“Welcome to Southeast Texas!” That has been the most common greeting I have received since hitting the ground here in Southeast Texas on November 15. The reception I have received from the BBB Team, BBB Board of Directors, Business Leaders and Consumers has been incredibly warm and welcoming. This has served to remind me how great the people of Southeast Texas are!
That’s right – remind me. For those of you who have heard part of my story, you know that I grew up in the north part of our service area and graduated from Kirbyville High School. I tell people that I grew up in the country and have finally made it to the “big city”.
I come to Southeast Texas having spent the last 20 years in the Fort Worth area, the last 3 of those serving as the Operations Manager for the BBB in Fort Worth. I am excited about the opportunity here with the BBB of Southeast Texas and am appreciative for the last 6 weeks of 2011 being able to observe and learn as Michael Clayton, President/CEO of the BBB of Southeast Texas for the last 15 years closed out his time of leadership here at the BBB. This time has allowed me to “hit the ground running” during the first three weeks of 2012.
And what an amazing 15 years it was! Under Michael’s leadership the BBB of Southeast Texas has grown and developed into a well-respected place of leadership in the National BBB system, ranking in the top three in 6 of the 7 most important categories for BBB’s of similar size. I want to personally thank Michael for turning over the keys to such a successful BBB to me on December 31. Michael and Dee are still an important part of our community and I encourage you to give him a sincere thank you as you have the opportunity for the amazing results of this BBB over the past 15 years.
The most exciting news I can share with you now, is that the best days of this BBB are ahead! We are poised for a fantastic year in 2012 due to several factors: The team at the BBB is an incredibly talented, energetic and caring group whom I have already grown to appreciate and be grateful for. The Board of Directors of the BBB are a committed, experienced, and engaged group who continue to provide expert leadership and guidance for our organization. Having been on the ground here in Southeast Texas for 8 weeks, I already sense a buzz and excitement in the business community as the area continues to recover economically and from the weather-related events of the past few years. Economic Development Groups, Chambers, and other business organizations all seem to be gaining momentum. What a great time to be a part of this business climate!
Part of that may be due to something Zig Ziglar, well-known motivational speaker, has said in the past: Your business is neither good nor bad “out there”, what determines whether it is good or bad depends on what happens “in here” – within your own mind. What I take from that is that ethics, motivation, and achievement start with an attitude – and this is an attitude that seems to be growing here in the business community in Southeast Texas.
One of the growth areas for our BBB this year is to increase our involvement in the communities of our 8-county service area. By Friday of this week, the BBB team will have already been present at 13 different community events stretching from Port Arthur to Woodville in 2012. If you have an event that you would like us to attend or if you would like for us to come to your organization to give a presentation, please contact us.
Also, we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events, such as a BBB “Morning Mix Tour” Stop, a BBB “Lunch & Learn” training seminar, or the BBB 15th Annual Torch Awards for Marketplace Trust Banquet on May 8. Please call on us and let us know how we can be of assistance to you. Have a great month and remember – keep your business growing, ethically…. motivationally….and in a customer focused way, right there in your own mind and watch for the growth to unfold in real time in the real world of Southeast Texas.
