A Message from the Chief Executive Officer
Friends:
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” So says retired Retired Navy Admiral William McRaven, whose accomplishments are too many to fit in this newsletter. He even wrote a book called “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… And Maybe the World.” In a nutshell, the little things we do are foundational for the bigger things we want to accomplish. This applies to individuals as well as to organizations such as Archway.
At Archway, we enter the new year with significant ambitions. In fact, our theme for the year is “Bigger, Stronger, Better.” We are working to expand our reach and the communities we serve. To do this we need to be stronger organizationally. And as we grow and work to get stronger and more resilient, we also are focused on being better at what we do. It’s a lot, I know. But the demand for affordable housing and services is growing more acute every day, as real estate costs continue to escalate and the barriers to new development seem to multiply each year.
This brings me back to McRaven. If Archway is to have a chance of accomplishing our 2022 goals and realizing our longer-term vision, we must do the little things right. Among many other things, our properties must be clean and orderly. Our financial affairs must be in order, evidenced by appropriate internal controls and timely completion of financial reports. We must always treat ourselves, our teammates, our partners, and our residents with kindness and respect. While each of these “behaviors” are modest in their way, they each serve as essential building blocks upon which the organization will be able to grow.
Right now, Archway is at an inflection point. We have made ambitious commitments for 2022, which include delivering 67 new affordable units in Wadsworth in early 2023, closing on our 150-unit Johnson & Wales project by the end of 2022, taking over management and ownership of the 88-unit Montview Manor community by the end of the year, and advancing project work in Gunnison, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs. We are also focused on improving property operations, enhancing our services, and carefully continuing to expand our capacity to deliver even more units to Colorado. It is truly exciting to think about these projects and initiatives and know we can make a more meaningful impact on the affordable housing needs of Colorado.
And yet… none of this will be possible unless we take care of the so-called “little things.” McRaven: “If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.” Whatever your role may be relative to Archway – a team member, a resident, a partner, or simply a caring member of our greater community – I invite you to support our ambitious efforts in whatever way you can, starting with a little thing. Pick up the gum wrapper you see floating around the office, make the important phone call you have been putting off, get just one or two more things done today than you were planning – and maybe just a bit better than the minimum requirement – or reach out to that person who may benefit by hearing from you. In short, if we can all do just a little something more each day to make someone else’s day a bit better, a bit easier, or a bit more productive, I am confident we will achieve our more ambitious goals and then some. Don’t forget to make your bed!
