This is the time of year we here in the Greater Mankato region celebrate something that can’t be found just anywhere, the sounds of summer. Sure, there is the joy that comes each spring with the sounds of neighborhoods once again coming to life. I enjoy that immensely. But it’s the other sounds of summer in southern Minnesota I’m talking about.
From the outside, and even to those in the local business community, it may have appeared to be just a small business transaction. One small business being acquired by another. To those involved closely in the deal, though, it was so much more.
I know it may sound cliché, but as I get older time really does seem to be going faster. I wake up and before I know it the day is behind me, another page on the calendar flipped, a new season starting.
I have always enjoyed learning. It’s probably one of the things that led me into journalism in the first place. The opportunity to cover and learn about something different every day.
With the emergence of networking groups and the growth of the Internet and social media sites, the local chamber of commerce is no longer the only game in town for businesses. Data shows in many cities nationwide, chamber membership is stagnant if not declining. Yet, for more than a century now, chambers have fostered economic vitality in the communities they serve and have been the trusted, unified voice for millions of businesses.
Well, here we are at the intersection of another new year. A time when most start making those New Year’s Resolutions. I myself am often a victim of the resolution game, only to feel like a failure by mid-February. So this year I am going to try a little resolution reversal. Instead of making a list of things I want to do in 2017, I am going to make a list of what I’m NOT going to do.
After years of being on the outside and anticipating who would be Connect Business Magazine’s Business Person of the Year each January, I was excited to be on the other side this year!
Mankato Clinic’s century celebration is collaboration at its best. As the Mankato Clinic celebrates its 100-year anniversary in 2016, it wanted to not only reflect on its past but to also focus on the future and how Mankato Clinic can play a bigger role in helping the community achieve better overall health. The “Thrive” campaign was developed with this in mind.
Despite my public persona at times, I am actually a quiet person. My nature is more reserved I would say. I would rather watch and listen silently in the background than be the center of attention. But I have never really been all that shy about my love for the southern Minnesota region.
