Dear Community,
Thank you. I don’t know what other words there are.
your support has made all of this possible
I sit here this morning, in my final few hours of work in 2016 reflecting on all that has occurred in the last 12 months. In some ways, it’s completely overwhelming to process everything that has defined Nine13sports this year. We started off on the lowest of lows, saying goodbye to our biggest advocate, Denver Hutt, and then having a significant chunk of our equipment stolen in January, to experiencing the overwhelming outpouring of support in the hours and days afterwords.
As we continued along, support from Lids Foundation, one of our largest new partners of 2016 started to shape us a bit more and give us some additional footing. Support from CICF and their Indianapolis Foundation helped create new opportunities within Indianapolis Public Schools. We received support from the Indiana Sports Corp Champs Grant to grow bicycle safety programs and provide helmets in select schools. Hendricks Regional Health helped put us in 10 schools for the first time in Hendricks county. Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital helped support programs in new archdiocese schools. Arbor Homes, Peloton Wealth Services, Regions Bank, and many others helped defined what corporate social responsibility looks like. United State of Indiana championed our Ride Indiana mission with an awesome new design. We saw revenue continue to grow, we added new staff to our team, and we were able to increase year over year services in Central Indiana from 7,500 youth and 25,000 interactions in 2015 to 10,000 youth and 30,000 total interactions in 2016.
We added equipment, including new vehicles that will position us to be an even more efficient organization in 2017. We saw engagement from totally new geographical areas on Central Indiana like Ripley County and Madison county who took interest in our offerings. We built a STEM based curriculum to get our bikes out of the gymnasium and into the classroom. We never stopped moving and my staff never settled with the status quo, they’ve continued to push to be even greater every single day. We planned our launch into Minnesota and have continued to reshape how we approach Portland operations for further success.
Personally, it’s been a humbling year. My mentors, Andy, Michael, and Gary, have continued to shape me and be a resource for me. They’ve been supportive, have pushed me and challenged me, and have been there for counsel on both successes and failures. In many ways, even in those toughest hours of January, they all played a role in helping me navigate those dark waters.
I saw success in the graduation of Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Series (SKL) class XL in June. My efforts of assisting with transit saw an overwhelming majority of the city vote yes for the transit referendum in November. I’ve continued to find ways to get more involved with great community resources like the Indy Chamber and Leadership Indianapolis. There have been panels and committees that a year ago I could only dream about being on. We received more press than I ever could have imagined.
And that’s the short list of 2016.
And of course, there is my staff…
Ashley-you have been the reason we’ve continued to grow. I can’t thank you enough for your support and belief in me, even when I’m not always sure what the outcome will be. You’re the best COO around and your support and guidance has been especially welcomed in 2016 as I have navigated the new world without Denver to give me advice. I can’t wait to see what we continue to build in 2017.
Chris-from “senior” intern 2 years ago to now, you’ve been the integral part of operations. From managing interns and sites to helping with creative content, you’re the best first hire Ashley and I could have made in 2015. You’ve grown as a man, a father, and a leader, and I think 2017 will not only further solidify those roles but will help find new opportunity for you within Nine13 and the community as a whole.
Nathan-you’ve been telling me for almost 2 years you wanted to come work for Nine13. You were relentless. Your excitement and enthusiasm has been a welcomed addition to our team over these last few months and I can’t wait to see what we achieve with the entirety of 2017 to claim as ours.
Charlie-from PDX to MSP, it’s been an adventure and I’m beyond excited to work with you to have Minneapolis rocking in the upcoming year.
My Board-thank you for trusting me and my vision to run this organization. We will continue to set the world ablaze with momentum in 2017.
2016 was one for the books, but I’m ready to close the chapter on it and tackle what 2017 will bring. Please have a safe and happy holiday season. We’ll be back January 5th with our first programs of the new year.
Sincerely,
Tom Hanley