I have been fortunate as chair of the Headwaters Regional Development Commission over the last two years to see first-hand the dedication and commitment of both Board members and staff.  With challenges come opportunities.  I believe our future is exciting and bodes well.  We know that our challenges come from the economic downturn as well as changes in state and federal policy.  Yet the opportunities have presented themselves largely as a result of strong local leadership throughout our region, and that leadership wants nothing more than to improve the communities they care for and feel so strongly about.  In these interesting times we have a Commission that continues to commit and rededicate itself to working closely with those leaders to make a real difference in the lives of our citizens.

I like to think of our appetite for future progress, and I reflect on a few of our on-going efforts.  We're working to increase occupancy and affordable housing.  We're in the middle of a transition in building housing models to include purchase-rehab in our mix, allowing us to serve more areas of our region.  Our development team's creating a Center for Community Stewardship is big: we want to be the leading source of stewardship development, knowledge and implementation in the state.

Maintenance of our revolving loan fund has been challenging this year, but we see ourselves positioned to have a good year to come.  It is also reassuring to find that the new fiscal year's budget is in very good shape, and for that we thank our close relationships with partners and customers.

Our staff development is grounded in intentional efforts toward providing professional growth for a progressive, unified, highly motivated staff team.

The articles you find in this annual report document the Commission’s success, and are a testament to the wonderful people you and I get to work with throughout the year.  This Commission is one of the best governing bodies I have had the pleasure of working with, and our staff's commitment to our Region is second to none.

I look forward to another year helping our Region fulfill its destiny.

From the Executive Director - Cliff Tweedale

We’re one year into the recession, and there are signs that we’re coming out of it. During tough times there is real pressure on both individuals and organizations to focus on today’s emergency, today’s crisis. We see it happening at every level – private business, local governments, and state government.  Much thought is being given to the issue of how to survive.

Unfortunately, this focus often comes at the expense of those issues that are key to longer-term success. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me, “We just don’t have the resources to think about that right now,” or “We’re not doing anything until things improve.”  The question I always ask myself is:  Do things improve if we do nothing?

We’re committed to challenging our Region to continue to think strategically about, and act on, our future. Yes, things are tough, but we also know that we’re only likely to see long-term, sustained success if we create it. While short-term economic trends may require us to be a little more creative to accomplish our ambitions, these trends cannot be used as an excuse not to act.

The contents of this report should prove our commitment to action that helps create a better future for our Region, even when it might feel convenient to take a break.  We feel privileged to be able to continue to call on our partners and customers to join us in our quest.