Happy New Year (December Newsletter)

What a great time of year; tons of Holiday cheer and positive energy, and capping it all, we live in San Diego, a place like no other place! Our town is symbolic of the healthy, balanced, and active lifestyle. We have universities and patent density. We have more millennials on a % than anywhere else. We revel in our diversity and openness. We have amazing geographic advantages with the weather, the Pacific to the west, eastern Desert and mountains, Mexico to our south, and the US Marine Corp guarding our northern border with Orange County. And we have sunny weather and a sunny populace, wow!
It’s no wonder that such an amazing lifestyle has produced so many brands that truly reflect San Diego’s Sport and healthy lifestyle industry. For your small SDSI staff, it's a privilege to represent our industry, to help young companies accelerate to their future, to play a role in developmental plans for our larger brands and to serve as a link to the high minded service providers who make things happen.
Immediately after this year’s Holiday party, John Sarkisian, our Industry Chairman, sent out a brief note that really sums up our mission. I’d like to share this with you and thank each of you for your support.

“Reflecting upon the holiday party last night it occurred to me that while we continue to strive to improve as an organization to provide value and resources to our members we should not forget the core value our organization brings to the SAL industry.
Conceived by Marco ten years ago, accelerated by the Bill Walton and lead by Bob Rief, Nick Roth, Renne Catalano-Gussman and Dana Rowley, SDSI has created a community where one did not exist before. To see so many young entrepreneurs in one place benefiting from this community of leaders and mentors should remind us all that simply having a place to turn to when you have put yourself out there with an idea and the hope of creating a business might be SDSI's greatest value of all.”

Happy New Year!

-bob

Read the rest of the newsletter here