Over the past several months I’ve spent a lot of time working on several projects with a partner who provides perspective very different from my own. While at times we’ve clashed, I can also say confidently that I have learned an amazing amount from his outlook and approach to building and place design. So much so, that in a recent conversation with a former colleague who was looking for some inspiration, I found myself repeating a philosophy that I learned from this new partner. I realized through this exchange how influential his thought-process has been on my own.

On Thursday I’ll be moderating a panel for the St. John’s Board of Trade at this year’s Business Development Summit. My panel is called “The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Making an Impact" and… SPOILERS… we are planning to chat about the value that entrepreneurs and startups bring to the organizations and individuals who work with them in their early days. I’m very excited, since I think it is an important topic in St. John’s – especially considering where we currently are as a province economically.

I’ve been doing some exciting work recently, and part of the role has me learning as much as I can about Newfoundland demographic trends. In particular, I am exploring how our aging population, as well as in-migration, is going to impact where and how people live in our province. The Harris Centre report, which was released last year amidst a lot of conversation, does a great job of shining a light on where we are headed. Newsflash! The results of their study may be perceived as a little scary.

With 2018 rolling in, it seems like an appropriate time to evaluate where my business is, where it is going, and what I would like to accomplish this year. I also thought that I might try to analyze what makes a good business goal versus a lousy business goal. In a sense this post acts as a way for everyone else to hold me accountable – while I’m not going to get into ALL of my business resolutions, I do have several that are related to my presence and messaging that we can absolutely follow up on in December to ensure that I’ve followed through. What better accountability than pressure from others, am I right?

After several long months, we are approaching the finish line on the first major contract that Urban East engaged in, the Common Ground Expansion Feasibility Study. I have had the pleasure of working with a phenomenal team, and while my role has primarily been to assess the design and develop an appropriate business case, I had input on all aspects of the project. The level of collaboration was unlike anything I had ever worked on.