Letter from the CEO: New Year

Greetings,

I hope this letter finds you all well and that your new year is off to a great start.  A new year is always refreshing as it provides for a clean slate, new goals, and the opportunity to start anew. 

Since taking over as the President/CEO of the organization in August of 2023, it has been a pleasure getting to know the people and organizations who are invested in what we do.  I am a true believer in collaboration, partnerships, and the theory that “rising tides raise all ships.”  It has been extremely refreshing to see that same mindset already in place throughout the region.  It is this mindset that will set us apart as we move forward in promoting economic development in our region and a destination of choice for businesses and residents. 

One of my first goals when starting as the leader of the organization was to get fully staffed and construct a team of leaders who are eager to get to work.  We are already blessed with two amazing team members in Alyssa Petersen (Coordinator of Administration and Communication) and Joanne Follon (Business Retention & Workforce Partnership Coordinator) who between them bring over 20 years of experience to the organization.  Their experience and passion for the organization is unwavering and they provide unprecedented support for the Corridor.  The last position that we were looking to fill was the role of Senior Vice President.  Back in October we announced the hiring of Trevor Smith who started with the Corridor on November 1 and who will be a high-level and very dynamic team member of the organization.

We now enter 2024 fully staffed and ready to get to work in supporting the mission of the Corridor which is “To foster, encourage, promote, aid or otherwise assist in the economic growth and development of the four-county region.”  We will be conducting a goal setting session in January where we will be putting in place high-level goals and priorities that will drive the work of our staff and board of directors going forward.  Through this process and going forward, our promise is that we will constantly strive to promote and support economic development, as well as provide high-quality programs and services for our region. 

In closing I would like to share a quote from my favorite author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon that can propel us all into 2024.  He says, “Positive energy is like muscle.  The more you use it the stronger it gets.  The stronger it gets the more powerful you become.  Repetition is the key and the more you focus on positive energy the more it becomes a natural state.”   As an organization we are absolutely blessed to have so many positive influencers surrounding us, which makes what we do enjoyable and is key to being successful.   Let’s have a great 2024!

Sincerely, 

Curt Strouth

President/CEO