This issue of Pipe Progress is a big-time groundbreaker. It marks the first time that the magazine's cover article gives major play to our new line of large-diameter steel pipe. The steel pipe is a spiral-welded product manufactured by our newest subsidiary, American SpiralWeld Pipe Company (ASWP), LLC. As our feature story points out, Tampa Bay Water is using large quantities of this new product line on several master water plan projects. AMERICAN's manufacturing and marketing of spiral-welded steel pipe truly marks the beginning of a new era for our 97-year-old company. Of course, we remain entrenched as a major supplier of ductile iron pipe through 64 inches in diameter, and our role as a ductile iron pipe producer will continue to expand. AMERICAN has grown through the years because of major product and service innovations, and that is not going to change. It's just that our latest innovation is with steel, not iron. AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe does something that even our ductile iron pipe can't do: serves customers who need pipe in diameters larger than 64 inches. AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe is available in diameters through 144 inches, with quality as high as any in the world. Made in a technologically advanced facility in Columbia, South Carolina, it can be used for water lines, wastewater outfall lines, penstocks at hydroelectric facilities, and circulating water lines at power generation plants. Tampa Bay Water was the first customer to use our spiral-welded steel pipe on large projects. Michigan's Upper Peninsula Power Company also has begun installing it to replace a penstock at the utility's Victoria Hydro facility, and other orders for the product have been shipped or are on the books. It is already clear that our spiral-welded steel pipe will be a strong complement to AMERICAN's well-known line of ductile iron pipe and fittings. Also available from AMERICAN is electric-resistance weld (ERW) steel pipe, which we have manufactured since the early 1960s. Our ERW steel pipe, used in the oil and gas industries, is made in diameters through 24 inches. And so it is that AMERICAN has developed into a one-stop-shop pipe supplier. In addition to water, wastewater, and hydroelectric facilities, we are especially able to service those power generation projects where ERW steel lines for gas and ductile and large-diameter steel water lines are needed. In the final analysis, we have diversified our line and taken the direction we have for one reason: to better serve customers. We know that we must constantly evaluate what our customers need and want if AMERICAN is to continue as a leading pipe manufacturer. And we know that in addition to great products, we must also provide great customer service. Our manager of customer service, Maury Gaston, has a word or two to say about that in the Customer Service Section. I'm sure there will be other stories about AMERICAN spiral-welded steel pipe projects in future issues of Pipe Progress, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy reading the first. We're glad to make it available. Mike O'Brien Vice President/Sales

Mike O'Brien, Vice President of Sales