Welcome to 2022 and all the promise that a new year holds! A blank slate to populate with goals and dreams; a fresh opportunity for positive momentum and capitalizing on lessons learned. Looking in the rear view mirror can be quite cathartic – sometimes fun, sometimes not, but always thought-provoking.
As Dean Trantalis, Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, shares in this month’s Power Question, “I thought 2021 was going to be a year in which we could look at COVID-19 in the rear view mirror and be able to escape its clutches. But the reality is, I think COVID is going to continue to be with us in 2022 and we just have to be better at convincing people to be vaccinated, and to get more people protected from the disease. We need to be better shepherds of our communities than we have been in the past.”
Indeed, looking out for our planet and all its inhabitants is a worthy and necessary responsibility that none of us should be taking lightly. In the year ahead, we’ll be taking an active role at Business View to foster and promote sustainability – economic, environmental, and social – by sharing feature stories from the industries, communities, and organizations that are working diligently to make a difference. If you know of anyone going above and beyond in those areas, please send me a note with the details to lorie@businessviewmagazine.com . We’d love to hear from you.
This month’s Business View Civil & Municipal celebrates eight very special communities that are rockin’ the Economic Development spectrum with well-managed and carefully planned growth. In Florida, it’s our cover destination, Dania Beach, and the fab Village of Key Biscayne that catch our attention with their sustainability efforts. Then we travel cross-country to check out the latest initiatives on the go for business and residential attraction in Commerce, Texas; Mansfield, Massachusetts; Van Buren Township, Michigan; and our westernmost location in Moorpark, California.
The Province of Ontario, Canada also piqued our interest, so we travelled north and connected with the charming Townships of Stirling-Rawdon and Mapleton for insights into their growth plans. Residential development, infrastructure enhancement, and public participation are all playing significant roles for the future of these welcoming communities.
The new year is upon us, folks. Please stay safe, be well, be happy… and enjoy the read!
Editor in Chief
Lorie Lee Steiner
