After many years of planning, hundreds of millions of dollars in expenditures – a little bribery here – a little strategic gift giving there – and years of frustration over road, venue, and infrastructure construction, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games have finally arrived on our doorstep. It didn’t really hit home until the Olympic torch passed in front of our office last week, on its final approach to Salt Lake City, about 45 miles from here.
Ergoweb’s offices are located in the small pastoral mountain town of Midway, Utah, U.S.A. If you watch any of the Nordic events, you’ll see the Soldier Hollow venue, which is a few short miles from here. The Park City venues (luge, bobsled, ski jumps, skiing, snowboarding) are also close by.
Over the years people have asked why we conduct our business from such a place, and I’m afraid our secret will soon be out. Admittedly, Utah has an odd reputation, sometimes deserved, sometimes not, but if you watch the Games, you’ll see majestic mountains, open spaces, abundant year-round recreational opportunities, wild places, wildlife, and people from around the world drawn to this unique American-West atmosphere. Its not for everybody, but it sure works well for us.
The concept of the Olympics also fits well with us at Ergoweb. We welcome the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year through our web sites. You name a place, and as long as they have access to the internet, we’ve served them. We’re proud of this, and often humbled by the experience. But as great a tool as the Internet is, it doesn’t replace the desire to, and the benefits from, meeting face-to-face. The Olympics makes it possible for us to share our hard work and good fortune, face-to-face, with the world.
If you were here, you’d feel the excitement in the air. There’s a bit of dread, too, because this is a long, large event that could cause a lot of inconvenience, not to mention the underlying fear that every mind-twisted terrorist in the world wishes they could make their mark here.
And so, with high spirits and high hopes, Ergoweb joins the rest of Utah in welcoming the world.