Issue link: http://frankenmuthcvb.uberflip.com/i/1331179
Now when I think back, it was a year I couldn't be more proud of. I am often brought to tears by the many generous and giving businesses in Frankenmuth. The optimism of many of our businesses and board leaders was inspirational. This past year, many of them have suffered their greatest losses, but still, every time I talked to a business owner who was shut down, their first concern was for their employees. "Cares" was another important word for the year. It was used in many ways including the signage we helped create as part of the Re-Opening Toolkit for businesses. The message of caring was one of the first points identified in our round table meetings early in the pandemic. Frankenmuth has a strong legacy of being known as a safe and welcoming place for all. It's a place where we care for each other. We care for our employees, neighbors, and guests. This guided our actions throughout the year. When our businesses were able to reopen, it provided some relief for not only our members but our staff, which allowed us to forge ahead with something else that was on our work plan. Since our traditional holiday celebration wasn't possible, it opened the door for us to lay the groundwork for big, new Christmas plans, but we nearly lost hope that we'd be able to accomplish anything major. And once again, our business community surprised us with their overwhelming support to make it happen. As we take on 2021, the word "faith" stands tall as we have hope for brighter days ahead. Frankenmuth is a community filled with so many entrepreneurs who are determined to figure out any challenge that gets thrown at them. Because of the unwavering faith and tenacity of our business community, I know that Frankenmuth will continue to be a strong community well into the future. In fact, I'm excited to see all the great things ahead. Together, we prosper! Jamie Furbush President/CEO 3