Just recently the Keene Sentinel celebrated the 2023 Trendsetters and what these individuals bring to our community, with that I thought about all the things that the Greater Monadnock Collaborative have invested in the future of the region.
Twenty-Three years ago, I came to Keene at the age of 33 with my wife Lindy. We came to create the life we wanted in the community that has given so much to so many people, I remember seeing someone like Dean Eaton who was running Your Kitchen Store at the time and realizing that he was doing things I never noticed in a community of retailers. He was leading by example and being involved in his community as more than just a salesperson for his goods.
I think that is an integral part of the Monadnock Region, this unabashed ideal that we can be more to each other than what our job title and position say we are. This generation of Trendsetters over the last four or five years are shining examples of what we can accomplish at any age, from every walk of life these incredible people represent a much larger group that are shaping the future of the Monadnock Region with their words, their thoughts, and their actions.
I think the trendsetters of our community have always been there, even when we didn’t celebrate them in the past, but today more than ever we need to acknowledge them and share their stories so we can show our community that we have people looking toward the future with us, and that we have an incredible vision to share the Monadnock Region with so many new people.
It is also the main goal of the Chamber going into the next ten years to attract the next trendsetters to our region. We are divining deep into a branding campaign for the Monadnock Region that is spearheaded by the Greater Monadnock Collaborative. It is the most funded program of its kind and to learn more about where we are, check out www.monadnocknh.com to see what we are doing. The most important aspect of the campaign is finding those young or soon to be families to the region and have their energy and influences on shaping the next generation of the Monadnock Region. In the past most people found the Monadnock Region by accident and came back on purpose. Or maybe they came back with spouses they met elsewhere, or because of a job opportunity. Now we are creating a message that lets us promote the region and take advantage of the people looking for a different and, what most of us believe, better than the ones they have in city life elsewhere.
Today I look at them and say thank you, for bringing your energy to our small world, bringing your vision and strength to develop the newest idea and help get through the next challenge. I hope, like me and the generation I grew up with you look at those who came before and take only the best things about them and add them to your vision. Learn from the mistakes and as the trendsetters are doing put the community and region in the forefront of all your actions. You will continue to be successful and fulfilled and we are all the richer because of it.
