Meridian is open for business and it's open to this automotive industry that's growing in the southeast and along this I-20 corridor.

Our business is really increasing with John Deere. We steered clear of the automotive industry because of the volatility of that market and the constant price pressures.

Meridian grew 400 percent last year so we had five times as much business as the year before. Much of that was due to the Austin Energy solar rebate.

The goal, as Compaq has stated all along in its history, is to support an open industry standard.

In our industry, more borrowing means we are making more money and growing, ... Our business is simple: We borrow money from banks at approximately 7 percent and loan that money out to our customers at a much higher rate. So our bank debt only goes up when consumer demand for our loans goes up.

If I may be permitted to liken America to the human body, then I think it is fair to say that California is its face, New York is its brain and Texas is its heart. If you wanna know what makes America tick, get your ten-gallon hat on, and get yourself to Texas.