Within the cusp of winter, snow blanketing our neighborhoods, quiet consideration of the past year encourages both gratitude and humility. The solitude of recent snow provides the perfect pause for reflection: a moment of stillness in the busy-work of our individual lives to honor those caring souls who comprise our families both nuclear and extended. Winter calm offers a moment of introspection to remember those who celebrate with us in good times while motivating us during tough ones. When the hurdles seem nearly insurmountable, it’s our tribe that helps us climb over each barrier so we can keep pace with the race.
Our tribe at Silent Rivers is no exception. As the year concludes, 2014 marks a pivotal year in our company history. Having endured six years of recessive exceptionally flat revenues and marginal profits, we finally bounced back. We surpassed our historical revenue peak, and restored consistency to operations. And we did so with the compassion of friendship, the dedication of staff, and the creative gumption we’ve been known to embrace.
Achieving this milestone has been no small feat, but it’s journey included tough, tenacious decisions. Many of these decisions impacted the livelihoods of our staff, and they included the ever-present potential to disrupt the connectivity of a strong team, reducing our ability to serve clients. Fortunately, our commitment to staff remained resolute and forthright, deeply rooted in our company constitution and a commitment to collaboration.
Regardless of navigating uncharted waters during the recession, we continued to provide service to our clients as well as our staff. We were not perfect, sometimes making mistakes that required remedy, but our over-arching trend towards authenticity continued with optimism and resilience.
As founder, I am exceptionally proud of the twenty men and women that comprise the Silent Rivers tribe. Their dedication to each other and our clients remains unbending: rooted in their love for beauty, respect for learning, and a definitive commitment to the art of building. Still to this day, when the sky darkens and difficult decisions are required, this dedication elevates my spirit and reminds me of purpose.
Looking forward, into the forest of the uncertain, I honor those whom inspire me to keep trailblazing within the marketplace and their hearts.
In the recognition of aesthetics, craft, and ecological balance:
Thank you for believing in me!
Together, we leave the world a better place.
A winter sunset beyond the Frazier firs at Howell’s tree farm in Cumming, Iowa.