So as of today, we have two weeks until the new year! The season is sure busy! We had the Pactola team Christmas supper last night. I have only one week to Christmas shop and I have not started. We are also trying to squeeze in the last closing participation of the year. And, oh yeah, we have that year end closing the books thing to do. It is truly crazy.
Despite all this business, I find it often easy to overlook giving gratitude and praise for those around us. Perhaps you are better at this than I am, or maybe, you get caught up, from time to time, in the busyness of life. I listened to a sermon today that reminded me the importance of gratitude.
Thanks to all the various credit unions that have allowed Pactola to help make you a better institution with your commercial and agriculture lending. Thanks to each participant who has decided to help fund parts of our loans. Others have decided to trust us with underwriting, file auditing, creating loan documents, or perhaps completing an annual review on a credit relationship. Some of you have attended one of our educational seminars. Thanks for allowing us to help you as we learn from you when we get the pleasure of working with you.
Thanks goes to our dedicated Board who took time this year to travel to the Black Hills and attend a strategic planning retreat. The commitment of our present and past Board members has provided talent and vision for our team. Thanks again for allowing me to be a part of crafting the vision.
Thanks goes to CUAD, our partner who helps us in so many ways. The support and promotion you give us with the credit unions in the Dakotas and elsewhere is incredible.
We are thankful to all the borrowers we have had the pleasure to serve. Many of these borrowers have become repeat clients for us and we are so appreciative for that. Also, third party vendors we use are essential to Pactola and we are grateful for the talented IT, loan processing, insurance, accounting, trade groups, repairmen, cleaning crew, landlord, and auditors we have the pleasure of working with.
Now, when it comes to our staff, I cannot say enough great things, because we have an awesome staff. Each one of our team members comes in with a commitment to excellence. They each bring in their ideas, critical analytical skills, and communication talents every day to our group. Their devotion to helping Pactola grow and their time commitment is amazing and it shows in so many ways. Each one of our team is also devoted to growing personally so they can have more skills and experience to share with our clients.
I would be missing if I did not express my thanks for my family. My wife and kids have been so supportive of my work. At times, this means business trips away from home, or dinners that must be reheated, or maybe a phone call on the weekend. Their support means the world to me.
My final thanks is to God, who makes all this possible. In this time of the year, let us stop the racing, to focus on the birth of our Savior amid all the hustle and bustle of the season.