I’ve been very lucky in my life to find success in some wildly different businesses.
 
It started with a bang fresh out of grad school, when we turned a snake pit into an accredited public psychiatric hospital in New Hampshire.  Then jumped over to the private sector and built over 100 state-of-the-art mental health facilities across the country.  Developed a group of great hair salons and schools inside the Beltway.  Bought and grew a little restaurant in Nellysford that became Nelson’s “Friends” – and served up some world-class pizza.  Helped regulate some out-of-control capital spending in Virginia to tame spiking healthcare costs.
 
For almost 40 years, I paid the bills by building organizations that fattened a company’s bottom line.  Met a public need.  Realized a partner’s passions. 
 
But not mine. That is, until I answered a little help-wanted ad in the Nelson County Times.
 
Our community center was struggling and needed a new leader.  It had almost no money and fewer prospects.  Its last ED was in prison.  The Board was still healing from being fractured.  The halls were hollow and the fields vacant.  The trust, pride and confidence bins were empty. 
 
The job came with a promise of only six months’ salary. All the funding for paychecks after that would be up to “the successful candidate” to raise.   It was a daunting challenge, but something in that interview clicked with me viscerally and I took the job.
 
The history of the Rock since those days is now local lore.  It’s a story of blind faith, newfound alliances, “failure-is-not-an-option” determination, doubled and re-doubled effort, some dumb luck – and a generous sprinkling of well-timed miracles.
 
I can’t pinpoint the moment, but sometime during that history a community found its core and began believing.  Our projects, driven by the passions of that community, exceeded our wildest dreams.  Every new program brought us closer.  Every event added sparkle.  “No Vacancy” signs went up over unrented rooms.  Membership soared.  Funding flowed. The halls and the fields filled with the sounds of happy kids, the smell of coffee roasting and brewing, and the bustle of people shopping, eating, learning, exercising and celebrating. Those bins loaded back up.
 
And somewhere along the way, a nomadic businessman finally found his passion.

 
The Rock has now turned 25, and Sara & I have been a team for more than half that time.  We’ve launched a lot of Membership Drives in those years.
 
This will be our fourteenth and last one together. 
 
With my retirement in August, RVCC will wrap up a transition that has been in the planning stages for more than a year already.  All that prep work will no doubt smooth the transition process for our new leadership, which will bring new talents, new approaches, new connections and hopefully, new passion to the Rock. 
 
I hope it brings renewed passion for the Rock from you, as well.  And if you haven’t done it yet, we hope you’ll consider joining the almost 900 of your neighbors who support RVCC as the invaluable community resource it has become.
 
You know, the Rock has truly become the place “where community happens” – it’s just going to happen a little bit differently starting next year. Please join me as we embrace the transition.
 

Yes, I want to be part of the New “Rock Era”!

 
And for one last time, I thank you for your unwavering support over the years, and for everything you do to keep this brilliant light glowing.
 
All my best –