In 1991, I was an intern on the manufacturing floor of IBM's printer, typewriter and keyboard operations business here in Lexington, Ky. It was the best job in town for a student trying to pay his way through college. When we were told that this part of IBM was spinning off into a new company, I was anxious. I needed the job to pay my tuition and bills. I certainly couldn’t have imagined that I’d be leading the company 30 years later.

On March 27, 1991, Lexmark International Inc., was formed as a spinoff of IBM. This year, as we commemorate our 30th anniversary, we are a recognized global imaging technology leader serving customers in more than 170 countries. I attribute this longevity to our loyal customers, partners and employees.

Throughout the year, we will be sharing some of the highlights of our journey on social media and the Lexmark blog—some serious and some just for fun. But I wanted to start by reaching out to you directly with a heartfelt “thank you.” 

Our corporate vision, established very early on, was to view our customers and partners as “Customers for Life.” We started as a customer-first company and 30 years later, it is part of the Lexmark DNA. 

We recently updated our vision to, “We help customers make a lasting impression on their world.” This reflects the fact that all of us at Lexmark are focused on developing innovative technology products, solutions and services that help you improve your business processes and results, year after year. 

While we are taking time this year to look back, we’ve never stopped looking forward. The solutions we offer today leverage the latest cloud and IoT technologies to help simplify and secure all facets of your print ecosystem. We’re proud to be at the forefront of print transformation and to help you on your own digital transformation journey.

Whether you’ve been with Lexmark for a few decades or a few years, we thank you for your trust and loyalty. We look forward to helping you make a lasting impression on your world for many years to come.