On December 23rd 2020, we gathered like we always have over the past three decades, but this year was different. This year, we were winding down a remarkable year marked by adversity, transition, invention, and resilience.

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We worked to create an agenda for our party that was similar to previous years. We summarized the causes and charities that we supported, the fundraisers that we participated in, we played games, we held a design competition and we called out each of the 43 members of our team and referred to the level of excellence that they brought to their tasks over the past year. But in spite of our efforts to bring normalcy to the afternoon, we couldn’t deny how contemplative the mood was as we all reflected on our new normal while we tried to enjoy each other's virtual company.

The efforts over the prior nine months were nothing short of extraordinary. The spirit with which our staff took on the challenges of working from home and transitioning their work environments without breaking stride and without compromising on our commitments to our clients was our single greatest achievement and it will be what defines our work memory of 2020; all of it completed with respect for fellow staff and with a professionalism that we knew existed but never imagined it would continue under the adversity that we faced.

If we were proud of our staff before March of 2020 and if we believed that we had the most exceptional team in the industry before the pandemic called us to action, then we realized very quickly in 3rd and 4th quarter of 2020 that this truth was confirmed.

The plans we made as a firm to leave our offices and to work from home was guided by our decision to prioritize the health and safety of our staff. We will look back on this time and on this year-end as the most extraordinary challenge of our lives and we are proud that as a team, we managed through the challenge extraordinarily so well.

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