June 2024 Chair's Column

What’s up?

I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of their summer season. While there are some professions that have the summer off or see things slow down this time of year, our industry keeps on ticking along. And while we’re thankful for the tremendous growth in our state, this is one of those Junes where economic development doesn’t sleep or take holidays.

I have a lot of travel on my calendar this summer - mostly work-related, but some personal vacation thrown in there as well. Those personal days remind me of the value and importance of spending time away from our work. I know that’s easier said than done and varies based on the person, but we can only give 100% in our profession if we’re devoting time to ourselves and our families.

Our speaker this year at the Savannah Economic Development Authority Annual Meeting emphasized the fact that younger individuals in our workforce find tremendous value in work-life balance compared to other generations. I think there’s something wise in their desire for more time. Our income can only buy us additional joys to a certain degree. Money comes and goes, but you can’t buy back time.

We all have the same 24 hours to live each day and we all have the same 94 days of summer to enjoy. How can we learn from our colleagues to ensure that July and August don’t fly by without us spending some time in the places that we call home? After all, we are marketing these cities to the world – we might as well spend some time really living in them too.

Enjoy your summer!

Trip Tollison