Listening Comprehension Transcript Ok, if I could have your attention please. We have a new board member to formally introduce today. I say new because he's new to those of you sitting at this table, but not to many of you personally. John Clayton has been with the firm for almost 20 years now. He started as a hardware technician and worked his way up to senior manager, then systems director, and finally to his current position of vice president in charge of research and development. Since you're all familiar with John's work, I want to tell you a little about his personal life. John is married with three wonderful children, ages 12, 9 and 7. Last year, his 9-year-old, Luke, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. This was of course terrible news for John and his wife Karen, but they have helped Luke battle the sickness, and he is doing very well. During this difficult period, John was able to do his job despite missing several weeks attending to his family. His election to our board of directors is a testament to his courage, perseverance, and high personal standards. John replaces Martin Lynch, who retired last November, and though those are big shoes to fill, I am confident that he is more than up to the task. But enough blather from me. John...

Listening Comprehension Transcript That's a fair question, and the short answer is no, we don't plan to lay off any employees at this point. In a tough economy, we're going to act just like our customers -- tightening our belt and looking for ways to save money. We'll be looking at ways we can conserve energy, operate our stores more efficiently, and integrate new procedures that cut the costs of gas and power. We're also going to re-examine our pricing structure. We might have to lower prices and operate on a thinner profit margin for awhile. We value each and every one of our employees, and we won't let them go until we've first tried everything we possibly can. So I can't promise there won't be layoffs down the road, but your listeners can rest assured that we're committed to trying and avoid them at all costs.

Listening Comprehension Transcript Welcome ladies and gentlemen. My name is Linda Layman, and it's a great privilege for me to welcome our keynote speaker this evening, Samuel Jamison. Mr. Jamison, as you all know, is CEO of Beta Soft Corporation, and is regarded as the country's Most Creative Entrepreneur by the American Business League. In addition to that award, he has earned Wealth Magazine's "Man of the Year" award two times, and, last year, he was named "CEO of the Decade" by Business News Magazine, the first CEO that Business News has ever honored from our state. Mr. Jamison has grown Beta Soft from a two-person organization headquartered in his garage to a multi-billion dollar, multinational corporation in only 10 short years. You all know that. What you might not know is that Mr. Jamison founded two businesses that failed prior to Beta Soft, and that starting his third - and most successful - venture was actually his wife's idea. Ladies and gentlemen, join me in giving a big hand to our keynote speaker, Mr. Samuel Jamison.

Listening Comprehension Transcript Thank you for calling the Ticket Center. Tickets are now on sale for the May 20th classical music concert. Prices are $50 for seats on the main floor. Seats in the balcony cost $35, and seats on the third level cost $25. There is a $7 discount on all tickets for children age 12 and under. Senior citizens, age 60 and older, receive a $10 discount. A representative will be with you shortly. Please have your credit card ready. Once you've ordered, you may pick up your tickets at the concert hall box office. Thank you.