I retired on July 1st, 2022. Here is my favorite quote over the last ten years: The quote was already many years old. I saw it in late March 2020. Covid was taking a stranglehold on our country.
Pessimism was rampant. Businesses were closing or being ordered to close. This quote from Fred Rogers gave some optimism:
"When I was a boy and I would see scary things on the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." - Fred Rogers
So I looked for the people who were helping, and those helpers were all over the country. They were working 80 hour weeks, some with no pay. They were communicating, they were lifting up people, they were the innovators that guided us back into the light. Many gave away everything they had for free to save not just their members, but entire communities. THEY were the chambers of commerce professionals across America, and they are the reason America and American businesses are back. You can read some of their stories here.
