That’s what I’d venture to say a majority of us are thinking about 2020. I’m sure you’ve seen the barage of memes (and T-shirts, and cups) rightly proclaiming this year to have been a…well, let’s say “challenging one.”
Our esteemed Peter Ricchiuti expressed things very clearly and succinctly while being interviewed for our Top 10 Stories of the Year feature when he said, “COVID-19 has hurt the New Orleans economy worse than any city I can think of. The things we do so well —restaurants, festivals, hospitality, sports and even energy — have taken big hits.”
Typically, our Top 10 would be where we mostly celebrate our region’s economic wins. Unfortunately, this year there were enough big challenges to easily fill every spot on the list.
It’s been rough, and it still is, but in every area — whether its tourism, energy, hospitality, healthcare, or the array of small businesses that call this region home — we continue to fight. We continue to reach out with help, to innovate, to “Zoom,” to regroup, to brainstorm, to treat patients, to serve customers, to carry on the best we can. Stay tuned, because next month’s January issue is going to celebrate our region’s top executives who have been fighting that good fight, both for their own organizations and for others.
I’d like to end this note in a positive way, with a suggestion for a unique and fun thing to do this holiday season. I recently discovered a local gem: New Orleans Glassworks and Printmaking Studio. During a scouting trip for our On the Job image this month, instructor Zach LeBlanc was kind enough to entertain my daughter by helping her make a glass pumpkin. While seeing my child wield a blowtorch was a bit daunting at first, the excitement she obviously felt was enough to ensure the Singletarys will be back at the studio soon. Maybe we’ll make some glass snowmen, or some ornaments, or maybe make casts of our hands using sand and hot molten glass. There’s no shortage of ways to support this 40-year-old treasure of an institution right in our own backyard.
Happy Holidays Y’all. See you in 2021.
Kimberley Singletary, Managing Editor
