You made it!
It’s 2020.
Welcome to “The Future.”
You live here now.
If you haven’t received your silver jumpsuit and flying car yet, don’t panic. They should be arriving shortly.
Here’s more good news...
Dogs now know how to walk themselves. Gluten is good for you. And crowded airports are a thing of the past thanks to America's massive network of people-moving pneumatic tubes!
Any downsides to The Future?
All diseases have been cured so you can’t call in sick to work anymore.
Hollywood is still making too many superhero movies.
And most days are overcast because the sky is crowded with Taco Bell delivery drones.
But there’s nothing we can do about it.
Once the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day, we all left the old world behind and became Citizens of the Future.
We’re here. It happened.
Might as well make the most of it. Right?
Except, of course, it didn’t happen like that.
Nothing REALLY changed at midnight on January 1st except the calendar.
The shiny, streamlined, space-age future I was promised as a kid didn’t just pop out of a giant birthday cake and yell “SURPRISE!”
That's not how the universe works.
Big change happens one small step at a time.
Think about technology. You didn’t wake up one morning with a tiny supercomputer under your pillow.
Smartphones evolved.
We got rotary dials and then touch-tones. Then came car phones, pagers and the Blackberry.
Today, the miraculous little machines we use for selfies and solitaire are thousands of times more powerful (and several tons lighter) than the world’s first super-computers.
What’s my point?
Change takes time.
Big developments are coming to Currituck County, but those projects aren’t going to burst from the ground and stretch into the clouds like a magic beanstalk.
There are two main reasons for this…
One: We don’t have magic beans.
Two: That’s not how economic development works.
Before golden shovels and construction crews can lead to giant scissors and red ribbons, a lot has to happen behind the scenes.
Infrastructure. Regulation. Negotiation.
Development is a process.
And because that process involves private businesses, politicians, local, state and federal government agencies and a whole bunch of lawyers... it doesn't always move as quickly as we'd like.
Part of my job is to keep things moving forward. Help the process make progress.
It takes patience and persistence. Most days I have to remind myself to be "in the moment." Just keep swimming.
The real trick is learning how to keep your eye on the ball AND the big picture at the same time.
Currituck County will grow. It will change. But not overnight.
Fortunately, in 2020, we've got more momentum than ever before.
This is going to a big year.
I can't wait to see what things look like in 2021.
Maybe we'll finally get those jet packs and robot butlers.
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Larry Lombardi
Director of Economic Development
