When we were preparing our annual holiday gift for our clients, colleagues and friends — again, appropriately, coffee —  we found we had “Seasons of Love” from Rent stuck in our heads. We know, we know, most people are walking around with the Star Is Born soundtrack in their heads, and Rent came out 13 years ago (how is that possible?). But here we are. Wondering how you measure a year. In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee? We lost count of the cups of coffee around January 9.

So how do we at Switchboard measure a year?

In problems solved. In new talent added to our team. In people connected, and synergies found. In 2018, we helped place people in professional roles for our clients and our community. We connected like-minded individuals to solve challenging problems.

Above all, we at Switchboard measure a year in the sh*t we got done. And in 2018, that was a lot. It was a year of hustle (but isn’t it always?).

Some highlights: we worked with Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster, which was selected by the Federal Government as one of five superclusters to receive funding. Our homegrown supercluster received its $153M cheque in November, and a number of exciting projects are in development. We can’t wait to see what happens in 2019.

Working with CHIMP, we got to the bottom of what a DAF is, how it works and why it’s a good choice for many donors; then helped the CHIMP team with content that explains DAFs to people not familiar with them.

The BC Tech Association (BC Tech) received its best-ever report card from KPMG, which reported that the province’s technology sector is now outperforming Canada’s other provinces and British Columbia’s other industries.

Yes, we hustled hard and got a lot of sh*t done. This week, we had our annual holiday party, which included a plain language workshop to help our team further improve its communication skills. Then we had a drink and reflected on a year’s worth of wins, losses, learning and growth.

Now we’re looking forward to winding down for the holiday season. We hope you have the opportunity to do the same—to soak up some mountain air, read some good books, sit and savour each sip of coffee instead of drinking it on the go.

We at Switchboard will be doing the same, and look forward to coming back in 2019 refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready for another year of challenges to solve and sh*t to get done.

From us to you and yours, have a wonderful holiday season.