If you’re anything like me, you’re eager to fully embrace 2025. Now that we’re already a month into the year, 2024 feels like a distant memory. While I tend to focus on the future, I encourage you to take a moment to review our 2024 Annual Report if you haven’t already.
The past year was transformative for our organization and the communities we serve, filled with accomplishments worth celebrating. From our Alliance rebrand to Daisy Brand announcing their investment in a state-of-the-art facility in Boone, and even a visit from the Discovery Channel, these milestones are just the beginning. We played a key role in securing over $56 million in external funding, supporting companies committed to investing more than $900 million in our region. With regional partnerships, housing projects, new brands, and 230 total events, 2024 was nothing short of extraordinary.
Recently, I came across a message from Jon Sargent, President & CEO of Todd & Sargent, in their December 2024 newsletter. In it, he shared a simple but powerful philosophy:
“As we grow, we hold onto a saying I heard years ago: ‘Bigger isn’t better, better is better.’ Our goal has never been to be the biggest company; it’s to be the best company we can be. While growth tends to be a natural outcome of improvement, our focus remains on getting better every day and trusting that success will follow.”
These words deeply resonate with me. As we move into 2025, I’ve encouraged our team to adopt this mindset—to focus on being the best organization we can be. By striving for continuous improvement, we trust that growth and success will naturally follow.
