Howdy! Briefly, have been reading and re-reading Ayn Rand for decades. My wife (my Dagny) and I started a petroleum products business in the early 1980s - marketing to the international maritime industry. We boot strapped the business starting with virtually no $ - and in spite of a wealth of naysaying friends and relatives over the years, we persevered and built it into a highly successful international enterprise - much to the surprise, and in some cases - chagrin - of many people.

Many challenges aliong the way - but the more daunting they were, the better we got.

I have always lauded successul, industrious people. Yet I find that as we continue to enjoy our success and grow our business - our old "friends" have long dropped away. No worries. We have many like-minded new friends who value individual liberty and the potential in all of us to create value for like value.I am also highly encouraged by what seems to be a groundswell of young, libertarian minded people who understand objectivism and wish to act on its principles.