A message to the Stittsville Community:
To all of us, 2020 has been a very challenging year in many ways. For our seniors in long term care homes and our children and educators in our schools, to our dedicated front-line health-care workers and all of our families and friends, this is a year that we won’t soon forget. The global pandemic has changed the way we live, work and interact with each other. Many new challenges were presented but it has also afforded new opportunities for us to evolve, grow and embrace change locally, domestically and internationally.
Our business community is a prime example of a sector that has had to pivot and adapt to a new reality – and what a great job they have done. Directly facing this new fiscal reality with enhanced safety protocols amid unprecedented financial uncertainty, business owners have developed new ways to offer their good and services to their customers in an efficient and safe manner. This, in part, was made possible by the great level of support they received from the local community. Without the support of residents, business owners would have struggled even more than they did over this past year. Despite ongoing local support, innovation and hard work, some great businesses did not survive this pandemic. Our hearts go out to these respected owners and their dedicated employees. I am confident, however, that their resilience and entrepreneurial spirit will ensure they bounce back in one way or another in 2021 and beyond. The Stittsville Business Association (SBA) has continually promoted the notion of “Shop and Support Local”. It is vitally important for the community to renew and enthusiastically embrace that concept even more now and into the future.
As a business association, we have made every effort to assist our local business members in any way possible during this challenging period. New and enhanced business-based programs and initiatives were introduced and promoted all with the singular objective of supporting our local business community as they navigated these demanding times. I want to thank my very committed and hard working SBA executive team colleagues for their dedication and efforts throughout 2020. I also want to especially thank our growing list of SBA members for their ongoing support. Even in the midst of this pandemic, we were able to achieve a milestone expanding to 100 members. Congratulations and thank you to all for making this a reality.
The new year brings with it growing optimism especially with the recent medical advancements in approved covid-19 vaccines. I feel confident that this, in turn, will allow society to return to some sense of normalcy going forward. This pandemic has not and will not define who we are as a community. We will reflect back in years to come to see that 2020 was a challenging year to say the least, but was also a year that made us stronger, more resilient and even better than before. Please continue to support our local businesses, your neighbours and those in our community who need our help now more than ever. A helping hand to those in need has never been so important.
On behalf of the Stittsville Business Association, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Allan Ryan
President, Stittsville Business Association