By J. Mac Holladay, Founder and CEO. 

It is hard to believe that we are headed to a new year and a new decade in a few days. Time Magazine called the last 10 years “The Decade from Hell”. The pace of change has continued to accelerate and certainly some of the changes are unprecedented. Two recessions, a cascading number of corporate scandals too numerous to list, natural disasters led by Katrina and Rita, and two ongoing wars. Then the last two years of “The Great Recession” (as termed by David Wessel at the Wall Street Journal) have put us in the worst economic posture since the Great Depression. As Thomas Friedman wrote back in February of this year, “First, if it is not apparent to you yet, it will be soon: there is no magic bullet for this economic crisis, no magic bailout package, no magic stimulus…We are going to have to learn to live with a lot more uncertainty for a lot longer than our generation has ever experienced.”

So we face 2010 with great “uncertainty” not only with the economy but on many important issues from climate change to immigration laws to health care reform. While it is tempting to look back and place blame, a better use of time is to look forward and try and understand where our organizations need to go and how these key issues and others will affect our communities. Change is our only certainty.

I am hopeful that the jobs report for November (only losing 11,000 jobs nationally) is the beginning of good news to come. Many of our clients report greatly increased project activity, while there are still very few “deal closings.” Every state, except Montana and North Dakota, continue to face massive budget shortfalls.

As with successful businesses, the best chambers and economic development organizations have been creative and innovative during these tough times. Program evaluations and strong reviews have led to reorganization and new priorities. While many have a net loss of members or investors, new revenue sources from family foundations to special events to new programs have shored up progressive chambers and development organizations. No one should believe that this economy will go back to “normal.” There is a “new normal” coming and we need to get ready for it. It will require innovation and creativity. Business as usual is a recipe for failure.

Market Street Services has enjoyed its most successful year in its 13 years of existence. We are focusing on the future for our client communities across the country and get ready for the new decade with new innovative strategies. We are betting (as Time says) it will be a “helluva lot better than the last one”.