Looking Back to Move Forward

Every January invites us to reflect. Not as a box to check, and not because we suddenly have clarity, but because the act of looking back helps us step forward with more intention.

When I think about 2025, I mostly think about movement. Slow, steady, sometimes complicated movement. Neighborhoods reshaping how they organize. Small businesses finding ways to stay open. Cities trying to meet needs that change faster than government can respond. And through all of it, we saw the power of communities that refuse to stop evolving.

Our work this past year reminded us that progress rarely happens in straight lines. Some projects advanced quickly. Others asked us to be patient. Many required us to listen, start again, and keep listening. The real work was not only what we delivered, but how we showed up while we were doing it.

One theme felt particularly true. Community development is ultimately about people. The business owner who keeps trying. The district leader who holds everything together quietly. The volunteers who show up for every meeting. The resident who trusts the process even when details are still uncertain. We saw again and again that BIDs and small business programs are not technical structures built on paperwork. They are community belief systems built on trust.

Our projects this year stretched across formation, renewal, small business growth, clean transit, workforce, and economic impact. Each one brought its own lessons and its own surprises. In some places, momentum was immediate. In others, it took time for community voices to feel ready to lead. We were reminded that readiness is not something we can predict. It is something we learn to recognize and support.

We also watched the conversation around economic development mature. Funders asked for data, and communities asked to see themselves reflected in that data. We found ourselves building tools that respected both. Numbers matter, and so do stories. Data tells us what is happening, but people tell us why it matters.

Looking ahead into 2026, there is a truth that centers us. We cannot predict what will come next, and honestly, prediction has never been our goal. What we can do is prepare ourselves to meet whatever arrives with steadiness and care. Over time, we have learned that confidence is not a feeling that appears out of certainty. It grows from doing the work, again and again, until we trust ourselves to handle what we cannot yet see.

That confidence is something communities teach us. Every time a neighborhood takes another step, even a tentative one, it reminds us that resilience is built by continuing to move forward even when the path is not fully visible. This is what makes the work matter. And it is what carries us into the year ahead.

There is so much we are proud of from 2025, but pride is not where we stop. There is still work to do. There always will be. And that is the real honor of this field. Community progress is never finished. It is always becoming.

To everyone who worked alongside us this past year, thank you for your trust, your patience, and your partnership. We are ready for another year of learning, building and adjusting. And we walk into 2026 with steadier hands, clearer purpose, and a belief that the confidence within really can conquer the fear of the unknown.