.

So in terms, the kid from L.A.

absorbs as much history as he can when he gets to a place in DC and it's one of those if you're otherwise walking by, it's an office building, right?

But if you slow up and you look at the things that are on the wall and, you know, the good fortune of going by there many, many times, and I think every single time I take a look and recognize and respect who we are as people, who we are as a country, and the meaning behind not only "The Star-Spangled Banner," but certainly the flag of our country.

I am honored to participate today for a variety of reasons to thank those of you who've spent quite a bit of time planning, the getting us to this point.

And it's not easy.

We would always rather be having discussions and meetings and whatnot first in person and second to open offices and locations and facilities, rather than to be in a situation where consolidation is leading to change that none of us really like change or appreciate change.

I'm more comfortable if you leave me in my space.

And I appreciate that and I appreciate the work that has gotten us here, and I appreciate the interest and efforts of every employee past, current, and future that go into this.

The efforts of folks with respect to this Fresno submission processing to the customer account services, entire WNI group, and ultimately, to the IRS, your efforts serving taxpayers in this country, serving each other as well because when we serve people on the outside, we're serving people on the inside and we're gaining the trust and respect that I think is critical.

You know, I want people on the outside to have that for us as people as well as as an agency.

And I want people on the inside to understand that we didn't inherit something.

We have to work for it every day.

And you all have been great.

People in Fresno, I did come out to Fresno last February.

I'd been to Fresno many times when I was prior to joining the IRS.

I have very close friends who live in Fresno, and when I came out in February, I took a number of the people that I was traveling with.

We went out for Basque food and a number of the people in my group said, "Well, what exactly is Basque food?" I go, "How can you be asking that question, right?" And you know, I was very proud.

We went to a Basque restaurant. We had a great time.

But the uniqueness in some part to the Central Valley and to Fresno and different parts, I am obviously biased from California because I spent most of my 64 years in California other than school in New York and time here in DC, we care about you, we care about you as a current employee.

And I think that it's phenomenal that about 86% of the Fresno employees are either able to move on through a reskilling, if you will, and others to another location within the IRS or accepted a voluntary early retirement package, if you will, to move on.

And then others have found locations outside of the IRS.

Those who may not have been, we care about you as well.

Those who've not been able to maybe find a location that they want to conclude their professional career.

We care about you as well, and we'll continue to have resources available to assist to get you to a place where you want to be.

The people who are staying inside, I say this routinely anyway, and I'm saying it specifically to each of you.

You have received certain new skill sets to move on to another part of the IRS.

The reskilling academy, I think, is not only was a great idea initially, but I think it's great that it's there, but I might be reskilled to something and show up and a few months in, might find out that that's not what I want to be or that my skills aren't necessarily for that.

I'm encouraging you to speak up and let us help you either find another position or help you with respect to your skills.

You are our people.

I am going to use a term that sometimes sounds as cliche, you're part of the family.

I mean that if you've ever been at the IRS, you're part of the family and we want our people to end up in the best positions that they can, which is not from an agency perspective, but it's through the eyes of each employee.

So you have my commitment to try to help you.

If you end up in a position that is not something you're comfortable in.

I want you to be comfortable, I want you to stay, and I want you to encourage other people to come on board and to stay.

I think overall have a good thing going.

I'm very optimistic about the direction of the IRS from a funding and staffing and skilling perspective.

We're heading into a new environment and those of you who are staying on with us, I want you to be a part of this and I want you to understand the importance that everybody at Fresno submission processing has had from the Internal Revenue Service and whatever capacities people are moving into the importance that you do have for us at the Internal Revenue Service.

So from that perspective, not only do you have my commitment, but my thoughts are with you.

I was 36 years in one position in Los Angeles, came out of Graduate law school at NYU and went to a particular position in Los Angeles and stayed there for 36 years.

And never in my mind would I be leaving that position, that desk, those friends who were around me from long before I had children and now my children are obviously adults.

Not easy. Change is not easy.

Staying where we are is more comfortable. I get it.

We get it and know that we are there with you and for you.

And so these are not just words to you, but these are coming from all of us.

So with that, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to participate.

And if you're leaving the IRS, I would hope that you stay in touch with us and I apologize for the inability to interact with you in person.

Basically we're living in different times with the pandemic.

My first choice would always be to meet with you in person.

That's harder to show a care factor remote, even with Zoom.

But with that, thank you.

We appreciate each and every one of you.

I appreciate each and every one of you.

You are part of something that's very important to the country and very important to the people of the country.

And come back to the opening, never forget the importance of this country and the importance of the flag.

And I think "The Star-Spangled Banner" sort of capsules that in many ways for a lot of us.

So thank you.

I think that I wish you all the best, as I frequently say today, tomorrow, and forever.

And that applies to your families as well.

So stay safe, stay positive, and let's look for the future.

So with that, I turn it over to Ken Corbin, who I think has a tie on? Ken, do you have a tie on?

Ken Corbin: I do. I do.

This is very, very special.

Charles Rettig: Can you all give me about 10 seconds so I can go grab a tie and come back?

I'm one of the few at 11:11 and I look over and it's a little low on the screen, Ken, and I look over and I'm thinking once again, that guy puts me to shame.

But so I will give I will turn it over to, you know, the Ken Corbin and the David Alito.

And stay with us.

Stay with us.

We're moving in a good direction and the terminology stay with us applies for those who are leaving, too.

I'll close on something that my son was told when he entered the military.

And it was a major said to him, let me explain to you what it means to be an officer in the United States Army.

It means that you are a leader in your personal life, your leader in your community, and you're obviously a leader in your professional career.

But he says that leadership, quality, and skill means that you are always representing.

Let me give that back to our employees.

You are always representing the Internal Revenue Service and the people of this country and be proud.

If you're leaving us, we're going to steer the organization in a direction that I hope we will continue to be proud as well.

So I will turn it over to David, who is not wearing a tie and did not do that, but David, I apologize for this, but your dealings with Ken, you're on your own there.

I ended up in a situation where I've got a few back to back meetings, but as I do turn it over, Ken and David, I'm not sure if you saw your calendar for I think it's 12:30 or 1:00 today, and I realize you guys are in Atlanta, but you got invited to -- it's at 1:00 to 2fiftybbq thing at the main conference room here in DC And when I talk about family for the rest of you, just to bring you in and I apologize for the folks here, this has been recorded, but you know, deal with me.

This is who I am.

But my son is a major, medical officer, army, and we've had the good fortune of having him across the river from us as long as I've been in DC here the past few years.

But he's relocating down to Georgia.

And if you want to know what the IRS is, I have said to you what the IRS means to me.

Many of you've heard it from my wife.

My son reached out and said, and he's leaving on Saturday for three years down in Georgia.

And he says, Dad, I'd like to bring in 2fiftybbq, it's a restaurant here, for everyone in the IRS who has helped and supported and worked with you while you've been there.

My son doesn't know everyone in the IRS, but he's met quite a few people.

So if you would like to bring in...

[ speaks indistinctly ] ...it's not just my wife, but this is my son, and it's his idea and he's is bringing it in.

You all are very important people and we can't always show it.

We certainly can't show it in a pandemic.

But I want you to know that that you count for us and we'll never forget efforts and the people here.

So sorry to run over, guys, and all that, but I will turn it over to David Alito, who is appropriately attired for today.

Thank you, all.

David Alito: Thank you, Commissioner.

Ken Corbin: Thank you, Commissioner.

I have to jump in and say, whenever you come to a Craig Stevens production or a Jim Fish production, a tie is something that is expected with them.

And I expect pictures from the barbecue today.

When your son comes here to Georgia, we'll treat him to a Chick-Fil-A peach and we'll send you a picture of that when it happens.

It's always so good to hear your thoughts and supportive words.

Thank you for inviting David and I to the farewell celebration.

You know, I'm thrilled that Commissioner Rettig was able to attend and thank you for your service.

As many of you know, submission processing holds a special place in my heart.

It's great to virtually see all the current and former executives and employees who are able to join us here virtually today.

I know many of you are disappointed that we could not meet face to face, but keeping everyone safe is always a priority and we've had to make a lot of adjustments over the past year and a half.

I do look forward to that time when we are through all of this and we will be able to come together and see each other and give each other hugs.

I am grateful for this time and space to personally thank each of you for your dedication, commitment, and caring to the IRS and to each other.

We are a family.

Being a close-knit team, and if you think about it, that is exactly what we are in our work lives.

We support each other. We watch out for each other.

We understand and we help each other succeed.

How many of you know when Fresno submission processing opened?

If you can put it in comments if you're used to Zoom.

Just say, you know, Fresno SP opened up in January of 1972.

So close to 50 years ago.

I can't even imagine how much paper has crossed through those doors.

David, what do you think?

David Alito: Well, I think how many others were surprised when the commissioner mentioned barbecue that we didn't see Ken run up out of his chair and run towards the door and find a way to get there.

So I'm a little shocked that he was still in his chair.

Hey, thank you so much for the invitation for us being here today.

There's just so much, so much passion and interest in all that gets done in Fresno.

And as you heard Ken say, 1972 that many years ago and I think about all the interactions, the interactions with employees and taxpayers and just the service that was provided and continues to be provided over all those years, from the aspects through submission processing.

It really is a combination of a very long journey to where we are today.

And hopefully you've seen that our focus, as you've heard today, is all about you as employees.

And it's that continued efforts to bring you information, bring you training, personal assistance, and make sure that you're aware of different employment opportunities.

86% of the people taking either the buyout, finding new positions, or looking for opportunities elsewhere is just incredible, and we're hopeful that we've been a really good part of that.

We applaud employees that are moving on to new opportunities, as well as applauding those employees that are taking other opportunities within the service.

And as you can hear, we want you to feel comfortable where you are and make sure that we're doing all that we can to help you and grow into a new position.

But we absolutely thank you for continuing your service here with the IRS.

And we come back to Ken.

Ken Corbin: Hey, David, I agree.

And on top of that significant percentage of the nearly 1,300 employees that chose ongoing IRS employment, more than 93% of them stayed at their current grade level or received a grade increase.

So that's just wonderful.

Your resilience during this time will serve you well in your current position and in any future opportunities.

I loved hearing about the creative and successful Fresno Reskilling Academy.

What an innovative endeavor that can be used for future training goals, and the positive feedback has been overwhelming.

So congrats to the wonderful instructors and students.

You set a standard right here in Fresno.

David Alito: Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your ceremony today.

As we look across and I know you, it still feels like "The Brady Bunch" when you can't really look from side to side, but all of you that we see and those that can't be on camera today, you were the ones that have made the difference not only for each other, but for the taxpayers, the communities.

And it really is bittersweet to see an operation change, but we look forward to all the opportunities in the future, and we're so glad that you've been a part of this, and we're glad to continue to be a part of helping you reach all the things that you want to reach.

Ken Corbin: So as Commissioner Rettig stated, you all have a lot to be proud of your work over the years and the work going forward.

We hold these ceremonies for closure figuratively and literally.

But what does that mean to you?

We come together to reminisce, give a nod to our accomplishments, but most importantly, to honor our friendships, those will always last.

And you will always have Fresno SP memories.

You were here and you did great things.

You know, I think about the times that Paul Mamo and myself had the wonderful opportunity to come out as the deputy and the director for submission processing and meet with all of the wonderful employees and leaders in Fresno.

And something that stands out to me about Fresno is what is in the cafeteria, and I'll change the words a little bit.

But basically, be proud that Fresno submission processing funds the freedom for America and you all have that memory and that movement forward to know that even though submission processing is closing its doors, you will continue to represent the IRS, be a part of the IRS family, and will help us move forward to continue to help fund the freedom that we so richly enjoy here in our country.

I will always say this, and I say this is in many ways as I can.

You know, love never leaves.

And so the memories and the love that you all have of being together will always be with you, and you all will always have that connection.

And I and David will always have that connection with you as well.

So stay safe, stay healthy.

And I'll hand the mic over to Dietra Grant right now.

As I know, she's also very glad to be a part of today's events.

Dietra Grant: Yes, thank you, Ken and thank you, David.

And you're absolutely right.

I am so happy to join everyone here today and give a fond farewell to Fresno submission processing.

I loved hearing from the Commissioner, Commissioner Rettig.

I know he made special arrangements to be with us today and it is greatly appreciated.

So today's full of emotions and taking the time to gather is important to process all that is changing.

I know the commissioner spoke of change and you know, we often say don't be afraid of change or change is good or embrace change.

But we also have to admit that change can be hard and it is a process.

This day marks the occasion where there will still be time to get used to the closure of Fresno submission processing.

And as Ken spoke for the almost 50 years that Fresno submission processing has been in existence.

Now I can't thank all of the Fresno submission processing employees enough for their hard work over the years, the many, many years.

I came to PAS as the director in December of 2019.

That was right before COVID and during COVID, we closed, we reopened, then adjusted to many changes.

No one would have envisioned that the last year or Fresno submission processing would have been under these circumstances.

We made it through that bumpy period, and I know we will do very well in the future.

Fresno has always been regarded as a strong and dedicated workforce.

As you have heard from our commissioners, we are proud of you the extra efforts that you have made to reach this day and also your resilience.

There were tough decisions that had to be made.

We charted new courses and we took a lot of actions.

Now I am more than pleased that so many of you found other jobs, accepted... [ speaks indistinctly ] or found other opportunities since the Fresno consolidation was announced years ago.

And Ken noted that especially grateful that more than 93% of the 1,300 employees who choose to go on with Internal Revenue Service will remain in their current grade or receive a grade increase.

So I'm very happy about that.

I also want to take the time to acknowledge and continue both locally and nationally for just asking appropriate questions along the way to ensure employee options were addressed.

They had good insights and suggestions that we were able to incorporate into the plans.

So what goes into a ramp down of our processing center this size?

A lot of great people and a lot of hard work.

So I want to give special attention and thanks to the Fresno leadership that includes our managers, secretarial, and clerical support, the site coordinators' office, communications, both locally and nationally, or CAS PMO office, the SMEs who help stand up the campus support in Fresno, a Fresno AM to FMSS, to IRS HCO, to the employment staff, to labor relations, to W&I CMO office, to our IRS commissioner, the W&I commissioners, the reskilling academy trainers and students.

But finally, to all of the employees who have experienced these changes.

Now we will do well.

Fresno is still here and we are here with you.

So I see the program next includes comments from Jim Fish, our director of submission processing.

There's also the history of the Fresno SP Service Center.

Our slideshow and special recognition.

And I can't wait to see what's in store on the rest of the agenda.

But let me wrap up and leave you with this thought, and I ask you all to just reflect.

Please take the time and reflect and smile at what you've accomplished. Just smile.

And I'm going to pass it on to someone who I know is smiling and who's always smiling.

And of course, that's Jim Fish, the director of submission processing.

So, Jim.

Jim Fish: Thank you, Dietra and good morning, everybody.

You know, as everybody said, you know, I want to thank Ken and David and Dietra and also the IRS commissioner for coming and being part of this ceremony today.

As the commissioner stated, we are in different times right now and with the insurgence of COVID, we make do with what we have.

And I think it's nice that we get to do a nicer Zoom session today with everyone.

As the director of submission processing, I just wanted to say thank you to all the employees in Fresno.

As as many of you know, I spent three years as a director of Fresno Submission Processing.

And my time spent there was just a wonderful time and never thought that we would be at this point where we're looking at our seventh processing center closing.

It's hard to believe that this is number seven out of 10 if you look over from 2003 until now.

But without fail, Fresno submission processing employees have continued processing and continued working.

And as I said many times, that Fresno, whatever we need done, Fresno was there to help us and get it done.

Even this filing season, we were looking at Fresno.

Can you take additional work? Can you process more returns?

And Fresno always stood up to the challenge and said, absolutely.

I think we still have folks working in until their last day working ERS cases in Fresno even though the pipeline is being shut down.

We are still processing work in Fresno and it just goes without saying that that's because of the caliber of employees that we have in Fresno.

Moving forward, I congratulate all those folks who are either moving to another job or have decided to retire.

And I hope you enjoy your retirement.

But I noticed some comments in the chat box that talk about the Reskilling Academy and Reskilling Academy has been a great endeavor and a great partnership with OPM and reskilling folks to other jobs.

And it's nice to see a couple of comments of folks that are excited to go to their new career.

So I wanted to say, good luck with that.

Good luck in wherever the future takes you.

And as everyone said, you are part of the family and you will always be part of this submission processing family.

I don't know.

It's not probably every couple of weeks goes by where Ken reminds me that he can come back and work ERS cases if we need him to, because he's always been part of that submission processing family.

My reply has always been I'm not sure we can deal with the quality, so maybe just stay doing what you're good at doing.

But it's all good, but no, once part of this information processing family, you're always part of this submission process and family.

And again, thank you.

And just good luck in anything and all the endeavors in the future.

So, Craig, I think that turns it back to you.

Craig Stevens: All right. Thank you, Jim.

Well, let me just pause and thank Commissioner Rettig, Ken, David, Dietra, and Jim for taking time out of their days and talking to us, sharing some time, some thoughts with us.

So I'm going to go back.

I'm going to give you a little more history, a little more detailed history about Fresno submission, and hopefully I can get the right slide up and shared.

And I hope somebody can nod and say they see a slide that says in the beginning.

All right, thank you.

So a little more on the history we learned earlier and through the comments that the center opened its doors in January of '72.

The site's undergone many changes over the years, and the center has grown and evolved into the Fresno campus, which also includes sites in Portland and Seattle.

The first director was Leonard Semrick.

He came to Fresno in July of '70 with Harvey Kuffner, the administrative division chief.

And Paul Harris, the personnel officer.

They arrived in Fresno with a government car, a cardboard box full of supplies, a lot of enthusiasm for the task of staffing a not yet built service center.

Semrick, Kuffner, and Harry soon discovered they had no office space, but found temporary workspace in the IRS downtown office using desks of vacationing revenue agents.

Site construction took 14 months to complete at a cost of $14 million, was built by Turner Construction Company 520,000-square-foot structure consisting of five one-story interconnected buildings.

The first 1,200 workers constituted almost the whole IRS staff during the '72 peak season.

They processed Texas for Northern California and Hawaii and in '73 began processing Southern California tax returns.

The first employees didn't have it easy.

The data transcribers trained without pay in an unfinished building with no atrium windows during the cold months of November and December.

In January of '72, the doors opened and the business of processing paper tax returns began on March 28, 1972.

Outside the main entrance of the facility, the Fresno Service Center was dedicated.

So that's a little on the history.

I also wanted to recognize the directors that have passed through the doors of Fresno.

You see Leonard Semrick, Fred Perdue, Theron Pollvka, Robert Wenzel, Rhonda Hon, Jim Grimes, Ellen Mooradian, James Gaither, our very own James Fish, Christina Navarrete-Wasson, Jonathan Schwartz, and myself, Craig Stevens.

So that's the history of the directors here in Fresno.

Next, we're going to move on to a little slide show with some music, hopefully this all worked the way it is supposed to.

Man: ♪ Thanks for the memory ♪ ♪ Of sentimental verse ♪ ♪ Nothing in my purse ♪ ♪ And chuckles when the preacher said ♪ ♪ For better or for worse ♪ Woman: ♪ How lovely it was ♪ ♪ Thanks for the memory ♪ ♪ Of Schubert's Serenade ♪ ♪ Little things of jade ♪ ♪ And traffic jams and anagrams and bills we never paid ♪ Craig Stevens: Uh-oh.

♪ How lovely it was ♪ ♪ We who could laugh over big things ♪ ♪ Were parted by only a slight thing ♪ ♪ I wonder if we did the right thing ♪ ♪ Oh, well, that's life, I guess ♪ Man: I love your dress. Woman: Do you?

Man: It's pretty.

Woman: ♪ Thanks for the memory ♪ ♪ Of faults that you forgave ♪ ♪ Of rainbows on a wave ♪ ♪ And stockings in the basin when a fellow needs a shave ♪ ♪ Thank you so much ♪ ♪ Thanks for the memory ♪ ♪ Of tinkling temple bells ♪ ♪ Alma mater yells ♪ ♪ And Cuban rum and towels from the very best hotels ♪ ♪ Oh, how lovely it was ♪ ♪ Thanks for the memory ♪ ♪ Of cushions on the floor ♪ ♪ Hash with Dinty Moore ♪ ♪ That pair of gay pajamas that you bought and never wore ♪ [ Indistinct conversation ] ♪ We said goodbye with a highball ♪ ♪ Then I got as high as a steeple ♪ ♪ But we were intelligent people ♪ ♪ No tears, no fuss ♪ ♪ Hooray for us ♪ ♪ Darling, how are you? ♪ ♪ And how are all those little dreams ♪ ♪ That never did come true? ♪ ♪ Awfully glad I met you ♪ ♪ Cheerio and toodle-oo ♪ ♪ Thank you ♪ ♪ Thank you so much ♪ Man: ♪ Thanks for the memory ♪ ♪ Of sentimental verse ♪ ♪ Nothing in my purse ♪ ♪ And chuckles when the preacher said ♪ ♪ For better or for worse ♪ Woman: ♪ How lovely it was ♪ ♪ Thanks for the memory ♪ ♪ Of Schubert's Serenade ♪ ♪ Little things of jade ♪ ♪ And traffic jams and anagrams and bills we never paid ♪ ♪ How lovely it was ♪ ♪ We who could laugh over big things ♪ ♪ Were parted by only a slight thing ♪ ♪ I wonder if we did the right thing ♪ ♪ Oh, well, that's life, I guess ♪ Man: I love your dress. Woman: Do you?

Craig Stevens: All right, so that's just kind of a look back through the years.

I'm sure folks saw themselves in some of those pictures.

Running an operation like this doesn't just happen easily.

It takes a lot of different support staffs and different areas and all different things.

So I want to recognize some of the the various support functions that we've had and that have and that have served the Fresno Center.

The first is Amentum. They do a lot of things.

They deliver the mail between the buildings, move furniture around, things like that.

So thank you to Amentum and all of their employees.

To Compsych for the EAP services that they have provided have been a great resource for our employees over the years.

Explosive Countermeasures International.

That's easier said by saying our K-9 unit, that we have that sniffs the mail, make sure we don't have anything bad coming into the building.

Federal occupational health, health...

[ speaks indistinctly ] The nurses that have treated our folks and cared for folks over the years, thank you so much.

Federal Protective Services providing guard service, keeping the property and our employees safe.

Fresh & Natural, they ran the cafeteria for a number of years.

Thank you to them.

Goodwill Service Connection Custodial Service, they keep our building clean and for the last year and a half sanitize thoroughly.

So thank you for them.

The Goodwill Service Connection Landscaping Services have maintained the the exterior of the building and the property. Thank you to them.

Turtle Café & Vending.

They kept us supplied with snacks and sodas in the various canteens.

I want to thank United Benefits.

They're actually a partner of NTEU if you don't know.

They have been on site here for the last year and a half while we've had open windows providing assistance to our employees in very big decisions regarding whether they can retire or they need to find another job, but they provide financial assistance and they literally help hundreds of our employees.

So thank you very much to United Benefits for all that they did throughout this consolidation effort.

Workforce Connection.

That's the state area that helps keep unemployed folks.

They have been a tremendous partner through the consolidation process with job fairs, with resume writing workshops and things like that.

So thank you very much to them.

Last but not least by any stretch of the imagination, Facilities Management & Security Services.

FMSS, they've got their hands full to get this building emptied out by the end of November.

But they have been tremendous and tremendous assistance and partner throughout the consolidation process and also our site coordinators' office for all the work that they have done through consolidation.

And all the work that they did putting together this closing ceremony.

They're really the backbone of this ceremony.

Without them, we would not have been able to pull this off.

So thank you to those folks.

And just before we close here, I just want to talk about consolidation has been difficult.

It's impacted literally going back to the beginning, almost 3,000 employees.

And it's a major change and a lot of people were in denial.

We're really here. It's hard to imagine that we're five weeks away from closing.

But I also want to recognize NTEU because throughout the consolidation process, they have really been a good partner to us.

They've worked with us.

They help us get the word out to the employees on whatever it is.

But I just wanted to make sure to acknowledge NTEU’s partnership.

So with that, I'm going to put up the final slide and we're going to have some music and that'll be the end of the program.

I'll thank you in advance for for your joining the presentation and the ceremony today.

Woman: ♪ We were strangers, starting out on a journey ♪ ♪ Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through ♪ ♪ Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing ♪ ♪ At the beginning with you ♪ Man: ♪ No one told me, I was going to find you ♪ ♪ Unexpected, what you did to my heart ♪ ♪ When I lost hope, you were there to remind me ♪ ♪ This is the start ♪ ♪ And life is a road that I wanna keep going ♪ ♪ Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing ♪ ♪ Life is a road, now and forever ♪ ♪ Wonderful journey ♪ ♪ I'll be there when the world stops turning ♪ ♪ I'll be there when the storm is through ♪ ♪ In the end I wanna be standing ♪ ♪ At the beginning with you ♪ Woman: ♪ We were strangers on a crazy adventure ♪ Man: ♪ Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true ♪ ♪ Now here we stand, unafraid of the future ♪ ♪ At the beginning with you ♪ ♪ And life is a road that I wanna keep going ♪ ♪ Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing ♪ ♪ Life is a road, now and forever ♪ ♪ Wonderful journey ♪