From the Desk of John Vance

After closing out a busy year and setting up for a successful start to 2023, much of our planning work was done, and I was able to enjoy some time with people I care about, both in the community and at home.

In February, we celebrated the 2023 Empowering Hearts honorees and artists at Single Mothers Outreach’s annual fundraising gala. Many people from our team attended the event, and it was a great way to recognize our local single moms while also contributing to the community in a meaningful way. I look forward to this event each year because it always fills me with optimism for what we can accomplish as a community.

I was reminded of this same sentiment later in February when we attended the SCV Chamber of Commerce Awards and Installation dinner. It was a once-in-a-century evening as the Chamber celebrated 100 years of service to this community, recognizing all the leaders who have helped shape our city. We were honored to be named Business of the Year by the SCV Chamber. Many of us feel like we live in a rather young city, and it’s easy to forget that our origins go back to the early days of Newhall. This event was a fun and thoughtful look back on the rich history that brought us to where we are today.

While there was a lot to celebrate within the community, we also had some birthdays to celebrate at home. Carmen had her birthday this quarter, as did our daughters Tara and Lauren, who turned 18 and 20. While these milestones always remind us of how time flies when you’re raising kids, we did stop and take a moment to enjoy time together as a family. To celebrate Carmen’s birthday, we went on a trip to Telluride, Colorado, and spent time with some good friends from the Raymond James community. Telluride was absolutely beautiful, and we broke up the days spent skiing with evenings enjoying some really excellent dinners.

In addition to our trip to Telluride, I was able to make a trip down south for a 3-day golf tournament at PGA West LA Quinta, which was a great excuse to spend time outside.

Overall, it was a great quarter with lots to enjoy, which made it easy to focus on the work at hand when I returned to the office. Seasons like this are an excellent reminder that balance in life and business really does help you achieve more.