A Message of Health, Gratitude and Hope
Dear Friends, Clients and Colleagues,
The past several weeks have given us much to reflect upon. My thoughts in particular have been drawn to the fact that there is so much to be concerned about—the welfare of our communities, our country’s unemployment, the upheaval in the financial markets, the health of our world, and many other situations locally, nationally, and globally. Conversely, I have also been focused on all I have to be grateful for—my health, loving family, adoring pets, devoted friends, the beauty of my surroundings, our amazing clients, and the opportunity I’ve earned to be CEO of a wonderful firm that has an outstanding team and a solid reputation.
My intent for this note is to bring you a message of hope. The unprecedented events created by the COVID-19 crisis are uncharted territory and have created tremendous uncertainty for many of us. Although we can only speculate on what the future will bring, the “new normal” is yet to emerge. The main principle I have been relying on to guide me through this crisis has been the wellbeing of our families, our team, and our clients. Thus, I have been challenging myself to accept the chaos of the unknown by reaching out for support from my network, looking for moments of grace in each day, and finding unique ways to make connections with family, friends, colleagues, and clients. Whether it is sending daily notes to our team to lift their spirits, sharing a virtual moment of laughter with friends and family, or connecting with clients over coffee or a glass of wine on a video conference, my hope is that embracing these new ways of communicating will make us stronger, help us survive this uncertain time, and ultimately thrive.
I am honored that Bates Group is the firm our clients turn to in times like this. We have always been here to help solve our client’s challenges and we will continue to be. Considering all that our families, our firms, and our nation are going through, I wanted to use this opportunity to send you our thoughts of support and our wishes for a safe and secure future.
Warm regards,
Jennifer Stout, CEO and the entire Bates Group Team