Thanks, Melissa, and good morning to all of you on the phone and webcast. As I reflect on the progress that we've made against our strategic plans and the initiatives we have underway for 2019 and beyond, I'm confident and excited about the future of this company.
Before I get into the details of our results, I would like to take a moment to reflect on your 125thanniversary that we are celebrating this year. It's an incredible privilege to lead a company that remains as relevant with consumers today as we were more than a century ago. Everyone here at Hershey has tremendous pride in our incredible portfolio of brands. And it's the care and attention that we put into each of our brands that resonates with our consumers. Our job is to deliver on our consumer's expectations each and every day. We are also entrusted to make the strategic decisions to ensure that Hershey is well-positioned long-term. I would like to thank my Hershey colleagues for their consistent passion and commitment.
Now turning to the businesses at hand [ph], we are fortunate to participate in growing categories with amazing brands that consumers love. We have advantage margin, a healthy balance sheet, and differentiated capability. In a dynamic and highly-competitive operating environment, in 2018, we grew our business and delivered on our financial commitment, while strategically investing for the future.
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