It is a joy and an honor to introduce you to this beautiful book by presenting the story about the founder of our company, my grandfather, Eugene Roberts. Regardless of your reason for reading this book, you are bound to be inspired by one man’s dream, his company, and its effect on the lives of so many people: his direct descendants, entrepreneurs, present and former team members, and strategic partners and customers around the globe. Eugene Roberts was a very complex man; one with an extraordinary, practiced work ethic and a song in his heart, the willingness to share his vision, enthusiasm for selling Western States machines and a passion to improve the processes in the sugar industry. I learned much about Eugene by perusing the numerous letters he wrote: to his customers, many of whom were his friends; people he considered colleagues on his staff, such as Joe Hertrich and George Stevens; the Western States Board, family and friends. Often, he would dictate his thoughts to his secretary, in a very focused way to free up his time for business trips, jotting down new ideas, solving problems, speaking with engineers and plant operators, and for other Company matters. Spending time with family was also important to him. Eugene and my grandmother, Olga, set aside a large piece of their land for growing vegetables and berries. They enjoyed gardening, in part, because it reminded them of the way they had grown up. We loved picking the different berries and eating Introduction