Reflection on a Unique Year
I believe now is as good a time as ever to reflect on what will probably end up as one of the most unique years our country has ever experienced. The Chamber adapted many events to follow local, state and national guidelines and while they were vastly different than most in person events of the past, all have turned out to be very successful.
Our Small Business Awards of Excellence and Virtual Business Showcase allowed many companies to bolster their online presence and become more aware of new ways to market their products and services. The industrial appreciation celebration will change to a online, permanent exhibition that will allow us to utilize our creation for workforce development purposes. Our annual meeting will also be changing to a virtual event with an announcement forthcoming on its setup. About the only “regular” events we had this year were our golf and disc golf tournaments. Maybe these revelations of what is allowable will lead us to more outdoor events in the future.
While we are unsure what 2021 will hold, one thing is for sure, it won’t be worse that 2020. Morristown/Hamblen County has and will always lead our region while others struggle. We lead with jobs, retail, healthcare and housing. This diversity allows us to weather storms unlike any other surrounding county. While others complain and struggle, we push forward. While others moan and look for reasons to quit, we work harder to ensure future success for our community. In the words of Toni Sorenson, “Strength comes from struggle. When you learn to see your struggles as opportunities to become stronger, better, wiser, then your thinking shifts from ‘I can’t do this’ to ‘I must do this.” 2021 will likely see more of the same in terms of virtual events early in the year. I’ll leave this with the same thing I leave my children with every morning, “make good decisions today.”