It's not the end, It's not even the beginning of the end....

For me, the Dow DuPont merger is bittersweet - having spent 13 years at DuPont with assignments in; Medical Imaging (Eagle Run in Newark DE), Fibers (May Plant in Camden SC) and Specialty Chemicals (Detroit MI), Krytox Manufacturing (Chambers Works in NJ), and LYCRA in Wilmington - all before starting yet2.com with some colleagues in '99. It's also bittersweet because I was the 8th generation of my family to work there over 215 years.

As I look back on those years, I'm struck by the quality of the people. Dedicated, bright, hardworking, ethical, are words that come to mind. It was inspiring connecting with these incredible business leaders, engineers and scientists. I learned a lot, and am grateful for every minute.

Nathaniel Wyeth (brother of Andrew), convinced me to work for DuPont over dinner in 1985. He worked for DuPont from '36, to '76, and was the companies first 'Fellow'. He was a brilliant technologist, full of passion, and drive. 'This is where you work if you want to change the world..' he said. I was blown away. If you drink soda from a plastic bottle, or brush your teeth with nylon bristles, you have him to thank.

This experience was not unique. There were many stories, from many DuPont leaders, including my grandfather. For a while he worked at the Seaford Plant, the worlds first Nylon plant (he graduated from MIT in '33 and worked at DuPont until '67) During WW II, told me he had to do a lot of selling to convince US Army troops that Nylon parachutes were in fact safer and better than canvas ones. (it did not help that they did not look as safe with lots of stray fibers).

The dedication, and spirit of innovation is not dead, in fact it might even be reinvigorated, as layers of management are reduced, and decisions are pushed downward. Nothing ends today, just because a ticker changes on the NYSE.

I'm optimistic that the new companies can create even better products. New Nylon's, Kevlar's, Teflon's, Lycra's and Tyvek's that can make the world an even better place. I'm optimistic that the people who have left in the process will create awesome companies. I'll be cheering for all of them from the sidelines, as a small shareholder and a customer.

If this merger, and subsequent split into three companies, is well executed - this is not the beginning of the end - but it might just be the beginning of the beginning.