Derek - March 2022 - 4

CEO's
Letter
Russia launched an attack on Ukraine as we were
finishing this edition of the magazine. These actions
have driven up gas prices and caused economic
panic globally. The hardest hit are the brave people
of Ukraine, with more loss of life to come in the
coming days, weeks, and months.
Many of us have friends and family being directly
impacted, Derek Automotive is not immune. We've
been working with Ukrainian born artist Diana
Dubossarska on an exhibition about C.R. Patterson,
and recently learned her parents are in the midst of
the fighting. Diania's ex-husband's business has
been hit, and he has joined the civilian militia to
fight for his country. None of us can escape the
effects of war.
Mr. Putin seems nostalgic for the grand old days of
the old Soviet Empire, but it seems the world is
hearing the whispers of Dr. Kings'
'Let Freedom Ring.'
Before the Ukrainian conflict began the title of
my letter was 'Don't Judge a Book by it's
Cover' relating to the technology we're putting
under the hood of our vintage 1972 Cadillac.
The Ukraine conflict brought to my mind the
fact that technology is not nostalgic. It looks
forward, and is driven by the will of the people.
Many were upset when Apple removed the CD
Rom and the USB port from its computer. But
in fact, research showed most consumers didn't
use it and were open to new and better ways of
transferring data. Remember 'New Coke'? The
scientist said it'd work, marketing said they
would make consumers like it, millions were
spent on advertising.
NO ONE LIKED IT - Huge failure!
But after the failure, Coke didn't make the same
mistake twice. They listened to the consumer
and eased them into new products like diet
coke with lime and caffeine free.
I see parallels with the EV market. Same types
of major players, billions spent on ad buys.
Government's spending on charging stations to
Derek - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Derek - March 2022
