By SJS Founder & CEO Scott Savage.
As the sun sets on an indescribable 2020, we collectively hold our breaths for a successful and rapid rollout of vaccines to combat COVID-19. To sum up, I am awestruck by many of the events of the past year. Public and private leaders leaned into the coronavirus crisis, quickly pivoting to deal with the public health, economic, employment, and financial market disruption that began in February. Legislation, leadership, innovation, agility, emotions, divisiveness, and human fragility were on full display over the past 10 months—a short time that feels like a lifetime. And oh, by the way, SJS celebrated 25 years of business!
The reason we exist is YOU, and we were pleased to send each of our clients an American flag as a symbol of our gratitude and our pride in living in the greatest country in the world.
Your reaction was humbling: notes, calls, texts, emails, and kind words in person made us feel that we “hit the mark” as a way to celebrate 25 years of serving you, in the midst of a pandemic. I have compiled a few themes from your responses that I feel compelled to share:
Practical reactions to receiving the flag
Many of you shared the tired condition of the flag you already owned or the fact that you had never owned a flag and had long intended to buy one. The pictures, stories, and patriotic sentiment jumped out at me, tugging at my deep love for our country. Thank you.
Appreciation for our team at SJS
Your appreciation for the team at SJS was central to many of your kind words. I hear such sentiment often, and never get tired of hearing it repeated. I agree and often am heard saying that I will stack up our team against any team, anywhere, anytime!
Letting us know how long you have been a client
Whether it is a relatively new relationship, or one that goes back decades or even to our beginning in 1995, many of you shared the duration of our relationship and how that has made you feel. I was happy to know that many of you are keeping track!
Personal stories
Thank you for sharing personal stories and SJS moments that you remember and carry in your heart. Your words make me feel that the vision, effort, dedication, hard work, innovation, and bumps along the road that weave the fabric of SJS have been a worthy endeavor thus far—an SJS-spangled banner to call our own.
And we are just getting started! I look to the next 25 years with grounded optimism. There is much to worry about and fear, but there is also much to anticipate and hope for. Your team at SJS is committed to continuing to give you our best each and every day. We are here for you and for your family and friends if you believe we can be of help. As a dear friend reminds me often, onward and upward! Forever may she wave!
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